Is my baby ball python going to starve himself??!

[hilabeans]

To be fair ... Royals do love climbing and will use any branches or vines that are in there BUT you rightly mentioned that it's odd for them to stay in them all the time .. mine love climbing in the evenings for an hour or so but will spend most of the time in their hides


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True that. A fully healthy snake with all things dialed in, I wouldn't think twice of an hour or so of playtime.

[Tila]

I recently struggled with a couple hatchlings that wouldn't eat and for me it was the live vs. f/t that solved the issue. It was very difficult to find live mice but I was able to and that made all the difference. I wish I could've had someone tell me in a kind way that live can be THAT important. Fortunately it only took 2 live feedings to get my two on track and the next feeding they flawlessly switched to f/t so don't feel like if you do feed live it'll have to be forever. So as others have said, follow the hatchling care and husbandry advice but also if possible consider live since it was THE missing piece in my case. Good luck!

[Bogertophis]

I recently struggled with a couple hatchlings that wouldn't eat and for me it was the live vs. f/t that solved the issue. It was very difficult to find live mice but I was able to and that made all the difference. I wish I could've had someone tell me in a kind way that live can be THAT important. Fortunately it only took 2 live feedings to get my two on track and the next feeding they flawlessly switched to f/t so don't feel like if you do feed live it'll have to be forever. So as others have said, follow the hatchling care and husbandry advice but also if possible consider live since it was THE missing piece in my case. Good luck!

I agree.

While I've never raised BPs, I've raised many other kinds of hatchlings & neonates, and yes! they are programmed by "nature" to seek live wiggling prey...NOT 'roadkill'.
So while some may switch quickly & easily, others cling to their instincts...it's up to us, their keepers & benefactors, to realize & do what they need to get a start in life.

It's not easy to make dead prey seem alive...many of us forget how hard it was when we were new to this because we've been using the "tricks" for so long... It can
be done, but for the sake of the snake, I'd rather they keep their energy up by eating a few live, & deal with switching them later. A snake that has never fed doesn't
"know" what it's like to feel "full"...once they eat a time or two, their appetite improves...they instinctively want to eat more & they more easily accept f/t or fresh killed.

[Bogertophis]

I put the mice in a plastic zipblock bag and emerge it into warm/hot water for about an hour. When the stomach is soft and seems fully thawed I then blow dry it to heat up the body to about 98 degrees to recreate body heat, and then I just walk it over and put it in the tank

This is wrong, as zina10 pointed out in her post that followed yours. When you did this (thawed in warm/hot water an hour!) you inadvertently caused the mice to SPOIL.

Snakes don't want cooked mice...they sure don't want spoiled mice (gag!). Thaw in cold water always, as long as it takes for the rodent to be soft thru & thru...feel with
your fingers to know. A small mouse (like a hopper) won't take an hour to thaw even in COLD water....more like 15 minutes. (science hint: things thaw much faster in
water than in air...never thaw rodents on the counter either.) Once thawed, only then you warm them up, first in very warm water, & then try using a hairdryer briefly.
They cool off very fast, make sure you do this near the cage, OR, find a way to keep them hot while you walk to the cage.

Then much depends on how you offer the prey...even if the prey is hot, if you move it in a way that only scares the snake, your snake still won't eat. Remember that
rodents do NOT rush up & offer themselves to snakes. Snakes (BPs) like to ambush a rodent that's just going past...so make it LOOK that way. Don't approach
the snake with the rodent: instead, make it look like it's casually hopping past- close enough for the snake to see, smell & grab. (you have feeding tongs I assume?)
A little motion, but not too much. Most BPs are braver about grabbing prey when they aren't out in the "open" (cruising their cage), hopefully you time the thawing right,
& feed at NIGHT, when they normally hunt. Maybe dim the lights in the room you see by.

[cron14]

Where in NY do you live? If it is anywhere near Brooklyn, there is several stores that sell live feeders.

[Craiga 01453]

First off, no your snake isn't going to die after a short period of time refusing food. A healthy snake can go months with no problem. But it is important to get yours eating since he's so young.

Follow Deborah's advice. The link she provided is the best advice you can receive at this point.

Start from scratch and start reading all you can about BPs and keeping them in captivity. Learn all you can (from reputable sources). Your snake will not starve itself to death, and 3 weeks is nothing. But for such a young snake, the sooner he eats, the better.

[Abigail23]

I’m more upstate, but I’m willing to take the trip down. What stores do you have in mind?

[Cheesenugget]

Follow Deborah's sticky re husbandry.

Wait one week. No handling. Quiet room.

Get live hopper.

If all goes well, you will get a strike in a matter of seconds.

After it ate consistently for you and gain some weight, try switching to f/t hopper. If it takes, stay on it for a few more meals then upgrade to small mouse, then eventually try switching rats.

[cron14]

If you are near a petland discounts, they all sell live by me. Other than that, I would type into google “reptile stores near me” or exotic stores. Although I’ve never done it before, Craigslist usually has people selling feeders. Facebook could be another option. There are several FB groups for reptile keepers in NY. I never post on there but people sell all sorts of goods. Last option I would say is the White Plains reptile expo. Next one is the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I’ve never been but I would imagine there are at least a few vendors selling live rats.

Just as an aside, my BP is nearly 5 years old and I have always fed live because he refuses F/T (working to change that*). While it doesnt have to be right away, I would suggest following the methods that the much more experienced keepers have suggested to get your BP on F/T. I wish I had switched mine over to F/T when he was younger.

*I don’t have any ethical issues feeding live. F/T is more appealing to me because it removes the chance my BP suffers a bite from a rat.

[Abigail23]

I had a friend of mine go into her local Petland and she was told they don’t sell live hoppers only small mice? He’s had 4-5 live hoppers before I got him. But I feel a small mice may be a bit too big?