New young ball python help!

[Rdegs]

I have had my new ball python for 6 days and I just tried to feed it frozen thawed. It didn’t take the meal but it has ate frozen before with the breeder. What should I do. Should I wait another week to try again? If I do need another week can I hold it during the week? Should I try again more soon or? I have no idea what to do. Thanks

[VereMyth]

Woah there man.

1. Its only been a week as far as I know My three young juveniles barely even that(When I got them they were about 75g) One went without feeding for 2 weeks with no visible side effects.

2. Its a stressful move

So to sum it up You have had you Ball python for 6 days it did not eat my two concerns as with anybody else here would be husbandry and stress.

Make sure your temperatures are right with a hot side of 88-91F and cool side in the 80s

ALL HEATING DEVICE MUST BE ON A THERMOSTAT!!!!!!

Make sure you have identical hides on both sides of the enclosure

This is about all I can say right now besides making sure your humidity is around 60%.

However, you should take a look at the FAQ for asking for help. That questionnaire would be very helpful for us. I am sure I missed some points but these I do believe cover at least critical points.



Everyone here will need more information to help you out further. Do you have a scale that can measure the weight of your snake?

[Bogertophis]

Welcome, Rdegs- It's not a big deal that your snake refused food, he is still settling in with you...new homes are scary & confusing to a snake. It's a good
idea to wait a week before you offer food again (as you suspected), but in the meantime, you should also NOT be handling him. Eating is the most important
thing for a snake, & if you handle him now, it is likely to make him too stressed to eat. Snakes are instinctive creatures, & the only thing that picks them up in
the wild is a predator about to eat them; your snake will in time learn he has nothing to fear from your considerate handling, but for best results, do not pick
him up at all until he has fed successfully 3 times for you, at normal intervals- that's about a week apart for a young BP. I know it's asking a lot to just watch
your new pet right now, but you'll have him for many years, with plenty of time for handling; right now, it's more important that he settles in & eats for you.

By the way, how did you thaw & warm the f/t rodent? Success depends a great deal on the way food is presented to a ball python, since as snakes go, they
can be a little fussy. And do you have feeding tongs?

[Rdegs]

Both hides are the same ,temps are on point.

[Rdegs]

Used tongs warmed the rodent with water then when I didn’t take it I left it in the cage fore 4 hrs then still nothing.

[Sunnieskys]

Set out your mouse to warm to room temp. In a ziplock bag, place in hot water for about 15 min. ( if you are using the hot water method). With tongs hold the mouse by the scruff of the neck (this mimics a mouse). Just "slightly" twitch the mouse. A dangle or big movements may startle a new beep.

Make sure your hot side is 90, cool side hide 80 and ambient (overall temp) 80. If you have a heat mat or UTH it must be regulated by a thermostat. This is NOT an option.

Pretty common for for them not to eat the first round. This is when we make sure your husbandry is correct.

[Zincubus]

Basically everything everyone has already mentioned ...

Leave it a week before trying again .. I don't handle until they're eating well but it is tempting ( it's far easier to resist handling if you have loads of snakes lol )

Also , I have great success using a hairdryer plugged in near the Viv to heat the mouse up immediately before dangling it in front of the snakes nose . I even have the Viv doors open in readiness as every split second counts as the mouse cools down so quickly ... Also feed in the evenings in dim or low light ... mine all strike from under their hides so I wait until they be settled in there before offering ...

Excuse this cut and paste ..

This method WORKS if done properly ...
I wait until evening as they're nocturnal of course . I let the rodent thaw out in the reptile room so they get the smell ..
Then I warm up the mouse / rat with a hairdryer and offer with tongs IMMEDIATELY whilst still warm . If refused simply repeat the heating and offering as many times as needed. .
A couple of mine will only strike feed from within their hides so I dangle the warm rodent in front of the hide's entrance - usually works but if it fails simply reheat the rodent with a hairdryer and immediately offer again whilst it's still warm continue until it's grabbed ...


Incidentally , if it shows no interest at all not even a tongue flicker maybe it's best to leave for a week or so.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[Craiga 01453]

First off, welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping!!

It's not uncommon at all for a new snake to refuse a meal (or more) in a new home. So nothing to worry about.


There are two major reasons a young snake will refuse food.
1) husbandry and 2) stress.

So, right now your top priority should be husbandry. Make sure you've chosen a proper enclosure, temps are dialed in and ALL HEAT SOURCES ARE REGULATED BY A THERMOSTAT , humidity is on point, etc...

Now onto stress. The snake is stressed from the move, new enclosure, new smells, etc...
So you need to keep stress to a minimum. NO HANDLING YET. Getting the snake eating should be more important than our desire to handle the snakes. You'll have 20+ years to handle the snake.

I highly recommend waiting until the snake has eaten three consecutive meals without refusal before handling.

Also, make sure there's adequate hides, clutter, etc..., the enclosure is not in a high traffic area of the house, no other pets are getting on or near the enclosure, etc...

Read, read, read and read some more. The more we know about our pets the better we can care for them.

Ask questions, we're happy to help!!