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  1. #31
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    I rescued my ball from a petshop. It has been fed there once. Should I try to let it take the food itself, or assist feed?

  2. #32
    in evinco persecutus dr del's Avatar
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    Re: Assist Feeding Instructions

    Hi,

    Assist feeding is what you do when the snake won't eat by itself and is getting to the point where this is a problem.

    If you just got it and it has eaten in the recent past you shouldn't even be thinking of assist feeding yet.


    dr del
    Derek

    7 adult Royals (2.5), 1.0 COS Pastel, 1.0 Enchi, 1.1 Lesser platty Royal python, 1.1 Black pastel Royal python, 0.1 Blue eyed leucistic ( Super lesser), 0.1 Piebald Royal python, 1.0 Sinaloan milk snake 1.0 crested gecko and 1 bad case of ETS. no wife, no surprise.

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  4. #33
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    Awesome...that's what I was hoping lol...We'll see...they don't seem to different than Burmese

  5. #34
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    Re: Assist Feeding Instructions

    I need help please! I received my first BP for Christmas this year. My mom bought him from a pet store a couple days before Christmas where they told her that he would be due to eat on Christmas. It is now the 5th of January and I still haven't been able to get him to eat. He is approximately 18 inches long and from all my research seems to be in fairly good health although in the past couple days he has started to seem less muscular and sleeps about 95% of the time that I am awake (he used to be awake and moving around at least half the time I was awake).

    I got him to strike at food on the 31st, but was so excited that I accidently dropped both the food and the 17inch feeding tongs I was using to hold it in his feeding area and scared him so he wouldn't eat.

    He is currently in a 10 gallon tank with one side kept at 90 degrees during the day and the other between 80-85 farenheit. At night one side stays at 80 degrees and the other at about 75. He has a hide on either side of the tank as well as a climbing area. He has a water dish that I change daily. I use aspen bedding and keep the humidity at about 50%.

    I primarily try feeding him at night when he is more active in the dark but have also tried during the day and in the light. I've tried feeding him in a small enclosed area as well as the plastic tub that I originally bought as his feeding place. I have been trying to feed him frozen pinkies and have tried thawed/refrozen, brained the thawed pinkie, and dipped the pinkie in tuna juice. I have tried to feed him every other day since the 25th. I don't handle him except for when I take him out to feed him since I want him to get acclimated to his surroundings and eat before I get him used to me.

    What else can I do??? I would really not like to feed him live mice but I don't want to cause some kind of injury to his health due to him not eating. I know they can go without eating for a long time but I tend to worry and would feel so much better if he would finally eat! Please help!

  6. #35
    BPnet Lifer muddoc's Avatar
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    Re: Assist Feeding Instructions

    First thing I would recommend is to feed a larger prey item. Many times they won't eat something as small as a pinkie. I have quite a few babies every year that need something with more size that "moves around" alot. Try feeding something larger than a pinkie (not to mention, even if your snake was eating the pinkies, it would still lose weight due to under feeding). Also, this is the time of year where plenty of snakes will go off feed. Most animals will not do this until they are around 12-16 months old, but I do have the occassional hatchling that stops feeding in winter, even though he is young and small (I currently have a Lavender Albino male doing this to me).

    Lstly, your comment about him sleeping 95% of the day, is completely normal. That is what ball pythons do. Most snakes that only eat once every 7-14 days (and even longer at times in the wild), do not move around alot. That is how they conserve energy and minimize the demand for intake of food. Other higher metabolism snakes such as corn snakes, move around alot more, require more food intake.

    I hope that helps, but if you have more questions, just ask.
    Tim Bailey
    (A.K.A. MBM or Art Pimp)
    www.baileyreptiles.com
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  8. #36
    Registered User Gene Collins's Avatar
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    Re: Assist Feeding Instructions

    Thanks for this detailed information. I am worried I may have to do this with my newly purchased BP. I have tried feeding thawed frozen mice and he acted scared of them. Left him with them for a few hours and nothing. I will try a live one in a couple more days to see if he takes to that. If not then I will try this assisted method.

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  10. #37
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    Re: Assist Feeding Instructions

    Just wanted to say thank you for these instructions. I have a female het that would not eat. After reading and debating whether or not I should do it, I gave it a shot. It was probably just as nerve racking for me as it was for the snake. In the end it worked, hopefully that will get her to start feeding.

    KT

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  12. #38
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    Re: Assist Feeding Instructions

    I have had a hard to feed snake in the past. Knowing what I know now about snakes I would have fixed her up good. I just got in a snake that didn't want to eat. I started her on antibiotics. She is now eating. I prekilled a rat and smashed the head a little bit, and also put in a live small mouse. I went to bed. Next day both were in her belly. Now I can get a fecal sample, and bring that to my vet and see if she's got any parasites. From my experience, a snake that does not eat has something medically wrong with it, even if it looks fine. If the snake is mature you can expect them to eat less during the breeding season.
    Last edited by snakeg; 09-28-2012 at 02:33 AM.

  13. #39
    BPnet Lifer muddoc's Avatar
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    Re: Assist Feeding Instructions

    Quote Originally Posted by snakeg View Post
    IFrom my experience, a snake that does not eat has something medically wrong with it, even if it looks fine.

    I really wanted to address the above quote from your post. While this statement can be true, it can also be false. The premis behind the original posting of this thread was how to assist feed a new hatchling Ball Python. I have probably had to "jump start" somewhere in the neighboorhodd of 100 baby balls over the years. I have only had one that would still not take anything after 26 assists. The reason was his tongue was extremely short, and I believe that had something to do with his lack of feeding. Tongue issues are usually always a failure at getting them to eat on their own.

    Where your statement can be true is for an animal that has fed on it's own in the past. Typically if it has eaten on it's own in the past, and decides not to eat (not in conjunction with a fasting period), then there is probably something wrong.

    With all of the above stateted, I would NEVER, and have NEVER advocate assit feeding a Ball Python that has eaten on it's own before. If it is not eating, it either doesn't want to eat, or something is wrong in the husbandry department and needs to be resolved.
    Tim Bailey
    (A.K.A. MBM or Art Pimp)
    www.baileyreptiles.com
    The Blog

  14. #40
    Registered User HerpsNHarleys's Avatar
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    I have just taken on the challenge of a hatchling (born in Sept) that has yet to eat. I have read everything in this thread and am most thankful for it. My question is, typically you give a reptile a "settling in" period of up to a week, however, this poor little guy is pretty weak so I don't think he will make it. I got the snake Tuesday night, will I do more harm than good by trying to assist feed it tonight? The previous owner did try assist feeding with no success.

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