Not sure if it belongs here, but I need some help. My Ball Python won't eat.

[Sama]

It does sound more like defensive striking then feeding, I have one that did that the first year. She really settled out after she reached 500g. You got lots of good advice, thermostat, clutter up her cage and give her a week before you try to feed or mess with her. Once you get her feeding then you can start working on handling her. They are pretty hardy little things, my first was a rescue, he was in a cage with 2 other ball pythons twice his size and a adult corn snake, 40 gallon breeder with no hides. He is now a great big adult and the sweetest snake I have ever seen.

[liv]

If a hide is too big, just ball up some paper towel and put it in there Also if you are looking for a few more inexpensive hides, you can use little plastic ones for hamsters/small rodents. They run about $4 in Canada, and I'm assuming they are cheaper in the States. If your BP is small enough, an empty paper towel roll or two can also be used temporarily until you get some more permanent hides.

[Tes95]

Thank you.. she uh, she's actually done something like a cat, I guess.. she likes brushing up against my hands when I mist her cage. I've actually held her already, and she doesn't even curl up, that tells me she's comfortable with me holding her.. I just let my body go limp and gently pick her up when she gets too far. She's the one in my profile picture and avatar. I think she might be a hybrid morph.

[liv]

Not sure what you mean by a hybrid morph. What would she be a hybrid of? She looks like a cute normal to me

[Tes95]

Not sure what you mean by a hybrid morph. What would she be a hybrid of? She looks like a cute normal to me

She has some sort of... it's weird. I think she might be a mix of chocolate, cinnamon, or pastel.

[Annarose15]

She definitely isn't a pastel, and I don't see cinny or chocolate, either. Closer-up, larger pics would help, though, once she's settled.

[liv]

Based on your picture, she is a normal

[BHReptiles]

She has some sort of... it's weird. I think she might be a mix of chocolate, cinnamon, or pastel.

The cool thing about ball python morphs is that they are mostly dominant/codominant morphs...meaning you can't have a "mix" of morphs. They are either a morph or they aren't. Your baby looks like a nice dark normal, something that would look good when bred with a cinnamon or black pastel.

Welcome to the snake owning community! This is a great place to learn a lot about ball pythons. I got my first ball python in July. I literally rescued her and got her a temp setup in less than 3 hours. At that point, I knew NOTHING about ball pythons. I had her in an aquarium with two hides, water bowl, and an unregulated UTH. But now, with similar suggestions as were made to you, my baby girl is 275g (I got her at 44g) and living in a tub system on my rack. You'll love owning a ball python and it will just be a matter of time before you find yourself with a whole herd of them.

[Burke1230]

frist congrats on the new bp. give her a week before u try again. if u bought her at a petsmart they feed the snakes in small containers that are usaully bout 6-7 inches long by bout 3-4 inches wide so get a small box. dont soak the mouse in chicken broth just put it in a siplock bag and soak it in hot water then dry it of. if it still wont eat a frozen thowed get a live mouse nock it out so that it still has its own body temp put the snake in the small box and offer it the recently nocked out mouse it should eat with no problems hopefully this works for u i know its worked for me in the past and as far as it gos with the 40 breeder its fine the cages at petsmart are uasually that size it just needs to be feed the same way they do for bout a month or two and then u can try feedin it in its normally cage again it just may take time for it to get used to eatin in its normal cages.

[Kaorte]

!!!!

It's funny how much this site can teach you. I was almost precisely in the same shoes as you when I got my first ball python from pet smart 4 years ago.

Now, I thought I did my homework before I got my snake. I read a bunch of caresheets (the wrong ones) and went off random stuff I read on the internet. I was so excited to show off my new baby to some other snake enthusiasts, which brought me here!

Boy did I screw up. I had it all wrong!

First off, I had a tall exo-terra tank. It had little floorspace and it was almost completely covered with an unregulated UTH (under tank heater). I had a heat lamp and those crappy analog gauges stuck on at the very TOP of the cage (I still can't understand why I did this. Why I put the thermometers as far from where the snake hangs out as possible..).

Funny thing was that I spent a TON of money on this setup and had almost non to spare when I realized the mistakes I had made.

Don't worry. Everything will work out. You have gotten some great advice on this thread and I'm sure you will learn a lot from this site, if you are willing.

Yes it will take a little bit of cash to fix your mistakes, but you can do some quick fixes for under $30.

1. A light dimmer. You can find these at home depot from around $12. Its a piggy back light dimmer, or a table top dimmer. you can plug your UTH right into it and control the temperature by dimming the power. Make sure your probed thermometer is under the substrate right where the UTH is.
2. Hydrofarm thermostat. You can buy them on amazon for under $30. Its not a great thermostat, but it at least gives you a slightly more accurate way of controlling the temperature. If you can afford it now, get it now.

Please keep the UTH off in the meantime. The lamp will be more than enough until you get the thermostat.

The hides I use are all from the dollar store. Plastic bowls with holes cut out. The snakes like them because they are snug and dark. A box will work temporarily, but you will want something that you can reuse.

I could go on, but a lot of this has been said already, or will be said in the future.


Thanks for joining the site and being receptive to suggestions! Prepare to become addicted to these gorgeous babies! I've got something like 27 now. XD