Hello everybody I am a new be to both this forum and to the world of ball pythons. This is my first snake.

I purchasaed my hatchling ball python last April. According to the seller/breeder I was told to wait five days prior to feeding her. I did. I offered her a live pinky mouse (store was out of fuzzies). She flicked her tongue and investegated it but to no avail.......she returned to her cave and stuck her head out. I placed the pinky mouse inside her cave with her and went to bed. Upon awaking the next morning I discovered that she ate it!!

I have since fed her a fuzzy mouse and rat pinkie (all live) and she devoured them. The following week I dangled a frozen thawed hopper in front of her and once again she devoured it!

Tonight I thawed out a hopper and dangled it in front of her cave where she was hiding and she began flicking her tongue and exiting her cave. After several minutes she finally struck at the hopper and began to coil. After only a few seconds she let go and began to flicking her tongue as she was trying to find the hopper. She left the hopper on the floor of her cage and retreated back to her cave. I attempted to offer the hopper again but she refused. Any clues? All the time I have had her she had been an aggressive eater.

She is housed in a 10 gallon glass aquarium and the substrate is reptile carpet. Her heat is provided by a zoo med under the tank heater. Her cave is directly on top of the heat source. On the opposite side of the aquarium is a water bowl that is large enough for her to soak in if she wishes.....although I have never seen her in the water. The basking site ranges between 91 and 93 degrees measured with a temp gun. Although the humidity has been fairly low the last two days (39%) it normally ranges in the 50 to 60% range.

The only difference that I have noticed over the previous weeks is that she seemed to have been much more active moving about her cage. I kind of attribute that to food being too small and not satisfying for very long. This week (after she devoured her first hopper) she has been hiding in her cave and not coming out. I attributed that to her being satisfied after eating her fist hopper mouse.

I will try and feed her again on Saturday and see what happens. Any ideas from you experts what I should do, if anything, different?

I have heard of bal pythons going off of food when they are adults for a while but I don't want this to happen to my hatchling. She could not sustain a hunger strike for very long (I don't think anyway). I just want her to be healthy and eating properly. Who knows......I may be worrying about nothing.