So I just got my first ball python about a month ago and she has yet to eat with me. Not sure how old she is but she’s just over 1 foot long. The store from which I bought her told me they feed their snakes live pinkies once a week on Wednesdays, I bought her on a Friday so waited until the following Wednesday to feed her myself. I heard from multiple sources not to feed her in her tank so I moved her to a large storage bin and dropped the mouse in. No luck. Probably had her in there for an hour and a half, sniffed the rat pinkie, even opened her mouth on it lightly, but then spent the rest of the time trying to get out.

Shes in a 20 gallon tank. I keep it between 80 and 95 degrees and between 50 and 60 % humidity. She has two hides, one on the warm side one on the cooler side. Plenty of fake plants and leaves to hide in and some branches to climb around on. I’ve recently gotten a humidifier (about a week ago) I’ve had better luck regulating the humidity. Before it was dropping pretty low and I would spray the tank down with a spray bottle to bring it up. Since then she has been more active and seems more comfortable in her tank.

Since the initial feeding I’ve tried 2 or 3 more times. I’ve tried frozen thawed pinkies and live pinkies, I’ve tried rats and mice. I haven’t noticed her losing weight, although I don’t have a scale to weigh her, but I feel like she’s maybe even grown some. Today I noticed her belly is slightly pink in hue..

Am I pestering her too much with food? Should I be concerned? Thanks for the help