I have tried everything...

[BuckeyeBalls]

Think of the smaller feeder animal not as a real meal and more as an appetizer (literally) - something to get her back into the swing of things. You mention that she was taking live small rats from her previous owner. If she has had any incidents with live feeders, a poorly placed strike and resulting bite or scratch for instance, then she may be more reluctant to take another live rat. Taking a step back and offering smaller (less threatening) prey animals can help rebuild confidence and feeding response.

Exactly what i ment by it just not in as much detail

[lesserlover]

I will offer her mice the next time she is scheduled to feed.

[J.Vandegrift]

At around the weight she is many balls go off feed. Especially after being shipped. I think you are worrying too much. If she is 800g she was obviously eating for the previous owner. Unless she loses a significant amount of weight I would not worry. At most you should contact the seller just to let him know that it has not eaten, but it is unreasonable to expect the seller to take the snake back at this point. I have had snakes of a similar weight as yours shipped to me that went off feed for 8 months after shipping. I even hand delivered a snake to a friend in NY a few months ago and she still went off feed. All off her siblings are still eating great for me, but the 20hr car ride was enough to put the one I brought him off feed. His still has not eaten as far as I know.

If it were me, I would do nothing but change the water in her cage for about a month. Don't pick her up, don't offer food, nothing. After that try a live rat at night and see what happens. She may not eat again until late spring/early summer. Good luck.

[zantedeschia]

She is 800grams. I am not sure a small mouse would do her any good. I know I should not be worried about her loosing any weight but the sooner she feeds the less of a headache I will have.

My 800g male who was eating small rats, refused 2 in a row. I put him back on mice. Offered 2 cause that's what he was eating before, but he eats one then goes back into his hide.

If what I read here is accurate (and I have no reason to believe it's not), sometime in the near future his appetite will pick back up and he'll most likely want rats again.

So offer her a mouse. It may be what she wants at the moment.

And btw, he is still gaining weight on 1 adult mouse.

[Elise.m]

My 600g female is being picky on me, and now my 400g male is. It's the winter, so it could just be that. The change in scenery, the time of year. I would try mice, that's what got my female to eat after 4 weeks.

[Seak]

All BPs are different and it's not rare for one to go months without eating after being put somewhere new, especially at the size yours is. Also, this time of the year it is not rare for some BPs to get off food for a bit. As long as she's not losing to much weight you have nothing to worry about and giving her back would be extremely premature.

[Jay_Bunny]

I can tell you from experience that sometimes they just need a while to acclimate to their new surroundings. I purchased two female normals in the spring of 2008. When they were with the previous owner, they were feeding normally. When I got them home, I waited a week and tried to feed. They both refused. I tried live, f/t, pre-killed. Tried leaving a f/t or pre-killed feeder in with them overnight. I tried leaving them along for a few weeks, still nothing. Finally, after 4 MONTHS, I tried to feed again and out of the blue, they both ate. I had tried everything I could think of and nothing had worked until one day I just tried to feed like I feed all my other snakes and they took the feeders as if they had never been off feed.

Maybe leave her alone in a dark tub for a while (cover her tub with black construction paper to make her more secure).

[lesserlover]

I am a bit upset about the situation but I understand everyones input. I wanted her to breed for me next season. I want to produce lucy's and purchased a mojave and a lesser female that are both 08's to do just that. I will give her more time, duck tape her tub with construction tape and cross my fingers that she feeds in the next month. I might even board her at the local pet store to see if they can get her to feed after 2 months. Thanks everyone.

[Big Gunns]

I am a bit upset about the situation but I understand everyones input. I wanted her to breed for me next season. I want to produce lucy's and purchased a mojave and a lesser female that are both 08's to do just that. I will give her more time, duck tape her tub with construction tape and cross my fingers that she feeds in the next month. I might even board her at the local pet store to see if they can get her to feed after 2 months. Thanks everyone.

Why are you "upset"? Is it because you think the seller lied....or is it just because it won't eat.

Here's what BG can guarantee. If you buy a snake at that size.... at this time of the year.... and put it on newspaper there is a 50% chance it's not gonna eat(BG's experience). If the seller kept it on Aspen or Cypress, you can almost 100% guarantee it may not eat if you put it on newspaper. Nobody has mentioned substrate, but it makes a huge difference.

Let BG give you some advice. Sell all your Ball Pythons and get some boas. That's the only way you won't need to deal with this problem. Stop panicking and call the seller and ask EXACTLY how he had it set up and what EXACTLY he was feeding it. You even need to ask what substrate the feeders were raised on if he's feeding live. A live rat raised on Aspen smells different than one raised on Pine....and it can make a difference.

Ball Pythons are a pain in the butt this time of year. They're an even bigger pain in the butt when you purchase them at this time of the year. If they are over 350 grams and you set them up differently than they were kept before, you're most likely gonna have a feeding issue. Ball Pythons will go off feed for breeders when they move them from tub to tub....even if they never refused in their life......so they'll definitely do it when sold to someone else. Good luck.....and stop panicking. You bought a BALL PYTHON!!!!!! This is what they do.

[Jay_Bunny]

I would not move her to board at a local pet store. That move will probably reset her "acclimating clock" and you will have to wait even longer. Not to mention, some pet store people can be dumb when it comes to fasting ball pythons.

Make her tub as dark and secure as possible (give her an extra hide if you have to). I would just tape dark construction paper over the outside of the tub. Something another breeder recommended to me when the girls were fasting (though I never tried it) was to ball up newspaper and throw the balls of newspaper into the tub to take up space. No personal experience with this one but you could try it. At the size she is, not feeding for a few weeks won't hurt her. One of the girls I had was around 800-900 when she came home and she went 4 months without ill effects so your girl should be fine. You may not be able to breed her this season but I think the most important thing would be to get her eating first.