Ball refused a few meals now

[Billy305]

I have a female normal that is a little over a year old that has missed a few meals this month. She is my first I got her as a baby in Sept 2010. Since then she always would eat a mouse every 6 days or so. Once or twice she has missed a meal or two and then started again. Most of the missed time were with rats. I'd try pups twice and then the third time scent it with mouse shavings and shed take it. The last time she ate was 10/1/2011 and was 650 grams. Now she is 630 grams. Tonite was her third missed meal (Oct 23) Like usual she would seem kind of interested but when she got real close she smelled it then jerked her head away. Could it be she only likes mice and I should feed her those? How many feedings until I should worry. She seems normal otherwise and is active at night.

She is in a 30x18x12 with 2 hides. Room temp is 77 and heat under 1 hide is 90 degrees.

[Maixx]

I have a female about the same age that will only take mice. I was trying to get her switched to rats and she was stubborn and started to loose weight as well. Now I plan on waiting until she is full grown to try again, I do not want to stunt her growth and at this point jumbo mice are fine for her.
A note on weights, when do you weigh her? Before/after feedings, that weight loss could just be an empty belly.
It might be worth getting a fecal done by your vet to rule out parasites, especially if this was a pet store snake.

[Billy305]

When I weighed her last time it was probably a week after she ate so I'm sure that would have something to do with it. I will probably try next sunday to feed her a big mouse, maybe 2. Does anyone else have to feed their larger BPs mice?

[ballpythonluvr]

When I weighed her last time it was probably a week after she ate so I'm sure that would have something to do with it. I will probably try next sunday to feed her a big mouse, maybe 2. Does anyone else have to feed their larger BPs mice?

I have a male normal that is 1222 grams and he only eats live mice. I have to feed him two large adult mice in one feeding for him to be satisfied. He will not take f/t prey anymore. I don't mind him eating the mice because I just feel lucky that he is eating at all.

[Billy305]

Update. Yesterday I offered her two live jumbo mice, one black one white, and she destroyed both of them. Im 99% sure she just doesn't like rats. Ive been able to have the store put a rat with mice bedding to scent it and have her eat it but its hit or miss.

Is there a better way to scent them or to get her to take the rats? She would probably need 4 mice to equal one rat.