Quote Originally Posted by theJuju View Post
Third, she hasn't eaten once. The PetsMart label said she was captive bred, which is good, but I've had her for a month and a half and have wasted 3 frozen pinkie mice now. I've tried different thawing and warming methods, I've tried moving the mice with tongs, leaving the mouse still with tongs, and even leaving it in the cage overnight and covering the sides. There are two things I haven't tried: scenting the pinkie with gerbil bedding from a pet store (which I plan to do next; I last tried feeding last night to no avail), and freshly killed. But I'm far too squeamish to try fresh killed, plus I'm not sure where I would even get live mice that tiny and young.

If gerbil scent doesn't work, what do I do? My ball python is getting skinny, and when she curls I'm noticing skin folds.
Sounds like she is dehydrated and getting extremely skinny, which is how most balls from Pet(not so)Smart usually are.

PetSmart sells captive HATCHED. They are imported from Africa from eggs that were either laid in captivity by gravid wild caught females or by eggs collected from the wild. Few, if any, have even eaten before being imported, so I highly doubt your snake has even eaten yet.

That said, pinkie mice are WAAAAY too small of a meal, even for the smallest hatchlings. Right out of the egg 99% of balls can be started on rat fuzzies with the rare undersized hatchling requiring rat pinkies. Rat pinks/fuzzies are many times larger than mouse pinks/fuzzies. Ball pythons, especially those that are not established feeders, can be some of the hardest snakes to convert to f/t. A lot will simply NEVER eat f/t, even if it means they starve themselves to death. Being that your ball is still young, they cannot go for that long without food like an adult can. Your best bet right now would be to offer your snake live rat pinks or rat fuzzies or at the very least a live mouse hopper, depending on your snakes weight and health. Ideally you should be feeding your snake a meal that is 10-15% of their body weight every 5 days. Since it has been so long I would start off with slightly smaller than normal meals (but WAY bigger than mouse pinkies) and feed him more frequently to get his metabolism going for a few feedings.

As to where to get live feeders, check local mom & pop pet stores, craigslist, faunaclassifieds, etc. Those will be your best bet. If all else fails, just get one from PetSmart. Play it cool like it will be a pet because they do not sell live feeders. You will overpay for it, but beggers can't be chosers sometimes.