Ball Pythons Won't Eat

[tjohnson722]

I agree feed live and do baby steps. I have one snake (not my balls) that refuses to take f/t but she takes pre killed/fresh killed. It is a step. We started her out stunned (we just hit them in the head kinda hard) then moved to fresh killed. (Hope PETA dont see that lol).

If you do feed live, I take mine out and put in rubbermaid totes to feed. That way if something happens I can be right there. With all the cage furnishings, just seems easier. (Another benefit from that is when I go to put my hand in the cage later they dont think I am bringing food and try to bite).

[bfirecat]

Thanks to all that replied!

Updates!

The pastel continues to eat 1-2 f/t rat pups.
The bumblebee finally ate! 2 small live rat pups.
She seemed to be afraid of them, but I put her and 2 pups in the hide, and closed it off. Went to study for a midterm, came back and she ate them both!

That's a relief!

Thanks again everyone!

[whispersinmyhead]

That is great news but one word of caution.... you should never leave a live rat alone with your snake(s). I am not sure if rat pups can harm but I think it is always good practice to watch and make sure everything goes alright. Just my opinion. I am very happy it finally ate for you!

[bfirecat]

Thanks!

Yeah, I have read a couple horror stories about rats and ball pythons.
I figured that a rat pup that could barely crawl could not damage the bumblebee, so I took a risk =P

[kitedemon]

Great news! they are funny and very sensitive to changes. Lots of cover and proper hides correct temps and you should be golden. After 5 or 6 successful feedings then you can think about switching if you want.

[AK907]

Might be the temps are not right, might be that they were previously on mice and not rats.

The OP clearly stated that they were previously on rats. He also clearly stated he fixed his temp issues.

Thanks!

Yeah, I have read a couple horror stories about rats and ball pythons.
I figured that a rat pup that could barely crawl could not damage the bumblebee, so I took a risk =P

By rat pup that can barely crawl I assume you're referring to something along the lines of a fuzzy or so and doesn't even have its eyes open. If so, fear not. They will not harm your snake at that size and they can safely be left alone with your snake. Glad you got them eating again. Balls can be a real pain in the butt sometimes, huh? It is part of their charm.

I've noticed more and more people are getting too impatient to even read the entire post.... He clearly stated he waited a week before feeding. Not trying to be a wank, but it was his third sentance in and it would appear you never even made it that far.

Thank you! This is one of my pet peeves and I'm glad someone has the guts to say it!