New Acquisition...switching live to F/T - won't eat!

[leylaraks]

I know, I know...shocker, BP feeding issue.

I've researched the CRAP out of this, before coming here.

Here's the deal...
I acquired a three year old female Normal BP back on May 19th...she's eaten nothing but live with previous owner. Her previous set-up was janky at best, so I've upgraded her to a better set-up, been working with her getting acclimated to her new home/surroundings...she's in quarantine from my established snake. She had ate a rat the Monday prior to acquisition. My other BP eats F/T and that is my preference to avoid injuries to my snakes.

As of last Sunday, she hasn't eaten in 13 weeks. She seems otherwise healthy, no major weight loss that I can tell...and she's active. I've tried almost every trick...chicken broth, hair dryer, bloodied skull... I plan to try feeding her in her actual cage (instead of the feedbox) this next time and maybe letting her be to see if she prefers eating in seclusion...and last resort is live followed by F/T. I called my vet's office and my vet was out...the non-snake vet said she just may not be a F/T eater...she also said force feed won't work (when I asked if that is where we should progress).

My question is this...
How long should I wait before I relent on the stubborn game?

AND ANY IDEAS??? Is this a lost-cause? I read somewhere any snake can be converted...it just takes time and patience...was I on crack to believe that?

I was hoping to feed her before we move this weekend, cuz I was afraid the stress of the move would delay any progress. I do have intentions of calling back and talking to my actual vet (as she specializes in snakes). I might just make a weigh-in appt for Kismet just to cover my basis.

Thanks for any help!!

[LLLReptile]

Try feeding her in the cage, for one, and/or one that is freshly prekilled - I didn't see that in the list of things you've tried so far.

I would, at the very least, offer live just to make sure that she is comfortable enough in your set up to start eating. Make sure she eats at least a couple times, then try frozen thawed again.

-Jen

[Neal]

As Jen stated above, try feeding her in her own enclosure. The simple task of relocating her to a feed box may be upsetting her and could be the cause of her not eating. Also make sure everything is thoroughly thawed out and heated properly so she's attracted. If all else fails then if you know she eats live try that to get her back to eating then you can attempt F/T again. I've seen BP's that prefer certain colors and God knows what else as they can be picky eaters.

[leylaraks]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll try these ASAP...just frustrating...y'know?

[telliott4]

Ball pythons can go very long periods without eating. I have an adult that regularly goes off food for 6 months out of the year. As long as there is no significant weight loss you should be fine. You can also try the "when she's hungry enough, she'll eat frozen thawed" method. Good luck.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

When acquiring a new snake the important thing is to first them to eat for you and be consistent before even attempting to switch them to an alternative prey.

Check your husbandry, offer Live for the next few feedings an once your BP eats with consistency attempt to switch.

[Crazymonkee]

My little girl has absolutely no interest in f/t... not wiggled in front of her, not left in overnight... nothing. After 2 months went with live and she eats every time offered.
I don't mind... I do just worry about injury as the prey gets larger! I do whatever works for the animal...

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[MrLang]

Feed it live in its enclosure at 8-10pm after leaving it with the cage shut for a week. If it doesn't eat, don't worry. This is about body condition more than how long since eating. Take some pics and show them here if you're worried about her getting too skinny.

[ARamos8]

When acquiring a new snake the important thing is to first them to eat for you and be consistent before even attempting to switch them to an alternative prey.

x2 - That's exactly what I did when I switched one of mine from live to F/T. It took 2 weeks of feeding live and about 2 months before she finally ate the F/T. It was a pain for a little bit but she kept good weight up to that point. Good luck.

[leylaraks]

Actually that makes sense...I accidentally did just that with my other BP now that I think about it! She was on live when I got her and I was so desperate to get her to eat (she was a baby) that I relented after 2 failed f/t, gave her a live and second time around I offered the f/t and BAM! Never looked back.

Well, I have a very happy BP right now LOL! I don't know who was more surprised, Kismet or the rat. Kismet was curled up on her log and perfectly camouflaged, she looked up once I dropped the rat in like, "WTF? Fer real?" and the rat was like, "COOL! New cage...$h!t!!!!" He never saw it coming. Well done, snake. Well done.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll get her on an established feed schedule with a couple live and then try the switch. She was honestly so revved up after the live, I think I could've offered a zombie rat and she would have taken it...so we'll see!

Again, thank you! I'll keep you posted if we have success on the switch!