Feeding issues

[thehonestpirate]

I've read quite a bit of information on ball pythons and their feeding problems, I have a female ball python, she's currently 68 grams, I bought her at a reptile show from a reputable breeder and she hasn't eaten at all, I tried assist feeding her today because she is starting to look thin, she wouldn't take it, she would spit it right back out. Is there anything I can do to get her to eat now that i've stressed her out with the assist feeding? Should I leave her alone another week? She has no stuck shed, temperatures are appropriate and humidity is in the correct range as well.

Thank you.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Correct temps and humidity do not mean much to me not knowing you or where you got your info from.

Can you give a general run down of your setup, enclosure size, temps, humidity, how big you hides are, type of thermometer used, how often you have been handling your BP, what type of food (including size) you have offered, how it has been offered. etc

I can tell you that for the majority of people that have feeding issue with snake so young are husbandry issues.

Have you contacted the breeder so HE can help you? Was the animal started?

Ideally and I always tell that to my customers who have issues getting their new snake to eat "you want to keep the animal as close possible to how they were kept before."

Here is what you can it's proven to work.

Get a 6 quarts tub, have a 1 inch layer of aspen (the aspen part is important as well) in the tub, use a 6 inches plastic flower pot saucer as a hide. Provide a hot spot of 86/88 (it's a small tub so don't go higher.

Wait a week (NO HANDLING, matter of fact no handling until your BP eats a few times for you) and offer a LIVE hopper mouse (drop the mouse in the tub and walk away, check back 15 min later)

If this does not work there are other methods but assisting is a last resort situation.


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[Sammiebob]

Don't assist feed unless you have literally tried EVERYTHING that there is to try; live, at night, in the morning, in her cage, in a separate tub, wet, dry, brained, anything. Just try everything that you can before you try to assist feed because it puts unnecessary stress on the snake. How long have you had her? Has she eaten with you before? Did you give her at least a week to settle in? Have you handled her at all? If you have handled her, DON'T. Do not touch her at all until she has eaten for you at least two or three times. What size are you feeding? Live or frozen? Mice or rats? All of this comes into play when trying to fix a feeding issue.

[DVirginiana]

Are you feeding frozen/thawed?
If you're feeding f/t, you can try thawing the prey in water then blasting it for a minute with a hairdryer to heat it up and using tongs to make it move around as if it's alive.

- - - Updated - - -

Are you feeding frozen/thawed?
If you're feeding f/t, you can try thawing the prey in water then blasting it for a minute with a hairdryer to heat it up and using tongs to make it move around as if it's alive.

Meant to say that's in addition to what's already been posted... My computer did something really weird with this post.

[Zincubus]

Oh my lord , where to start !!?? Great minds think alike guys .... We must have all been typing at the same time

I'm presuming your set up and temps are correct .... I wouldn't consider assist feeding for a long while yet as there are so many better options IMHO.

First off l , I'd give her a 25 minute soak in a secure tub / rub in room temp water . I tried this a while back and my non- feeding Royal fed the next day ( she was a non feeder for 8 MONTHS !) . She also looked a hundred times better and much plumper so I think she may have been slightly dehydrated .

As she's probably distressed after being force-fed I'd leave her a week or 10 days before trying again . Are you warming the mouse /rat up before offering to the Royal ? Some will strike at it and others will only eat if you leave it in with them and leave them in peace for a few hours or even overnight . You can also try chicks or Multis as other options .

I'm sure others will offer some differing advice but that's what's worked for me in the past .

[Stewart_Reptiles]

First off l , I'd give her a 25 minute soak in a secure tub / rub in room temp water .

Unnecessary, stressful and not recommended in this situation.

You can also try chicks or Multis as other options .

Mice are what is needed here trying to offer other preys is not gonna help it will only make it worse.

I am curious how much experience do YOU have troubleshooting young hatchlings and getting them to eat?

[Zincubus]

Unnecessary, stressful and not recommended in this situation.

Mice are what is needed here trying to offer other preys is not gonna help it will only make it worse.

I am curious how much experience do YOU have troubleshooting young hatchlings and getting them to eat?

She's not been eating and she's looking thin so she could easily dehydrated. .. Nobody here could possibly rule that out .
A short soak won't do her any harm and it won't be half as scary as the attempted force feeding she's been through already.

Surely they don't just eat mice in the wild so they're not-wired to eat many different types of small rodents / mammals is I understand , so why not try something different - as long as they leave a week or so in between attempts . Ive a mate who's Royal will only and has only ever eaten chicks ....that's why I suggested it .
I've had enough experience with youngsters but I'm not suggesting that I'm any kind of expert on anything ... I've not suggested anything that will cause harm to the little thing .imho,

[AlexisFitzy]

She's not been eating and she's looking thin so she could easily dehydrated. .. Nobody here could possibly rule that out .
A short soak won't do her any harm and it won't be half as scary as the attempted force feeding she's been through already.

Surely they don't just eat mice in the wild so they're not-wired to eat many different types of small rodents / mammals is I understand , so why not try something different - as long as they leave a week or so in between attempts . Ive a mate who's Royal will only and has only ever eaten chicks ....that's why I suggested it .
I've had enough experience with youngsters but I'm not suggesting that I'm any kind of expert on anything ... I've not suggested anything that will cause harm to the little thing .imho,

Deb suggested mice because mice are like candy to a bp. A small young bp will be more likely to accept a mouse than a chick. Plus a chick would be too big for a 68g hatchling, and mice are much more readily available than chicks for most people. When a hatchling is not eating you want to offer it something it will recognize as food. Offering a chick would just fit her stress out the snake.

[Zincubus]

Deb suggested mice because mice are like candy to a bp. A small young bp will be more likely to accept a mouse than a chick. Plus a chick would be too big for a 68g hatchling, and mice are much more readily available than chicks for most people. When a hatchling is not eating you want to offer it something it will recognize as food. Offering a chick would just fit her stress out the snake.

That's fair enough then .... it worked for my friend and thought it was worth mentioning .. Even though its refused those mice that are apparently candy to BP ..
I'm off .. I don't even like hearing them called Ball Pythons either when their correct name of Royals sounds so much classier .

[AlexisFitzy]

That's fair enough then .... it worked for my friend and thought it was worth mentioning .. Even though its refused those mice that are apparently candy to BP ..
I'm off .. I don't even like hearing them called Ball Pythons either when their correct name of Royals sounds so much classier .

It's okay, some things work for some royals, and some things work for others. It's just in this situation chicks wouldn't be the most ideal feeder. Also the op never actually specified what they have offered the snake or tried to assist feed. And you'll be hearing them called ball pythons a lot here on Ball Pythons.net. Sorry about that.