Need Help - New Baby Ball Python Refusing Food

[Wesleysparks40]

I decided to construct a separate feeding tote which gives me more control over her feedings and allow me to get in her enclosure and make changes. Good thing too because I had to remove everything from the enclosure to find her. She somehow managed to wedge herself in the corner of the enclosure and the ponytail palm pot. I wouldn't even have thought she could get back there. After being placed in the tote she went right after her meal. I weighed her, she is 99-grams. Looks like every week I will have to remove everything to find her, feed her and put everything back. Guess I brought this on myself with a "big set-up for a baby".

I purchased the new hides recommended and they are nice, made really well thank you. Added a humidity hide and more plants. I have more coming, but they are back ordered. I purchased a roll of brown masking paper from the local hardware store, ripped and crumpled it for ground clutter, it doesn't look half bad. I removed the single-stage controller I was using and purchased a two-stage controller which is working out a lot better.

I uploaded pictures to the gallery keyword, Bella.

[Lord Sorril]

I decided to construct a separate feeding tote which gives me more control over her feedings and allow me to get in her enclosure and make changes.

Sounds like it is going well! Good job!

Side Story:
My first ball python I would feed in a cardboard box outside of her enclosure. Over time she associated my hands with feeding time and would take a few crazed strikes at me whenever I reached in to perform husbandry. It is not a big deal when they are small, but, as they get older-those half-hearted strikes become full on feeding bites (and getting bitten and then have the snake 'constrict' and twist the teeth in your skin-is no fun for anyone).

Eventually I just started leaving the rodent in the room for a few minutes to 'scent it' in advance and I would see her head stick out and I would know where to reach in with forceps and dangle the prey item. Sometimes I would use a plate on top of the substrate beneath the rodent to make sure she did not get a mouthful of 'dirt' while eating.

With a much larger collection now-all of my ball pythons eat within their enclosures and have associated the scent of rodents (not my hands) as the indicator of feeding time.