Attempt 1:Failure

[Chuck1289]

Well today was the day to feed my bp for the first time and she seemed to be pretty relaxed she was not hiding in the hide anymore and was wandering about the viv.So i thawed out a mouse and offered it to her and she struck and hung on constricting the mouse.BUT after she constricted it for a min or so she LET GO!!!! I was like NOOOOOOOOO

My temps are right and my humidity is great nothing is wrong it seems can there be a reason to this ? She doesn't seem stressed anymore though she does go into strike position whenever i open the viv for maintenance.

Any tips? i will try again tomorrow and hopefully she will eat i mean she grabbed it and held it !! Though the mouses guts started to come out when she was squeezing it ewww!!!

Any Help?

[frankykeno]

Do not try to feed her again tomorrow. Offering food daily is going to make her less likely to eat and more stressed. Wait 4 or 5 days and try again.

There's no reason the mouse's guts needed to spew out like that. Sounds like it was overheated most likely or had been refrozen before. They don't usually explode if handled properly. How big is your snake and what f/t prey are you feeding?

Once your snake grabbed and constricted you needed to move away from the area. They will sometimes let go to tongue flick over the prey or check the area to make sure they are safe before they settle in to eat. You hanging around can make your snake see you as a looming predator and they will break off the feed and retreat to their hide.

Next time you try feeding, the second your snake grabs the prey item off the tongs, quietly close the enclosure and leave the area. Once your snake is eating well, growing and has fully settled in you can hang around and watch a feeding (some snakes however will never eat even when they are bigger if you stick around).

[Chuck1289]

Ok i gotcha should i wait to handle her or can i handle her tomorrow or so? I really want her to get used to me. My snake is 9 months old and im feeding her medium mice.When i tried to close the glass sliding door thats when she let go.Im confused!!

[frankykeno]

Okay first things first, Chuck. You need to think like a snake here. This snake is fairly young. She's just come into your home recently, a home with new smells, new routines, new vibrations, etc. She doesn't have the mental capacity to understand these changes. She's a creature driven by instincts and the greatest of those is simply to survive. Part of that survival instinct is also to feed but if she's stressed, she'll pass on that for now.

Handling stresses these snakes. They aren't domesticated or tame pets even if they are hatched in captivity from captive snakes. They can get used to us and learn to tolerate our handling but I truly don't believe they can ever be like our pet dog or cat in that they seek or want handling from us. Think of handling like a gift the snake allows you. For now that gift isn't one you should be seeking from this young, stressed non-eater.

Focus on the basics. Make sure your enclosure is correct and appropriate for a ball python of this age/size. Make sure the room you keep this snake in is quiet and has low traffic. Do not handle the snake or bother it unduly. Don't allow others to constantly bug at the snake or it's enclosure. Don't constantly push food at it. Allow this shy, young snake to start to feel at home in it's new home. Basically leave it be and let it settle in for the next 5 days or so (that's dependent of course on whether she's currently set up properly).

To help you more it would be helpful to know more about this snake and it's home and your routines.

Where did you get this snake from?
How long have you had this snake?
Describe in detail the housing this snake lives in (size, substrate, hides provided, heating source, temps and humidity and how you measure those as well as where the enclosure is located in your home - pictures help here).
What have you tried to feed and how often?
What information do you have about this snakes routines prior to you purchasing it? (things like when it fed, what it ate, how often it ate, etc.)

Refusing to eat, Chuck, isn't a problem. It's a symptom or a sign of a problem or set of problems. Let's try to figure out what those problems are and hopefully get your snake eating and you feeling a bit better about the situation.

[SatanicIntention]

Dude.. settle down, you're making ME tired.

Leave HER ALONE. For AT LEAST TWO weeks, preferably THREE weeks. (i'm not yelling, this is emphasis, since you don't seem to be listening to anything anyone is telling you).

Leave her ALONE. COMPLETELY. Do NOT HANDLE, or TOUCH, or POKE, or PROD, or GAWK at her. Let her BE.

You JUST recently, like 2 days ago, moved her to a new tank.. It's likely too big, and your temperatures/humidity are likely off. It's not surprising she's striking out of fear and trying to defend herself. She's NOT HUNGRY. LEAVE HER ALONE.

Get your temps up to 92-94 hot side, 82-84 cool side, 24/7, NO NIGHT DROP. 50-60% humidity. Then leave her alone at the proper temps for a solid week, ONLY CHANGE WATER. NO TOUCHING THE SNAKE AT ALL.

THEN try to feed her when it's dark. Thaw mouse on top of tank, warm it up REALLY well, and then offer.

[Chuck1289]

Ok first things first SatanicIntention I HAVEN'T been DISTURBING her and i've had her for A WEEK now plus my temp is PERFECT.


Ok thanks for the info franky her are the answers to your questions.

Where did you get this snake from?

A reptile shop near me.

How long have you had this snake?

1 Week Today.

Describe in detail the housing this snake lives in (size, substrate, hides provided, heating source, temps and humidity and how you measure those as well as where the enclosure is located in your home - pictures help here).

Ok the viv was too big for her (i thought i was going to get a adult BP so i split the viv to make it about 1 foot 20 inches.I am using aspen for substrate and the temps are 92 F on warm and 81F on cool.The heating source is a UTH with a bulb for extra heat if i need it and my humidity is 60-70 but she shed yesterday so it is 50-60 now.The viv is in my room it is very quiet i also have my corn in the same room but across the room.

What have you tried to feed and how often?

I tried to feed her 1 medium mouse every 7 days.


What information do you have about this snakes routines prior to you purchasing it? (things like when it fed, what it ate, how often it ate, etc.)


It ate every friday forzen thawed mice.



I am not a stupid person SatanicIntention stop talking to me like i am a child i have waited a week then i fed her.

[littleindiangirl]

Dude... seriously? We just went over this yesterday. And before that I also read your other thread that had the same exact sentiments. Why are you still going down this road when MANY people are telling you the same thing over and over?


Leave her alone for 2 weeks, let her acclimate to her new surroundings before you try and feed her.
Double check your humidity and temps with a good digital thermometer.

Then hurry up and wait. Snakes take a long time to settle in, their bodies are on different clocks than us.

What takes us a day to chill out from, takes them weeks.

Be patient!!!!

[Chuck1289]

I was told 1 week now 3 ?


Ok i am really confused now i only want what is best for my ball python and im only asking loads of questions becuase i want her to live a happy healthy life.

[littleindiangirl]

I was told 1 week now 3 ?


Ok i am really confused now i only want what is best for my ball python and im only asking loads of questions becuase i want her to live a happy healthy life.

The main point is to relax and give her time to herself.

1-2 or even 3 weeks is a guideline. Not a steadfast rule. If your snake still refused to eat after 1 week of being left alone, leave her completely alone for another 1 week. If she still did not eat, leave her alone for 1 more week. It's a measure to ensure she settles down completely.

I personally would have left her completely alone for 2 weeks before attempting a feed. I like to give all my snakes a nice long settle in period.

[Chuck1289]

Ok thanks i'll try to not post anymore haha