Thank you NIX

[knads06]

Well my new lil bp was being taken over by mites so today i tried the NIX treatment everyone has talked about and so far it worked great. I sprayed his entire body with it and let him sit there for a minute or two then rinsed him in a clean bowl of water. I was amazed at how many little black dots came off of him. THere were a few big enough that i could see so i just grabbed those and immediately popped them. I then dumped everything from his enclosure into a trash bag and threw that out. I then sprayed his entire tank and everything he had in it, water bowl, wooden log etc. Rinsed everything and dry it all. Im now using paper towls as a substrate so ill be able to if the mites return. I was using the ground up paper stuff before, i liked it but it was very difficult to notice the mites. What exactly in the Carefresh or pelletized paper i hear about?? HOpefully the lil guy will eat now that we've taken care of this problem. Ive had him for two weeks and he is just a baby so hopefully he'll eat now that he's mite free. THank you everyone for your help and input in this matter. I know its constantly talked about but it helps to get new up to date info from people every once in a while.

[knads06]

And just to let everyone know i called the store where i bought him from and told them that the bp i bought had mites and they should inspect the other snakes he was with when i bought him. THe kid said he inspected all the snakes today and they were fine. I kinda laughed and said well then were did my bp get them from. Ive only tried to feed him f/t mice so far so he didnt get them from any live prey. After a few seconds of silence i said well just wanted to let you guys know and hung up.

[knads06]

Well all the mites are gone as i checked today which is a good thing. Now its time to attempt to feed him for the first time. I know theres a thousand topics about it but what has everyone had the best experience with for feeding their brandnew bp? F/T or live???????? any help would be great, he's still a lil guy so im not sure what to get

[knads06]

My bp is just startin to piss me off now. THe lil guy still wont eat and im just about ready to give up. Ive had him for a lil over three weeks now and he still hasnt taken a meal. HOw long can a baby bp go without eating. I figured he'd be starving by now. I took care of the mite prob so i bought him a nice big mouse for him to eat since the smallest rat the store had was way too big and he still didnt eat it....

[Vengeance]

Whoa, calm down man. Ok if you have only had the snake for three weeks, you are moving to fast. First things first, leave him alone for a good solid 2 weeks, only go in his cage for water and cleaing, that's it. You can try feeding but don't force it. You have only had the thing for 3 weeks and they need atleast 2 to get used to their new enviornment. The fact that you had to go through the whole Nix treatment has most likely stressed your ball python out quite a bit. Make sure your temps are ok, hummidity is good, and then leave him be. Let him get used to his new home, then try and feed him again.

Also if 3 weeks is pissing you off this much, you may want to consider a diffrent pet. My ball python just got off a month and 2 weeks stretch with no food and I'm sure there are many other people here who will tell you that their ball python has gone even longer. This is just the way it is.

[knads06]

Is it ok to refreeze a mouse after i have thawed it out?? Or should i just throw it away and get a new one ina week or two?

[nita]

I toss them, I'm not big on refreezing but there are others that will refreeze. I buy them from a breeder so I only pay a buck and I figure it isnt' a big loss. Each time you thaw them out you starting the decay process. Not a pleasant thought huh.

[Vengeance]

depends on how long they have been left out. If I leave them overnight, I throw them out, if only for an hour, I refreeze.

[elevation24]

Has he EVER taken a meal since hatching? Based on what you've said, I'm guessing no. Unfortunately it's too late... but you shouldn't have purchased an unestablished feeder :(

I would try a small live mouse or a larger fuzzy rat for his first meal -- get him eating for a few weeks, then work on getting him switched to F/T. Most local pet stores breed their own rodents so you should be able to find fuzzies there.

[knads06]

ok guys its been 4 weeks now and i just tried to feed my baby bp today once again and he still didnt eat it. I tried a live mouse at first but it was way to franticy and i was afraid he would hurt my bp so i put him in a bag and smashed him silly, he was kinda still twiching so i put him back in and eventually he died. All my bp did was go up to it, smell it, then slither around it and actually went over it. How much longer can my bp go without eating. he hasnt eaten since he was born......im startin to worry about the lil guy

[elevation24]

Try a live fuzzy rat. They still have their eyes closed but they are moving and wiggling around and probably won't scare him but may entice him to eat.

[knads06]

Are those too big for a baby bp, his neck is probably less then 1/2 round right behind his head.. He was actually scared of the mouse when i put him in the cage, he's more about avoiding it now then eating it. The lil guy has to be hungury after four weeks.

[elevation24]

No, it won't be too big.

[knads06]

In everyones opinion what should i do if my bp still refuses to eat. Its been four weeks now and he hasnt eaten. He hasnt eaten since he was born and i was wondering how long he can survive without eating????????? any recommendations would be appreciated.

[Dark_Angel_25]

1) You should never buy an animal (especially a picky eater like a ball) that you KNOW has not eaten since birth.

2) to get him to eat, you should do as elevation 24 said. But a live fuzzy rat and leave it in the cage. Maybe even try covering the part of the tank where the hide box is so he feels more secure.

3) if he still doesnt eat it, then you may have to expose the brain matter which may help. but first try the live fuzzy RAT and see how that goes.

Don't worry about the size. a Ball can handle it no problem, and oyu will see the ckin on the neck stretches more than the jaws do.

Let us know what happens

[knads06]

Where can i get a live fuzzy rat in CT. Ive been to Petco and they only have medium or large rats. IF anyone has any suggestions id appreciate it. Im at the point where im about to shove the rat down my snakes throat!!! JK

[elevation24]

I already told you where you may be able to find a live fuzzy rat. Find some local pet stores. Call them up and ask if they have live fuzzy rats. All of my local pet stores breed their own rodents for feeders and they all have them.

[balakoth]

When I first had my ball python the perfect size for my baby was a COMMON Mouse..

These are a perfect size for a small store bought Python (Depending on his size of course.) PetCo sells Common mice, after about 2 months she was able to take on Common Rats. PetCo Also sells F/T SMALL Rats.

[balakoth]

When I first had my ball python the perfect size for my baby was a COMMON Mouse..

These are a perfect size for a small store bought Python (Depending on his size of course.) PetCo sells Common mice, after about 2 months she was able to take on Common Rats. PetCo Also sells F/T SMALL Rats.