he wont eat...

[kayleegrace]

i am really stressing out because my ball python. yes the one i just posted about. it has been about a month and a half and he still hasn't eaten. i am starting to really freak out. i feel horrible about one rat after another being wasted. i don't know what to do.

[Freebody]

like gonesnakkee said 1 month or so is not that bad, its basically just the fact it has not eaten at all yet and you were sold it, its the first meal which is really hard to get them take. make sure your temps and humidity is good, get it through that bad shed so its nice and comfortable and then try another feeding, 1 month it not in any danger of dieing or anything so dont worry to much but it it could turn into a problem but not atm if that makes you feel any better about the situation. i got my fingers crossed for you.

[Jenn_06]

how old is it? most BP will go off feeding, my normal stop eatting for 8 months i think 2 years ago, just stop trying for 3 weeks, it will eat when it wants to.

[ChloeTrahan82]

If you want to read my posting, i just got a baby boy ball python and hes only a month old and hes been shedding and not eating. he wrote me a lot of great information on it if you want to read it. http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-python-forum/84176-shedding-not-feeding.html you probably are going through what i am. my little booger wasnt fed when i bought him which is a major no no im finding out. i hope the best of luck and theres a lot of great people on here who are willing to help.

[will5185]

my normal ball was like that and now he eats all the time shedding or not

[gonesnakee]

i am really stressing out because my ball python. yes the one i just posted about. it has been about a month and a half and he still hasn't eaten. i am starting to really freak out. i feel horrible about one rat after another being wasted. i don't know what to do.

Follow the instructions I posted in the other thread ;) Nuff Said Mark

edit - sorry i guess that wasn't you? anyhow heres what was posted:

OK as you already know this snake should not have been sold/purchased.
First things first it needs to be rid of all its retained shed deal with that first & also correct the humidity issues causing the bad shed.
A few tips from above or a bath with some help.
Anyhow once it has shed out then worry about feeding.
The fact it is a month old & has not ate is not a big deal.
The fact that it has went into a second shed shows that it was still growing on its egg gut thats IF it is even a month old??? I'm guessing it was maybe a week old & it had not even had its first shed yet, back to the seller obviously NOT being worthy.
A learning experince to ask ALL the Qs prior purchase & take all the sellers info for contact in regaurds to any issues or advice later.
OK ditch the tank right off, you can use that later.
They don't hold humidity worth crap & we are talking about a baby BP that has not fed yet, the tank is too big etc.
You want to set it up in a shoebox rubbermaid at the largest, do so in a low traffic area & have the temps around 90F.
No substrate other than papertowel, a couple toliet paper roll hides & a low delicup for a water dish.
As for prey it should always be offered at night & left with the snake.
Forget about pinky mice they are far too small, heck forget about mice altogether for that matter. This is a snake that you want to eat rats so start it on rats, don;t even offer mice.
Baby BPs fresh out of the egg can take rather large prey right off, some folks start them on small adult mice afterall or fuzzy rats.
I recommend getting a live Pinky Rat to begin with & put it in with the snake overnight in its rubbermaid.
DO NOT move it around to try & feed it (no delicupping overnight etc.) it will just stress it out, do not handle it until it is feeding well either, zero notta.
Basically leave it alone & try once weekly to feed, do not pester it with prey.
I'd alternate attempts between live & FT P rats only once per week.
don't even try until its had a few days to chill after dealing with the shedding issues.
If FT is used ensure it is heated up nice & warm approx 100F offer it with tongs showing the prey to the snake & doing a quick tease & then just leave it if it is not taken right away.
A month is NOTHING for a baby Python & they will quite often go 2-4 months prior taking anything depending on the specimen.
did you ask if it is even captive bred/hatched? It could be farmed (captive hatched) or worse yet wild caught even.
Buyers need to be on their toes & ask ALL of these things plus to look at a feeding record that includes dates & prey items as well as a hatch date.
Anyhow good luck with it & hope it feeds right off for you.
BPs can really SUCK as feeders at the best of times & babies can be hard to start.
They should be well established on FT prey prior even being offered for sale or only offered for sale to another experienced breeder with all the details & they can establish it. Mark

[kayleegrace]

okay well i think most of you guys are confused with who i am. this is the first time i have posted about his eating. he HAS eaten with me before and was feeding before i got him. he has finished shedding. and will still not eat.

[gonesnakee]

okay well i think most of you guys are confused with who i am. this is the first time i have posted about his eating. he HAS eaten with me before and was feeding before i got him. he has finished shedding. and will still not eat.

Ya I was mistaken (as per edit above), same help info will apply though Cheers Mark

[ChloeTrahan82]

. . . . . . sowie

[kayleegrace]

So... Like u suggested I can't really do all this switching and changing between killed and what not because.... The closest place to get rats is an hour away... And I have been trying once very few days. However he still ingnores it. It will will literally crawl over him and he won't even strike. I don't known if this even applies but he hasn't been in hisnhides in a while. And he usaully has his head up. Looking around.

[percey39]

I would try a chick or quail as all snakes love their birdies. I reckon if you give him a F/T one of these he will smash it very very quickly.

[gonesnakee]

Also only try once a week tops & you will have better success.
You don't want it to associate prey as being an annoyance, Mark

[kayleegrace]

Okay. Will do.

[kayleegrace]

Since he won't take dead. Can I feed him a live chick? Or will it hurt him? And I have been feeding him in his enclosure should I feed him in something else

[percey39]

Im pretty sure your snake will take a dead chick, just make sure its fairly warm to touch. A live chick would most likely not hurt him, but i would not risk it.

[kayleegrace]

Well today we are going to pick up some food! So hope and pray for the best. I don't know if they have chicks still. But I will look. If they don't should I try to feed him a mouse?

[Freebody]

i would say yes, wish you the best of luck, i got my fingers crossed :)

[Sigge]

this is common to ballpythons, they will not accept food for several months (up to 9), it's a part of their natural lifestyle and I would not worry too much.

[gonesnakee]

I would stick to common readily available prey items, mainly the type you want it on.
Not a lot of folks feeding chicks to BPs, I can't think of a single example offhand.
Have known folks to feed poultry to Boas & other large Boids, but it tends to make for loose stinky stools & their key reason for doing it was the cheap cost.
I think you get what you pay for myself & find that Chickens etc. are extremely dirty compared to rodents IMHO as well. Mark

[percey39]

Mark I would have to disagree with you on the chicks. As i myself have found my snakes are a lot healthier on them, than if they were on rodents. There is more protein and the meat is a hell of a lot leaner than the fat you will get off rodents. As most rodents you buy from stores are bred in tiny boxes and cannot exercise at all so their fat cell are massive.
All of my older snakes love their birds and i feed them quail and chicks more than i feed them rodents, as their have been studies that have shown constant feeding of rodents in frequent amounts ( mainly over feeding in adult snakes ) causes a build of fat around the heart and liver. As we know most snakes in captivity are well and truely over fed compared to their wild counterparts!!

[gonesnakee]

Mark I would have to disagree with you on the chicks. As i myself have found my snakes are a lot healthier on them, than if they were on rodents. There is more protein and the meat is a hell of a lot leaner than the fat you will get off rodents. As most rodents you buy from stores are bred in tiny boxes and cannot exercise at all so their fat cell are massive.
All of my older snakes love their birds and i feed them quail and chicks more than i feed them rodents, as their have been studies that have shown constant feeding of rodents in frequent amounts ( mainly over feeding in adult snakes ) causes a build of fat around the heart and liver. As we know most snakes in captivity are well and truely over fed compared to their wild counterparts!!

Agree with these points yep, but in my neck of the woods they are not available at retail outlets & no one farms them for prey purposes.
Big commercial chicken farms are pretty disgusting at the best of times as well VS a well kept rodent colony.
They are not readily available anyways in my neck of the woods & in my experiences with them as stated stinky, loose stools.
If I wanted to feed birds I would have to search around to even find a source if I could that is & then it would be likely live ones & a guy would be doing a lot of screwing around & extra work to fill a freezer full of them Vs a simple phone call to place an order.
Thus why its not very common for folks to use them here.
Only place that really sold them at all readily was a hatchery & they were all chicks & would require raising which in the city is neither practical or legal.
If one has a farm in the country the possibilities for prey could be greatly increased depending on what species of animals one wanted or was willing to "work" with. Cheers Mark

[percey39]

Sorry I didnt know it was illegal to raise chicks in suburban areas over there. We must be lucky here as their are breeders breeding quail, chicks and rabbits among other things. I have just organised to get lambs for free off a friends parents when my scrubs are able to take them, as i would imagine their would be a load of protein and very lean meat on week old lambs.
I could not agree more if you dont have a constant supply of certain foods than it is not wise to buy 30 of them on an odd occasion. The risk of not being able to get them to feed on rodents again is fairly high. In saying that though there is no harm in scenting a few mice or rats with birds to get them going. I have had to do this with plenty of young snakes.

[gonesnakee]

I'm actually "urban" but reguardless most cities & towns have no chickens or other farm animals in their bylaws so unless rural its a no go.
I'd think it would be the same in most towns & cities in the USA as well, but with a much larger population etc. they may be more readily available as prey items too there? Mark

[percey39]

We are only not allowed to keep roosters in towns here. So when the chickens are bred at friends farms i take all the excess and cull most of the younger roosters to feed to my juvies.