Quote:
Originally Posted by citysnakes.com
make sure your husbandry is spot on, do not handle the snake at all, leave it alone for a week or two and then try offering the the same type of food that it was eating previously to you.
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forgot to say go with the above advice.
i put my non feeder in the quietest place i could find.i only changed her water every 3 days.after trying her say 3 weeks in a row i'd leave it for 2 to 3 weeks then try again.make sure she has plenty hides at both hot and cool ends.
i down sized her tank to a tiny wee 11 inch legnth,6 inch wide,4 and a half inch high tub.i blanked out every side with brown cardboard.i cut a 4inch by 4 inch window in the front.this was to make her feel secure.
i even tried different heat sources.first was a mat under the tub.then i placed the tub in the centre of a 2x2x2ft viv i had sitting empty (put it in a quiet place ).i used the vivs ceramic set up as the heat source.imo this gave more of an ambient air temperature than a ground temperature.
as a last resort if you have the experience you could try an assist feed.but thats a long way off for now.
its only carpets i work with so im unsure how a ball would react to the following.
i tried all types of food items frozen/thawed.rats,mice,multi mammots,chick leg,also tried braining them all.
i then went onto live rat pups,live multi mammots,live pinkie mice.always stay where you can see whats going on but the snake cant detect you watching.theres a chance of a rodent bite when feeding live.
i then tried scenting with chick blood and chick yolk sack.
in the end dropping a pinkie mouse into really hot water for 6 to 8 seconds (imo takes away the scent).i then applied 2 drops of lizard maker to the pinkies head and back.its a man made scent that makes the food item smell like a lizard.in the wild young carpets often start feeding on small lizards.this worked for my carpet.might work for your ball.
she started eating lizard scented mouse pinkies.all i had to do then was gradually use less and less of the lizard maker until she was taking unscented mouse pinkies.i then put her on small mice,then onto rat pups.shes now eating small weaner rats every time shes offered them.
all the best in getting her to eat
cheers shaun
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