What Can I Do To Make My New Pet Ball Python Eat?

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8 Answers

Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Congrats you now have one of the pickiest eaters. Are you feeding live or prekilled frozen food? Mine likes live but if I'm not there to watch her eat then I won't put it in with her. Live food can have parasites, and do harm to the snake if left in there... Some will see the snake as a chew toy and then you wind up with vet bills treating the buddy. I feed her frozen and to get her to eat it I have to actually put it in her mouth, and once she tastes it she wraps around it an gulps it down. Sounds nasty, but if you can expose the brain of the mouse/rat then it might be a little more inticing for your snake. A juvenile should be eating appropriate sized food a couple times a week and an adult appropriate sized food once a week. Food should be as big around as the widest part of the snakes body. Some will almost hibernate in colder weather and eat very little and ball pythons can go a while without food. Mine didn't eat for three months when I first got her and I wound up with a few pet mice, just don't give up. Mine will eat occasionally when she is molting, but most won't and you can tell if they are molting when their eyes look glassy/bluish gray and the snakes colors aren't as bright.
thanked the writer.
Stefan Wenthe
Stefan Wenthe commented
My snake is like 18 inches long and the guy at the store says he wont eat frozen. Also I always supervise the mouse to make sure it wont bite my snake. I can tell hes not molting and he doesn't have any scars from attacks from previous dinners. Also its September so hes not hibernating and ball pythons are indigenous to Africa and i imagine winter isn't too cold over there.
Mina McWhorter Profile
Mina McWhorter answered
If he is getting ready to molt he won't eat. I'm assuming you're feeding him live food and if it is mice don't leave them in the cage, they will chew on the snake and cause sores. You can tell if he's getting ready to molt by looking close at the skin. If it looks cloudy it's coming loose.
Good luck and if this doesn't work find a vet who likes snakes and get him in.
CHRIS Profile
CHRIS answered
Since he is new and you havent had him very long at all, it may take him a little while to eat.. They have to adjust to the new home you have gave him. I have two of them and my male wouldnt eat for like 3-4 months after i got him, but my female ate the same day i got her home. I feed both live mice, i believe its better for them do to thats what they would be eatin in the wild, in the wild they will not find a frozen mouse or rat, they will only find live ones that they have to hunt and kill to eat. I just think its not right to feed a animal that would be eating live pray dead and frozen. Its not right. But give him time to get use to his new home and he will eat, just make sure you  offer him a mouse or rat every other day until he does eat.. But he will eat sooner or later. My male didnt eat for one year but hes back and eating again.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
I am concerned that when you describe him as docile he is actually lethargic.  Any new pet that is not eating needs to be examined by a veterinarian.  Husbandry is the cause of over 50% of problems found in exotics.  He may not have received proper care--environment, food, etc--thus he may not be healthy now. 
As others have stated if your snake is not interested in food do not put live prey in the cage with him.  Trauma secondary to mice etc. Is common in snakes and can be severe.

himanshu sharma Profile
himanshu sharma answered
Dear don't bother about your snake it is alright see pythons are cold blooded an elongate reptile they are not dependent on the food to keep their body warm as all warm blooded needs that's why all warm blooded animals needs to eat
regularly only to keep their body warm . Cold blooded species depends on temperature of there surroundings to that's why you can see in morning many cold blooded species come out in sun only to equalize their body temperature
and when their body temperature becomes normal they will vanish.  cold blooded species can do for very long time without eating if you want your python to eat something leave eat for three to four hours in sun if you can and your python would again eating.
   
angel star Profile
angel star answered
My brother has a ball python what we do is go to frozenrodent.com and order some mice they are dead but they love them and get a pair of pinchers and hover it in is cage around him he hunts it but it takes a while at first also to get him to uncurl try getting a black light to put on his cage he is nocturnaldefinately
Jacquelyn Mathis Profile
They don't eat as much as you think, and when they are stressed they won't either for a while, leave the mouse in there for a while, and see what happens. Hope this helps, good luck.
Super man Profile
Super man answered
It is probably a picky eater and will only eat food that it likes and not just anything although it is quite docile. .

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