I have read a million things about how difficult balls can be to get feeding. I have had my new baby ball python for almost a month now and he still has yet to eat. A few days after I got him, I noticed signs that he was starting to shed so, I never offered him food as they tend to not eat during that time. Everything in the tank is where it should be as far as temp/humidity, but I needed to assist with his shed because he was not shedding in one piece, which I hear is normal for the first couple of sheds in a new environment. He stopped shedding last week and I have since offered him food that he seems to have no interest in. I have tried thawed pinkies and fuzzies, and have even tried the brown bag method with negative results. I am thinking he might want live, but I have no idea where to find small enough specimens for him. He is still young, possibly 18 inches or so. Any suggestions would help. Thankyou!

even if you say everything is where it should be as far as temps and humidity, you should tell us about your enclosure. many people have been surprised that just a little thing they missed could be the cause of the problem.

also, does he have a humid hide? that definitely helps with shedding because he has a more moist place to go.

even though you've had him for a month it takes about a week for an animal to get used to its new environment. couple that with the fact that the baby was in shed and he/she will be stressed out even more. so he may yet still be stressed out and not hungry.

leave him alone except for cleaning up poop and changing his water and don't feed him for about a week, give him some alone time and don't handle him at all. once he starts feeling secure he should start eating better. also make sure the food is warmed up enough. good luck.

you also may want to get a fecal sample in to a vet to rule out any parasites, that could also be a cause of not eating and bad sheds.

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Hi and welcome to the HCN. It sounds like the best thing you can do for now is exactly what DM said. What are the tems/humidity in the enclosure? Sounds like he just may need more time to settle in. BPs can be fussy feeders :-/ especially the little ones.

It's not so much that it is difficult to "get" balls to feed,,,it is the time of the year we are in. Most ball owners are in tune to the fact that they will not eat in the fall/winter. Some won't eat for 6 months. Yes it can be frustrating and worrisome but as long as there is no dramatic weight loss your snake will be fine. And welcome to HC !!!!!!

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Ken
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Tank is between 90 & 95 on the warm end , 80-85 ambient and 75-80 on cool end, which drops to about 70-73 at night on the cool end and about 80 on the warm end. Ambient humidity is about 50, however, I only keep one side misted which fluctuates between 40 and 70 humidity. I have a half log on the warm side and a cardboard tube on the humid side. He switches back and forth from warm to cool quite often and does not seem to favor one particular side. I have done all the basic checks for ticks, mites, the inside of his mouth and underside of his belly, and everything looks good, but I'm not a vet, so I don't know if worms or internal parasites could be a problem. I spoke with an exotic animal vet who advised to give it some more time, but I am worried that at this young age he might become dehydrated. One thing I do notice, is he doesn't seem too fond of soaking. I had to assist him in his shed by soaking him in a warm bath and rubbing his skin as it was not coming off in one piece. I have not held him for more than a few seconds at a time to transport him to the bath, change water, move him to feeding container, etc. I did find a small amount of stool in the tank today, despite him never eating with me, but it was all dried up, brownish-green in color. Is this normal? Can a stool test be completed on a stool that is all dried up? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

YOu can use that stool sample, some parasites will show up on a test, a fresh one would be best. Your temps seem fine (if you are using a digital probe thermometer) If he is going from side to side he is thermo-regulating and that's a good sign. You seem to be doing everything correctly. If he was wild caught I would without a doubt get that fecal done, almost ALL withc specimens contain parasites.

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Ken
" The United States Marine Corps......sure we are a department of the Navy,,,,,,we're the MENS department "

A check for parasites could be helpful though a animal that doesn't eat doesn't poop so you may have to wait on that one. While I agree that this time of year it's hard to get older pythons to eat, this really doesn't apply to young BP's under 1 year of age. Though they may not eat every week after 6-8 weeks of not eating you could be facing problems. I don't think you've quite come to that point yet.

Offer food weekly for a couple more weeks, than if he hasn't eaten you may want to induce feeding by placing the food item in his mouth, he should do the rest from there (you may have to do this a few times before he starts feeding on his own).

I think some people pass off not feeding on the time of year without thinking that smaller hatchings haven't built up the reserve to go a good time without food. Most feeding problems with hatchings result from the snake not yet being an established feeder before it's sold. IME I've never had a hatching go off feed for more than a week without it being in shed. Though yearling males will easily go 50-60 days between meals in winter.

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Just hazarding a guess from your post, but it sounds like the snake really hasn't had time to settle in yet. You got him, and you have had shedding problems so you 'helped" shed.
I would leave him completely alone for a week and then try to feed.
Not feeding doesnt equal dehydration. As long as he is drinking water, dehydration is not an issue. And don't be surprised if you don't see him drink. It often takes a snake a long time to be comfortable enough to drink in front of you.
Soaking. Some do some don't.
And you might be amazed what he can swallow. Pinkies and fuzzies are probably not big enough. Most baby BPs are going with hoppers. You want a prey item about the size of the snake's body at the widest point.

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Merlin,
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i think its that as long as the food item is narrower then the wide middle part of the snakes body, it can eat it. my ball somewhat confirmed this when he ate a large adult mouse when he wasn't even 2ft long yet. 3ft long now and planning to feed him a small adult rat to see if he can eat it. if not, then I have another pet :P


he might not be eating because he wants live food. most pet shops sell mice in all sizes.
if the only petshops in your area are ones that don't sell live food items (petco and petsmart for example) you could buy a pair of mice or other rodent (rat, gerbel, hamster), and breed them and feed the babies to the snake.

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