Ok my first time trying to feed my ball failed. It was hungry. I killed the mouse and I put it in the feeding box but the snake seemed to be trying to look for a way to escape instead of eat. Then, it came to the mouse, and it flicked its tongue a while, then opened wide. But the box (big tupperware) was a little damp after being washed, and the mouse was sort of stuch by the moisture onto the plastic a little and it didn't manage to get it off. Then it started ignoring the food from there on.

My friend who has some experience suggested I split the heads to expose the brains and that they will eat it then. I have done so and hopefully it will try to eat it shortly. Lets see.

Anthony how long have you had him,,he may still be adjusting....and welcome to the world of ball pythons . Is he used to eating fresh killed or live? If he is used to live you may have to get a pair of tongs and make the mouse move like its alive....it works for me

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Anthony I agree. you will probabley need to make it "move".
You need a set of long tongs so you can move the mouse around and simulate it being alive.
Its also best to feed in the evening

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

If it still won't eat after that try without moving to the feeding box. If he is on loose substrate either change it until he is eating well and you can use the feeding box again, or just put down some newspaper over where he will be eating.

Good luck!

IT ATE!!!!!

It WAS in the feeding box when it failed. It was a tupperware box and I guess when it bit the mouse the dampness of the mouse's skin sort of stuck the the plastic and it fell out and it gave up. So, amongst all the other problems I had today, well, yesterday now that it is past midnight here (it was a TERRIBLE day), I just said "Oh whatever" and I cut the mouse's head open and left the mouse in the enclosure on a piece of cardboard. I went out to visit my girlfriend, came back and the mouse was gone, with a little blood on the card.

I had actually put in two mice to allow it to choose sizes, since they don't sell as many different varieties here. One shop I went to had only "Big or small". One was a little too big, the others were tiny. The other shop had some bigger ones and ones that were just a tad too small. So I ended up getting both the one that was a little small and the one that was a little big, and letting it choose. (The bigger one had full fur, the smaller one I believe is just fuzzy...) I left both in there and it ate the smaller one. It did sniff the bigger one just the way it did the smaller one before striking, but it never bit it.

I hope as it gets bigger, it can adjust to different looking foods, because right now, it eats the one with hardly any hair. I wonder if it will recognize larger mice with hair as edible. Also, when it is full grown, I wonder what I would feed it since they don't sell rats that big. I can get hamsters and guinea pigs for roughtly the same price as the bigger rats, but they smell different right? And they don't eat it well right?

By the way its not "used" to anything right now because its only a couple weeks old or something and this is the second time in its life its eaten (according to the previous owner).

Awesome Anthony, I'm glad he ate for you.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

YAY!
It was actually a little thinner than the snake. Should I feed it after 6 days again instead of 7?

Also planning ahead. Now that I know that they don't sell big rats at the reptile stores, what can I feed it at adult size? They are supposed to get as thick as a coke can, and they don't have mice that big at the herp shops. If I feed it guinea bigs or rabits, will it accept at that time?

You can go every 5-7 if it is only a couple weeks old.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Yes you can feed again in 5-6 days. You just don't want to constantly be pushing food to him. Do they not sell rats at all or do they just not sell big rats? You can feed them on just about any rodent. As it gets bigger it will look at bigger prey as desirable.

I suspect that the nervousness about feeding is due to it being so new to your care. As it settles in it should get easier.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!