trouble feeding baby ball python

[BryanL]

Hi everybody,

I am pretty new to keeping snakes and have only had one ball python for about 6 or 7 months. but recently I decided on visiting a petsmart in my area to see if there were any babies that I could help 'rescue' and raise in a better environment.
I'm having a bit of a problem with regards to feeding though, I have tried feeding him a frozen thawed fuzzy mouse after about 8 or 9 days that I got him rehoused and he wouldn't take it even though being very skinny whenever I got him, so I tried to wait another 5 days after to give him some more time to settle in, tried about the exact same size frozen thawed mouse and he still wouldn't take it. Time goes by about 3 days later I try again and still no budge.
It seems as though he's scared of the mouse and I have tried holding it still, jerking it around slightly, touching the back of him to see if it would cause a reaction and nothing would happen. I would attempt to feed him for about 5 to 10 mins at a time but would try to stop sooner as to not stress him out even more and I have left it in there before to see if he would take it but never did when I checked about an hour later. He has 2 hides on opposite sides, a pretty big waterdish, I added 2 plants in there for hiding spots and decoration, I cover the front and sides during the day to lessen the stress of me walking back and forth from my room, temps are about 82-87 for ambiency in the tank and about 92 degrees (sometimes 95 when I turn the heat lamp on) on his hot side and the cool side is around the ambient temperature as well. I always keep the humidity up at about 54%-62% for both snakes but this little guy just seems to not feel comfortable when being offered food. Any tips and advice I could try for the next time I try feeding?

Thanks,

- Bryan

(P.S. I keep him housed in a 10 gallon (aquarium) with an ambient thermometer, a probe thermometer for both sides and I try to keep temps just right all the time for both snakes.
I have no problems with my other juvenile snake eating.)

 

[AnimalNewbie]

have you tried live or rat pinkies

 

[BryanL]

have you tried live or rat pinkies

Not yet but I think that's gonna be my only choice trying to feed live since he won't take frozen thawed
I will try to feed him in a few days again and I will update you on the results!

Thank you very much!

- Bryan.

 

[basin79]

Use a hair dryer or put the food in hot water to get it good and warm. If that that doesn't work leave the prey item in over night.

 

[Pernicious]

For pre killed food i Take my snakes out of the enclosure and place them in a dark quiet Tupperware or secure box . Some can take as long as 30 min to take heat is good of course but scent will still trigger a response in most cases .if it is showing signs of starvation (any ribs or very skinny tail ) u might have to force feed .i have had some very stubborn balls in my time and some have gone months refusing food..honestly i feel they are a very moody snake.. no joke cleaning and rearanging tanks can litteraly upset them to the point ofnot taking a meal.at least in my experience with them .but i use the same feeding process for my large snakes as well as i believe precooked meals are safer and easier for all involved!

 

[Katiekooleyes]

Some good suggestions made already.

With the putting him in a box, there's always a slight alteration which may be less stressful on your BP. If he's not taking his meal as is, leave it in his enclosure, and place a towel, or other similar cloth over his viv (allowing for aire, of course). That way, you won't have to risk stressing him out by taking him out of his environment.

Another possible idea is pre-kill. In case you're unfamiliar, pre-kill is when you take a mouse (or rat) home, and you kill it yourself just before offering it.

****GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS BELOW!!!****

The quickest and most humane way to do this is to pick the mouse up by its tail, and swing it so its head hits a hard surface, like a workbench or kitchen counter. This is to render the mouse unconscious for the next part.

After, ensure its neck is broken by pressing down between the base of its skull and its shoulderblades with the handle of a wooden spoon. BE WARNED, there will be an unpleasent "pop" sound when it breaks.

Another method of feeding is to "brain" the mouse before offering it. This can be done with T/F mice, so you may wish to try it before pre-kills. The idea of this is that the scent of the blood is more tempting for your BP, so the likelihood if your snake accepting the meal is greater.

Once warmed, take the mouse and a sharp knife (preferably a sharp tool from your garage, or hobby knife) and cut a line from the top of the skull, to between the eyes, enough for blood to trickle, and for the skull to be penetrated slightly.

Have you had any luck in feeding your BP so far?