Baby Ball won't eat

[tripleG]

does anyone have any suggestions for getting my baby ball python to feed for the first time. I have heard and tried a few things already to no avail. She's really picky so I've made sure that no one touches the mice without tongs and i've tried leaving her overnight in a smaller enclosure with the pinkie as well as cutting its head open. I even tried a live pinkie once but no luck.

I've heard they like lizards as its more of a natural prey item but i don't want to get her stuck on them and i've been having trouble getting my hands on some Anole sheddings to rub the mice in. It seems they like to eat their sheds from time to time. Anyone with any thoughts please let me know.

okay everyone thanks for your input but i have a bit more info u requested. The snake is definetely captive bred, the temp/hum is fine, cage size more than adequate. I have tried rats and mice, both hoppers, fuzzies and pinkies, tong feeding and leaving them in a small covered enclosure for 24hrs in which its body almost touches all sides of container. I hve tried dipping the pinkie in chicken broth and not lizards but rubbing the mice in anole Shed has been suggested although its about the only thing i havn't tried it seems. I even cut open a pinkie so it could smell the blood but no luck.

The snake has Never eaten since birth approx. 4.5 months old possibly 5.5mnths and is beginning to lose some wieght and muscle strength. She has Never shed either and the skin is starting to appear wrinkly so i thought dehydration and have begun bathing it in warm water for about ten minutes each time which it seems to enjoy a bit. All egg-nutrition substance (forgot the term) has been expelled a while ago. I clean cage and water all the time and hold the specimen to test its constriction strength regurlarly. I have many pets and have never run into problems with any of them so this is my first.

 

[sick4x4]

balls have been known to go for awhile with out eating...just let it settle in every couple of weeks try...if its hungery it will eat other then that its pretty much a waiting game...one of mines didnt eat for 4 months soo dont worry to much......

 

[Midnightrdr456]

how old is it, did it have trouble feeding when you bought it, ask the breeder (if thats who you got it from).

 

[Mushroom Spore]

How big is this python? Is the pinky equal to or slightly wider than the widest part of the snake? I'd always heard that even hopper mice are considered too small for hatchlings, so a wee tiny pinky is probably not even big enough to trigger a feeding response.

 

[Arietans]

Ball pythons are very susceptable to stress.

As long as the snake isn't drastically losing weight, it will be fine. Keepers stress when a snake doesn't eat once a week, but keep in mind that no snake in the wild eats once a week.

Just relax a little bit. Puff Adder hatchlings tend to be the same. For them I just cover the enclosure for a week or two, check the water every now and again and try feed them once a week. If they don't eat, they will soon. Sometimes its just a case of getting used to the new setup.

What you can try are rat pinks, which should be big enough for a Ball Python. Cut its nose just to let the blood flow a bit and put it near the python. Cover the cage again.

how old is it, did it have trouble feeding when you bought it, ask the breeder (if thats who you got it from).

A very good question.

 

[Galadriel]

I've never in 20 years of herp keeping heard of a ball python eating lizards...EVER. Here's the skinny....
Ball pythons are popular pet snakes because they're generally passive. Sometimes TOO passive to bother with eating. When a ball python goes off feed it can be very difficult to get them back on.
1. Be absolutely positive it's captive bred. It so cheap to import them that a lot of people don't bother breeding normals. If it's WC, have it treated right away for parasites....injectable Droncit for tapeworms and panacur for the rest. A booster of metronidazol or baytril wouldn't hurt either.
2. If your little guy is captive bred, look up care sheets to be sure you have the right temp/humidity range. Try tease feeding, covering the cage, changing prey size. If nothing works, just wait! You have to keep in mind the possibility that she just might not be hungry. I wouldn't get too worked up unless you see weight loss and/or a bad shed.
Hope he/she is just being stubborn! Good luck! =)