Ball Python Behavior

[ballpython2]

They ARE notoriously picky eaters, but the biggest problem is with wild-caught BPs. Now that there are more CB ball pythons in the hobby, the picky-eater problem is less severe, though it still exists. Housing, trips to the vet, etc, sometimes just do not change a picky eater's habits. Precautions can be taken that will "ward off" picky eating in babies: never house two babies together, provide proper temperature and humidity, feed at night, pre-kill food, don't keep babies in HUGE tanks. Picky eating later in life is a little bit less serious in a CB snake - sometimes they go off food seasonally, but they can last longer without eating than a baby can.

I have had only one baby pastel female who was reluctant to eat normally, but after her third shed, she finally became an eager eater.

Ball pythons are awesome snakes, though. Just the cutest little things if you ask me. They are good for beginners and have relatively easy care.

I apologize I didnt make my self clear. when i said they werent picky eaters i didnt be specific when i was actually talkin about the Captive bred ones thats my fault and i apologize for that.

 

[equuskat]

Lol, i guess this topic also comes down to the individual snake..and what did you mean by "maturity" did you mean by when its close to dying? cause by then its old any way and thats normal for humans or did you mean mature as in sexually? either way i guess they are all different...

She meant sexually mature. She said that he was more interested in looking for females than food. I thought it was pretty clear. :?

 

[ballpython2]

She meant sexually mature. She said that he was more interested in looking for females than food. I thought it was pretty clear. :?

.. and since it was a male and they eat less when they are lookin for a female that doesnt make it a picky eater at all...that just means it wants to mate and not eat.....so its not picky just not hungry even though they are totally different animals this also happens with tarantulas...

 

[equuskat]

.. and since it was a male and they eat less when they are lookin for a female that doesnt make it a picky eater at all...that just means it wants to mate and not eat.....so its not picky just not hungry even though they are totally different animals this also happens with tarantulas...

I'd call that a picky eater. I guess it just depends on your definition.

 

[Mina]

Well no matter what his reason is, he is much less interested in food than ladies. I have no intention of breeding him though. He is a sweet snake and is always very gentle so I really have no complaints.
I do wish he would eat more, but he drinks, sheds, and pees so he is okay, I just worry.
I guess you are right if you consider being mature and being a picky eater different things, I was considering them to be the same but I see what you mean.

 

[Dom]

I've kept and bred ball pythons many years ago.
If you start off with CB they usually eat very consistently. Stay away from wild-caughts because they can be a different story altogether.
Mature males will often go off their food for a few months in the winter which is not the same as being picky.
To me a picky eater is one that eats one week and not the next but then eats the following week.
Many reptiles esp. males will go on fasts for a few months. They don't eat for a few months and when they start feeding again it's pretty consistent for several months.

 

[pnshmntMMA]

thanks for all the great discussion and information. as soon as i move, i will locate a captive bred baby i think, lookin for something small for starters, that i can adapt to. is it advisable to handle it in the store to get a feel for how it reacts? what are some things to look for/avoid? thanks guys!

chris

 

[Mushroom Spore]

is it advisable to handle it in the store to get a feel for how it reacts? what are some things to look for/avoid?

Do not get one from a store. The odds of finding a healthy captive-bred baby ball python in a pet store are astronomical - what's more likely is that you'll end up with a wild-caught baby full of parasites that's never eaten in its life and WILL never eat, but the dumb kid that just wants to make a sale will gladly tell you it's captive bred. Even if you do somehow find a store with CB babies (most don't because WC ball pythons are so amazingly cheap to import even if so many of them die), that doesn't guarantee the store has been keeping them in good health. Some pet stores have also been known to lie about snakes being good eaters, which is very important with BPs.

You take a lot of risks in going to a pet store, especially if you have no previous experience with snakes. But even experienced people can't always tell by sight if a snake has internal parasites that will be a huge costly pain to treat and the snake might not live anyway. (EDIT: well, really they can't tell at all except to make a wild guess based on the fact that a snake that's had a lot of parasites for a long time will look crappy. And that's not a very reliable method either. It takes a vet exam to know for sure, and by then you've already spent money for a sick animal.)

Go to the dealer/breeder review forums here on AB, and/or the one on faunaclassified (or is it faunaclassifieds?). I think kingsnake.com has one too? Anyway, go look for someone with lots of good reviews and reasonable prices, and have the animal shipped overnight to your house. Even WITH the cost of shipping, the average ball python baby will still cost less than the sickly messes you'd find at your local chain petstore, or about the same. I think I paid like 45 dollars and 25 shipping or something. Last I checked PetCo sells their (almost always unhealthy) WC babies for 70-80 bucks.

If you wait a few months into spring/summer, it'll be a lot safer to ship reptiles and you'll be able to get in on the rush of new hatchlings if that's what you want. Just be sure you look for one that's already gotten started eating, and eating f/t prey too.

I would still advise not getting a teeny tiny baby. There's not really anything to "adjust" to with a docile BP, and tiny babies are FRAGILE. Even one that's six months or a year old can withstand going off feed safely much longer than a newborn.

 

[halfwaynowhere]

also, be wary of the term "captive hatched". Its really no better than wild caught. Only difference is, they catch wild mommies, and release them after they lay their clutch. Then when the babies are hatched, they are shipped over here. Almost all the risks of wild caught, only benefit being that the moms are released back into the wild so they have the opportunity to contribute to the wild population a bit... stores like petco and petsmart only sell captive hatched babies. Your best bet is to get one from a breeder online, normals are generally pretty inexpensive, and you get personal communication with the person who bred them, so you can know the exact history regarding feedings, etc.

 

[johnharper]

Some of my ball pythons have a really bad aim when it comes to feeding time and they sometimes miss the rat on the tongs anyone ever notced about balls? For the most part though they really gentle snakes.

John

 

[Ritzman]

I'm going to have to disagree with you. I started with a beautiful, perfectly healthy 6 month old male BP. He ate wonderfully until he became mature, then he got much more interested in roaming his tank looking for ladies than eating. He had been an exotic vet for a check up several times, and I was again assured he is in perfect health. I've spoken to many BP breeders and have been told that once a male reaches maturity, they just don't eat as much, but it isn't a problem as long as the animal doesn't loose condition.
From what I understand females do eat better, but I can't speak to that since both of mine are male.
If you think there is anything I could do to get him to eat more, please tell me, it would make me very happy if he would eat once a week.

Mina can I ask how old your BP was when that happened? I have a BP that just ate tonight for the first time since this past summer. I was so pleased to see him eat. I was freaking out over it. He didn't really lose weight but the lack of eating...He was always such a voracious eater. I figured he was maturing and lost interest in eating, in pursuit of a lady.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Some of my ball pythons have a really bad aim when it comes to feeding time and they sometimes miss the rat on the tongs anyone ever notced about balls?

Mine used to miss occasionally when using tongs, I think it was a combination of the moving target (even if only moving slightly) and the fact that the thawed prey I used wasn't always very warm. Now I usually put the dead rat in the bottom of his feeding box and dangle him over it...from his perspective the rat is still "moving" but he doesn't seem to miss anymore even if I don't get the rat above room temp.

Mina can I ask how old your BP was when that happened? I have a BP that just ate tonight for the first time since this past summer. I was so pleased to see him eat. I was freaking out over it. He didn't really lose weight but the lack of eating...

Just remember, if the snake isn't losing weight it's not a problem and you're stressing over nothing. Also I believe males start having their breeding season mood swings after their...second winter? That's what I always heard and it was my experience, anyway.

 

[Ritzman]

Just remember, if the snake isn't losing weight it's not a problem and you're stressing over nothing. Also I believe males start having their breeding season mood swings after their...second winter? That's what I always heard and it was my experience, anyway.

Yea I gotta always tell myself to quit worrying. Then I jump on the net and re-read that they can go for an absurd amount of time w/out eating.
I pinned him to be approx 2 y/o when he started his little fasting stunt.