Having a snake that doesn't want to eat sure can be frustrating! It took my new baby blood python almost two weeks after arriving to start eating, and ever since she's been kind of hit or miss each time. My ball python, on the other hand, nearly doesn't wait for food to hit the bottom of the cage before she's starting to swallow it.



Don't loose heart. If your new snake was eating well before you got her, she'll eat well again eventually. Here are a couple suggestions:



1. Try feeding her at night and without any lights on. Since you are using live mice at this point, don't wait too long before checking on your snake. If he/she doesn't kill it in about 15 minutes, take it out and try a few days later. Both my ball and blood python will eat readily at night but usually not during the day.



2. Try a smaller enclosure. A 65-gallon tank may be freaking your little snake out right now. It could be like trying to eat all by yourself in the middle of an empty football stadium. A smaller tank would provide more security for your snake. I figure feeding has to be the most dangerous time for a snake--it's most vulnerable to predators with a mouse stuck in its throat. So, make it really cozy. A 10-gallon tank or 20-gallon tank with hides is big enough. (Lots of breeders keep small ball pythons in plastic Sterlite shoe boxes.



3. Make sure there's enough heat to raise your snake's metabolic rate. It's just one more variable you can cross off the list. (But, don't make it too hot. I use a human heating pad under my tank, so the floor temps are around 85 degrees on the hot end.) Have the other end of the tank be room temp to provide a thermal gradient.



Good luck! He/she will be okay.

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