Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi,

i just bought my first snake(a ball python) a little over 2 months ago and i have not been able to get him to feed at all. my vet has force fed him 5 or 6 times in the last 2 months and he still wont feed on his own. every time i put a live mouse near him he almost seens like hes scared of it and backs away.

does anybody have any sugestions?

feel free to email me with anything that might help

Battledroid_5@yahoo.com

thanks
george

Have you tried anything other than live mice? Try fresh kill, or frozen. You might want to contact the place you purchased your BP form to see what it was eating (FK,frozen). Also aare you aware that BPs tenf to fast during this time of year? Well good luck to you

Scott

there are alot of things that you have to do to make your snake comfortableand force feeding him isn't one of them.everyone with a bp has had them quit eating, you have to remember a snake can go months with out food. you must provide him a hide of some kind and heat to one side of his tank and a cool side also so he can regulate his body temps and then just leave him alone for a whole week just give him water then when he's starts cruising at nite he may eat but they're all a little different so just chill i'm sure he'll be fine

First of all - force feeding seems kind of extreme to begin with - best to ALWAYS save that for a last resort. Ball pythons fast during this time of year (dont eat) and chances are your snake is just doing what ball pythons do. No wonder he's afraid of the mouse, you keep shoving them down his throat!

Feed him freshly killed mice from now on, just dangle them by the tail and wiggle them in front of him - try it every couple of weeks - if he's hungry, he'll eat. Don't go panicing and shoving mice down his throat because he misses a mean - BP's can go (sometimes) for up to six months without eating, so just leave him alone, make him comfortable, and let nature take its course

Jon