Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My adult ball Manny slams into mice and small, juvenile rats, yet when I try to feed him an adult rat (which he is perfectly capable of taking on) he leaves it be. I have tried several times, always with the same result. He will follow the rat with his head for a while, then curl up on the side farthest away from it. He will not strike at it, even when the rat uncerimoniously crawls over his head. Is there a reason for this? My friend's ball Elizabeth, who is smaller than Manny, takes on rats of this size with gusto, while my guy seems to shrink from them. What's the deal??
-----
2.2 Beardies:
0.1 german giant X
1.0 sandfire X
1.1 hypopastel clear nail het leuc., poss. het trans.

2.1 Cornsnakes:
1.0 anery stripe motley
0.1 anery
1.0 ghost

6.11.0 Ball Pythons:
0.1 classic jungle
0.7 normal
1.0 pastel
1.1 spider
1.1 mojave
1.0 het caramel albino
1.1 66% het pied
1.0 "labyrinth"

2.2 Other Pets:
Simon, Cooper--chihuahuas
Cleo--DSH cat
Piper--cockatiel

If I was a ball, I also would also be afraid of a rat that is:
1. Alive
2. Capable of KILLING me

I would suggest you purchase a book on the captive husbandry of ball pythons and read it. It will also explain why you should not feed your ball(s) live food items. Good luck.
-----
www.strictlyballs.ca

For the record, there is nothing wrong with feeding live. It is personal preference, and the debate on which to choose could rage on further than the debate on how well the market is doing.

As for the snake being afraid of a rat, it is likely that he just does not want to eat it. Unfortunately, some balls can be that way. One of my adult females will not touch a rat, but will pound adult mice until I politely refuse to give her another

There are tricks to switching them which I'm sure you can read back a few posts and find one. Good luck on keeping a healthy snake, no matter what it eats!

Happy New Year!

-John

than he may just prefer smaller prey. Some snakes are picky like that. I have an 1100 gram male that will eat as many small FT rats as I wiggle in front of him but won't even sniff at a medium FT rat and they are already dead!
-----
"yeah, eagles have feathers hanging off of them too and I don't smoke --- out of them!" PS it was a dream catcher!

the responses you received are all right.

i also have large female that wont take anything larger than a small Rat. dead or alive.

Some are just size oriented. Did somebody say that already ? I had an adult ball that would only take things the size of a small rat, up to and including large hamsters, chipmunks, gerbils etc. Didn't matter what it was as long as it was the right size.

Quig
-----
Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

Couldnt agree more that feeding live or fresh killed or frozen thawed is a personal preference. Every snake is different.....I have one that will only eat off the tub floor, He will not eat live or off tongs, I have one that will strike constrict and release and you have to offeer a second time then he will eat it......As you spend more time with your collection you will get to know their preferences. I personally would like all my animals to feed frozen thawed just because the convenience and I feel freezing keeps unwanted pest out. When I feed live due to a picky eater I never leave the rat in the tub without being supervised by me with tongs in hand ready to help. It is possible for a animal to get injured during a strike but its never happened to me so far. I watch to see if the rat was sruck well and not biting or scratching if so I clamp around the rats neck if possible with my tomgs. Some balls just wont eat a rat period! You may try to rub a mouse all over a frozen thawed small rat and try to offer off tongs........Sometimes a little sent is what they need. The number one thing you never want to do is leave a live feeder in a tub unsupervised........It can kill your snake !!!! I once had a boa that Was an agressive eater that I put a rat In her cage and came back and the rat was gone so I put her cover down and the rat had went under her water bowl and spent the next 3 hours biting her .......I was lucky the bites were minor and not through the scales. Ive seen photos of bites that actually killed animals.

Thanks for the responses. The majority of my collection feeds f/t, but I got this male and a few other yearling females from a breeder that fed live and I haven't been able to switch them over yet. Hopefully they will convert, but for now they get live. I dunno....I guess my guy likes little meals. Oh well.
-----
2.2 Beardies:
0.1 german giant X
1.0 sandfire X
1.1 hypopastel clear nail het leuc., poss. het trans.

2.1 Cornsnakes:
1.0 anery stripe motley
0.1 anery
1.0 ghost

6.11.0 Ball Pythons:
0.1 classic jungle
0.7 normal
1.0 pastel
1.1 spider
1.1 mojave
1.0 het caramel albino
1.1 66% het pied
1.0 "labyrinth"

2.2 Other Pets:
Simon, Cooper--chihuahuas
Cleo--DSH cat
Piper--cockatiel