Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my ball about a month ago from Pro exotics, and he is perfectly healthy and I maintain his cage with proper room, heat, humidity, hide spots, etc., but he will not take a thawed mouse on his own. I have to put the mouse in his mouth and he greedily takes it and eats like a champ, but I don't understand why he needs to be assisted, since I know his breeders didn't feed him live mice. As far as I can tell, I am keeping his temps and such perfectly, and I don't know what the problem is. I've even done the "hold the mouse next to a light bulb for thirty seconds" trick and that didn't work either. No this is not my first snake, just my first ball. Any help would be appreciated

Experiment....it may take a live mouse, it may prefer rats(pups probally) FT or maybe live.
Link

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www.fbballpythons.com

congrats on your new critter, is it an 07 ?
if it is a neonate, the prey item has to be warm, no exceptions, when trying f/t.
maybe it was already on rat pups, call or e-mail robyn, maybe he can tell you it's prior feeding experience.
try feeding just after dusk, make sure to minimize your presence, if you're standing there like a huge hulking mass flailing around within it's line of sight, you may be spooking it.
make sure it has a tight hide to strike from, they get way bolder when shooting from a concealed place.
speaking from personal experience, PE only sells good critters, so i'm sure it will come around.
good luck, wait at least 5-7 days after an assist feed to try feeding again.
let us know how things go.
peace , ck

It was feeding on full size mice before it came to me, and yes I am doing all of what you said. More patience is needed I guess.

Hey Mitch,
whats the time frame for your feedings? If you are feeding weekly, I would say offer food, and if he doesn't take it, just leave it for a week. I'd try three attempts before assisting. Three weeks really is no big deal for him to go without food. (Just watch closely for weight loss etc, and make sure he has lots of fresh water to stay hydrated)
Good luck!
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James.....
"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought the beast back."

I also recently purchased snakes from robyn at pro exotics, and YES they do feed their animals live! when i was talking to him on the phone he told me what each animals eating habits were.