Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi i have WC female ball that has been with since sept. She has yet to eat .she weighs 1000 grams. Any help would be welcome.

He keeps several WC's and breeds them. It's all in the set up. I have some and they wouldn't eat until I set them up the way he said to. A couple are still finicky eaters, but at least they eat. Hopefully he'll chime in and with some help.

Try this:

forums.kingsnake.com/viewarch.php?id=1269443,1269581&key=2007

Or toss in an African Soft Furred Rat

Good luck!
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Tosha
JET Pythons

I knew that was somewhere but I was too lazy to go looking. That's how mine are set up and they are all doing fine. I even have a couple of them that I got last year breeding for me.

Saved me from having to type all that out again!!
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Ron Billingsley
www.ronbillingsleyreptiles.com

Another demonstration of why we should NOT support the trade in wild caught ball pythons. If there is any species for which we do not need new blood from the wild, it is P. regius. And wild-caught adults are almost always difficult feeders (which may never eat voluntarily), and the females usually take years (if ever) to settle down enough to breed. Let's leave them out there. If there was no market for them, they wouldn't be imported.
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Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

Do you realize where they'll end up if they're not exported? It's actually quite simple to set up imports and have them thrive, it's just the stupid humans that are doing the thinking for them. That is where the problem lies.

They'd end up in the wild, right? Captive borns being just as inexpensive, and superior in all other ways, my question is why buy wc?
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Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

First thought that came to mind would be bush meat. Since they are relatively cheap as exports, the Asian markets would come to mind as my second thought. Point being, people in third world countries need to support their families somehow, and will resort to using what is around them to do so. So, they will exploit animal populations and don't expect them to have a concious when it comes down to whether they eat or not.

But adding to demand will not help the situation. And as far as the situation for the species in the wild, it doesn't matter whether the ball ends up in a terrarium in the U.S. or a stew pot in Asia. That snake is just as "dead" from an ecological perspective.
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Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

well put
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Thanks
Chad Ramsey

This is from someone I guess didn't read the other posts.

1) WC balls do great in captivity, if.. and only if... they are set up correctly. But then again, that is true for most animals brought into captivity. Would you keep a newt in a desert set up? Would you keep a Emerald Tree Boa in a corn snake tub?
Just takes some common sense about it. There is a lot of false information out there, and I for one am trying to save as many Balls as I can. which brings me to...

2) There is demand. Plain and simple... if there were no demand, they would be imported... they wouldn't sell, hence the phrase... supply and demand.

I have more points, but why go on. This tread is about caring for and getting WC to feed. Hopefully they he will follow the guidelines I set forth, and have success.

You are more then welcome to contact me directly if you need further assistance.

thebigsquease@aol.com

Good day
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Ron Billingsley
www.ronbillingsleyreptiles.com

by the way thank u all for the help
im going to try rons setup.

realy not trying to open a can of worms here. With so many people breeding, why buy WC? I am sure there are good reasons, I just don't know much about the WC market, so I genuinely am curious about the benefiets of buying WC.
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James.....
"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought the beast back."

Another demonstration of why we should NOT support the trade in wild caught ball pythons. If there is any species for which we do not need new blood from the wild, it is P. regius. And wild-caught adults are almost always difficult feeders (which may never eat voluntarily), and the females usually take years (if ever) to settle down enough to breed. Let's leave them out there. If there was no market for them, they wouldn't be imported.

man ur one big A-hole all i need is advice not lecture
and if u breed balls for sale i'll never buy from u DUDE

Sorry you took offense, but the truth is the truth. If you don't believe me, then ask The Barkers, or any other legitimate authority. Wild Caught balls are often (not always, but often) extremely difficult to acclimate to captivity-you are experiencing this.

Second, and another well-documented FACT, is that wc female balls are usually difficult or impossible to breed for many years after being taken into captivity, if ever! So why buy them, when cb balls are superior in every way to wc?

Again, my comment was in general-wasn't aimed at you in particular at all.
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Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

Since we are talking facts, let me throw a few out there:

FACT: 90% of all morphs were started by.... class? WC animals.
Recently a WC gravid lavender Albino female was imported, laied eggs, hatched, raised and..... bred back to dear ole mom... guess what?? more eggs....

FACT: I personally, and I can document everything I say, have retained WC gravid females after they lay, kept them for only one season, to have them be bred and lay again!! Not all of them, but it has happen within one season....

FACT: Most Breeders would rather have people buy from them instead of messing with WC animals. If said person wanting to buy a ball or balls, and don't have the knowledge or desire to work with WC, then please.. for the animals warefare.. buy CB.. stay clear of WC. But... they can be REWARDING if and only if you are willing to work with them.... Where would we be today, if no one was willing to work with ... say... Chameleons, Tortoises, Tree Frogs.... we would be saying today.. those species are hard to work with.. stay clear... but ... with people's hard work and sweat... those animals are now secured in the hobby....

FACT: Demand. Plain and simple, there is demand for new animals, different patterned animals, the unknown... it's the human spirit..... Every year, I just can't wait for these eggs to hatch.. to see what pop's it's nose out .... something new? Maybe....
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Ron Billingsley
www.ronbillingsleyreptiles.com

Ron- I don't disagree with any of that, nor is it inconsistent with anything I said. Of course, all morphs, and all captive reptiles of any kind, came from the wild originally. That is inarguable.

But is there really a need to import thousands upon thousands of wc balls at this point? No, there isn't. The "demand" is largely the pet trade in general, and I'm sure you'd agree that the majority of folks who end up with these are ill-prepared for a successful outcome.
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Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

im just try to keep my snake alive and well
if she dont breed its ok with me