Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, everyone! I work at a pet store, and we have one baby ball python who refuses to eat. Our policy is to feed only frozen, but after three or four weeks of not eating we got desperate and tried a live mouse! Still refused. We're bathing him daily in warm water in the hopes he'll have a BM and he'll be hungry, but no luck after five days. We've tube fed him on a carnivorous emergency food twice, first time with some limited success (5 mL) the second time he may have had 2 mL stay down. Our store doesn't carry live young mice (He's only on fuzzies/hoppers...I think he refused the live mouse because it was an adult and he's small) and I don't think my bosses will let me bring in a mouse from another store to feed it. We've even tried forcing a frozen/thawed mouse into his mouth- he spits it out. We're getting desperate, he's very thin and doesn't grip well anymore.

I've thought of perhaps an enema, as the area around his cloaca is a little bloated but I've never done one and don't know how. Can any of you think of another option? I HATE live feeding, and the risks involved, but I hate the idea of him starving himself even more. Two of the bunch (we have five) eat very well, two fuzzies a week (I'm urging my boss to order some hoppers...they're ready for 'em) and the other, while not enthusiastic, will eat a fuzzy a week.

Thanks so much for any help!

How much does he weigh? Ball pythons go on feeding strikes everyonce in a while, and while it is a little more serious with babys, it is not the end of the world. Most of the time they will start eating like champs when they are ready. Double check the temps in the cage as try and let us know the weight. If you look down the forum post list a little bit you will see some posts about a baby who wasn't feeding who weighed like 37 grams. That is the point where it really starts getting serious.
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Coolluigi

1.0 Pastel
0.2 Normal
0.1 Spider
1.1 Het VPI Axanthic
and soon to be more. *fingers crossed*

After you check the temps and figure out the weight, consider getting some b-vitamin supplements. I also work in a pet store, as well as a large scale reptile facility and here is the procedure I go through for Baby Balls that won't eat.
1. If they are living on the sales floor with the other ball pythons, immediately take them away, put them alone in a basic set up with heat, hide log, water bowl, and jack up the humidity a bit.
90% of the time, they will eat a fuzzy mouse or a pink rat within a week of that.
2. If it still has not resumed feeding, I begin giving it 3 drops of b-vitamins every day, and offer food every 3 days.
3. Still not eating, I offer them a fuzzy gerbil, sometimes they just can't resist.
4. At this point, while still continuing on the b-vitamin regime, if they have not eaten, I force feed them a pink rat.

If you do try force feeding, do not use mice, I have seen the lower jaw of a mouse splinter during force feeding and puncture straight through the neck of a baby ball python.

Good luck with the little guy, hope everything works out.
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Ball Pythons:
1.2 Normal
1.2 Pastel
0.1 Black Pastel
2.0 Het Orange Ghost
1.1 Mojave
1.2 Spider
1.0 Albino
0.1 Het Albino
1.0 Piebald
0.1 Het Piebald
Other:
0.1 Irian Jaya x Jungle Carpet python
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0 Tiger Retic
1.1 Burmese Pythons
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
3.3 Corn Snakes
0.0.1 American Alligator
1.0 Savannah Monitor
1.0 Chinese Water Dragon
0.1 Brown Basilisk
0.1 Sulcata Tortoise
1.1 Sugar Gliders
0.1 Puppy

I like this post
it sounds like the original poster skipped steps 1-3 and went straight to 4.
like going for surgery when you just have a fracured arm

the skinny ball has tons of tips about this issue, it is just a few post down!

matt

I'm the OP from the skinny ball thread. If he's spitting the mouse out, then you may not be assist feeding properly. The key is to stick the mouse as deep into the mouth of the snake as possible, close the mouth over the snake tightly, and pull back on the tail to ensure that the snake's teeth are firmly stuck to the mouse. The idea is that the snake can't just spit the mouse out, and instead has to swallow it. It took a couple tries for me, but the second one took.

Another thing, you said that the snake is having trouble gripping tightly now? Is he really lethargic and listless? If so, I'm not sure if assist feeding would even help. I'm no expert at this, but I do think this particular detail should be clarified further and addressed.

Okay, having read that post I will now clarify (I didn't know the terms before) We have tried ASSIST feeding him several times with a frozen/thawed fuzzy. The other relatively thin one tends to swallow, this one spits it out. I work for one of the bigger chain pet stores, and we don't breed our animals so we have no baby anythings to help him. I'll try to convince my manager to let me purchase a fuzzy or hopper from another store and lock 'em up together overnight if B-vitimins don't start working. Thanks so much for your help!

I wouldnt leave a live prey in the cage with out supervision.
I see that as the biggest risk of live feeding.
With all the reading I have done, a real baby ball is MUCH more likly to feed off a live prey.
So far as to sugest ASF rats as a last resort.
For the snakes sake, I think you should force your manager to allow a live feeding. Tell himm how it is,YOU CAN NOT SELL A NON FEEDING BALL!
How can he refuse.

very true, leaving live over night is a bad idea under most conditions, however, with a hopper mouse it would still prefur milk then solid food, it isn't much of a threat. This is the only time I would ever remend leaving live unattended. My sustained eaters 200 gram only get 15 mins at the most to choose if they want it or not.

Also the key to leaving over night is the fact that balls get much more active during night and it is their natural time to hunt.

matt

one the one that isn't keeping the food down, look at the temps, remember repiles body temps are deturmind by they surroundings and if the temps are to cool it may not be able to digest.

Also it is better to offer smaller food items when starting as well to help them break it down fast and easy.

matt

I hate to say it but you're probably fighting a loosing battle -- if the snake is not feeding because it's stressed or doesn't like f/t - then it's not going to feed if you keep at it like you've been doing. Take the baby out of the pet store. Set it up in a nice quiet small dark tub with a hide and a water bowl (and properly monitored heat) -- leave it for a week give it a live hopper or small adult mouse - wait 15 minutes to see if it takes it - if not take the mouse out and try again 4 days later. Once it's an established feeder then you can switch it to f.t. and take it back to the pet store.
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Tosha
JET Pythons
Toshas Blog

You say that it is swollen around the cloaca, I have seen baby ball's get constipated and not eat. Hold the snake in one hand, and with the other GENTLY squeeze and slide ur hand toward the cloaca. Be very careful while doing this and you may solve your problem, cause a Ball is smart enough not to eat when he cannot dispose of the waste, lol! I saw this same problem a couple week's ago at a show on a baby Pied. Hope this help's, and good luck.

Hope you get the baby eating shortly. I would try gerbil or asf (african soft furred rats). If one still refuses to eat try force feeding but please use this method as a last option as it stresses the snake itself. what you would so is thaw or pre kill the mouse and hold the snakes body between your arm and ribs and hold its head with your fingers so it can't back out and gently move the mouses head in and force its mouth till you get the grip respond and then it should be eating normally after that. good luck

Rich