Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have 3 balls that will not eat all the time, they have turned out to be very picky feeders. my 05 male used to eat f/t rats but now will only eat live( if he eats at all). my 06 female will eat f/t only if she is in the cage with my male, i dont get it. she wont even go for live. last but not least my 07 female has not eaten since i got her, and that was in august. i have tried f/t rats, live rats, f/t mice and live mice, but no go. can someone tell me what to do?

when is the ideal time for me to start the cooling process? what is the best temp for them? when do i take them off feed? do i leave the uth on? when do i start with heat again?

thanks for the help.

I had an 07 male Pin that didnt eat for like 4 or 5 months after I got him. Never interested in a rat or a mouse. The guy I get my rats from said maybe you want to try one of these AfricanSoftFurs. That did the trick. He is still a very slow or occcasional eater but the ASF rats are all he will eat. I hate it but thats life I guess. Hope you can try that and it works.
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JEM from sunny AZ.

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Hi,

I feel your pain, and I hope this helps. Get your wallet out.

Make sure your temps are perfect not just good. During winter I keep my hot spot at 90 and the cool at 75 and drop down my temps 5 degree in the evening. If you have a temp gun shoot the bottom of your snake, if the snake reads less than 80 degrees that could be your first problem. Also when my snakes seem a little bit uninterested in eating I warm up my FT mice or rats a little hotter. That seems to do the trick. Also make sure when the are not eating you keep very fresh water a little more often. I find they like to drink more often when they are not eating. If you are using overhead heating that can be a problem I find with balls too. Try investing in a undermount heat source with a great thermostat and a rheostat to keep from thermal runaway if your probe get pissed on or water or any other abnormalities you were not planning on. Good luck I hope this helps.

Bill R