Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I have a 4.5 month old male Ball and I cannot get him to switch to frozen thawed mice. I have tried three times in a week now and am looking for advice. I even warm them up with hot water through a bag so the mouse keeps a scent on it before offering them to him with tongs.

Thanks!

If you have tried three times in one week, give him a little time before trying again.

give the snake a break for a week or two

then place a thawed mouse in the tub at night and leave it in there till the next day if the snake doesn't take it freeze the mouse and reoffer it again in another week or two.

the snake will eventually take the mouse. don't give in

Pitoon

The biggest issue with a stubborn ball python is patience. It's stressful watching them refuse food, but it rarely causes them any duress. I'd agree that if you just give him a little time between offers and only offer f/t for a while, he'll more than likely come around.

So how long can I go without him (Bonus) eating until I have to feed him a live for his healths sake?

Something that I have tried and I have had great success with, and it works with switching from live to FT as well as mice to rats.
If I am trying to get the snake to eat FT I offer the snake a very small food item(off tongs). Say the snake useually takes a large mouse, I would feed it a hopper. The meal is small and not satisfying. The snake will still have a feeding response, so after the snake has gotten the hopper down, I offer a FT small mouse(off tongs). Try that a few feedings and then only offer FT. I have had great success this way with switching to rats also. Offer a hopper mouse followed by an appropriate sized rat. I would say I have close to a 100% success rate!
Hope this helps.

Happy Holidays
Shawn Turnage
www.twistedconstrictors.com