Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so today i had to force feed 2 baby pos het for pied girls. to explain i realy didnt force it all the way down i started the mice into the throat and then left them be without moving and let them finish it themselves.
my question is....are balls like corns in that they will normally take food on their own after getting forced to take food once?
just wondeing balls are new to me, but ive been breeding colubrids for about 10 years now and bred turtles for about 3 years prior to that.
thanks for any info and advice
adam jeffery
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

like any other animal they are individuals that respond differently. I have had hatchling ball pythons assist feed a couple times and then eat on their own while I have had others assist feed for many months before eating on their own. What you are describing is more assist feeding, putting the food in the mouth and closing the mouth on the food. Force feeding would be shoving the food all the way down against the snakes will. Assist feeding works really well for ball pythons. Just stick with it.

Well, the good news is, since they're a pain to feed, they're probably "hets"!

How old were they? What were you trying to feed them?
Yes, this makes a difference. 3 of my babies wouldn't eat rat pups...I put a live small mouse in and BAM!
All 3 ate.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

What were the circumstances behind the need to assist feed?
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Tosha
JET Pythons
Toshas Blog

Herp Medicine does not equal a bottle of Baytril - Dr. Scott Stahl

i did a trade and the trade was for 3 female pos het pieds.
after hashing out the details i decided to buy another pos het pied female from them. then i decided to throw in some extra corns in on the trade just to be a good sport. so they threw in a couple that they said they were having trouble getting to eat and that they had eaten once but not again.
well i had them for a couple weeks and the other 4 ate frozen thawed mice no problem. these 2 had no interest in eating. i tried f/t hoppers live hoppers,large fuzzy mice,and live pink rats
this isnt my first rodeo just my first rodeo with ball pythons.
ive owned them in the past for rehabilitation purposes but always gave them away once they were healed or a new home was available for them.
today they are both still doing good no regurge's at this point.
adam jeffey
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

Well,

With Ball Pythons you should not have to assist or force feed them unless there life is on the line. I have had plenty of problem feeders and those just liked eating mice. But I have had one that just ate when it wanted and it was a pain in the arse.

Good Luck,
Bill
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0.1 Het Albino
0.1 Spider Het Albino
1.0 Albino
0.1 Spinner
2.1 Super Pastel
0.1 Jungle Pastel
0.1 Het Pied
1.0 Pied 50 percent
0.1 Clown
1.1 Het Lavenders
1.1 Het Caramel Albino
0.3 Normal
1.1 Kids
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Chocolate Lab

the one thing ive learned is if you wait till their life is on the line youve waited too long......i usually take measures like this once the skin starts getting even the slightest bit loose on their body.which was the case this time
adam jeffery
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

Hey,

Do what you gotta do. You came to the forum for advice. Sounds like you had all the answers already.

Bill
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0.1 Het Albino
0.1 Spider Het Albino
1.0 Albino
0.1 Spinner
2.1 Super Pastel
0.1 Jungle Pastel
0.1 Het Pied
1.0 Pied 50 percent
0.1 Clown
1.1 Het Lavenders
1.1 Het Caramel Albino
0.3 Normal
1.1 Kids
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Chocolate Lab

sorry if i offended you. the last post was not meant as derogatory. ut my origional question was weather balls usually start eating on their own after an assist feed or if you normally have to assist feed for a while.
my question had nothing at all to do wether or not i should or should not have assist fed. i appreciate your opinion and as such responded with my own opinion.
as far as having all the answers- i dont i asked because i have alot of experience with colubrids and was wondering if the same went for balls. im not some newbie that just decided to get into balls because i got a few grand for my birthday, i had to breed many other snakes and sell many of the ofspring and of course save up and trade in order for the balls that i have. i am tired of every "expert" on here treating others as ametures just cause they bred balls for the past 3 years
again thanks for letting me rant
(not all this has to do with your post)
adam jeffery
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

i like the rant...some need it...my experience is you assist feed until they start on their own...i had major problems with a bumblebee...and I am sorry but i was not going let her get anywhere near death...then someone suggested I put her in mulch and a hide spot...now she eats like a queen and is almost 400 grams...pounding rat pups...no mulch...no hide...
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Michael Enriquez

Hi,

My apologies. Your right I did not read the question right. I have never assisted my balls or ever forced a ball to eat. I have had about 20 of them off and on for 3 years. I have had several that did not eat for over 3 months at times and none of the ones that stopped eating ever looked thin at all. Now when it comes to babies I understand they need more attention and it takes a lot more effort to get them eating. Good luck and sorry you have to assist any ball you own. If I bought a baby snake and it came down to ever in doubt that I could not get it to eat, the seller and I would be having a one on one.

Good Luck,
Bill
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0.1 Het Albino
0.1 Spider Het Albino
1.0 Albino
0.1 Spinner
2.1 Super Pastel
0.1 Jungle Pastel
0.1 Het Pied
1.0 Pied 50 percent
0.1 Clown
1.1 Het Lavenders
1.1 Het Caramel Albino
0.3 Normal
1.1 Kids
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Chocolate Lab

no harm no foul....
as far as the seller these 2 particuliar animals were thrown in with the rest with the understanding that they were not eating, so i knew. i got the rest of the clutch in the trade so they just threw them in for me to work with. they new i only had 30 animals to take care of and they have hundreds so i could devote more time to them.
sorry for being crass before
adam jeffery
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.