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Picky Feeders

JoshMolone Jun 20, 2010 12:23 PM

Any ideas on how to get a picky mouse eater to eat?
My big female quit eating too. Irritating.
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Got Balls?
Josh Molone

Replies (13)

kingofspades Jun 20, 2010 01:03 PM

I've got a two week old hatchling who hasn't eaten yet and she is pissing me off because she is the only female pastel I hatched and have...
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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)

JoshMolone Jun 20, 2010 02:38 PM

I love Ball Pythons to death, but some times they anoy me. :P.
Goodluck with him though! I really need to get the big female, Beladona, to eat! I want to breed her this year, but if she sticks to this I wont be able too. :P.
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Got Balls?
Josh Molone

sisco Jun 20, 2010 09:39 PM

When shes ready to breed, she will start slamming them .....

jaymiller242 Jun 20, 2010 05:27 PM

Hey Chief, I have had new borns go for a month without eating. Very aggravating but chances are she will come around. Jay
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JEM from sunny AZ.

3.25 Normals
3.10 Pastels
1.0 Super Pastels(Thanks Dan Wolf for the best looking Super male I have ever seen)
2.7 Normal Spiders
1.1 Spiders 100% het Ghost(thanks Mark Petros)
0.2 Spiders 66% het Ghost(Thanks Steve Beamer)
1.3 Orange/Butterscotch Ghosts(BallPython777 Mark Petros)
0.6 100% het Orange Ghosts
0.3 66% het Orange Ghosts(should prove this year)
0.1 Pastel Ghost
1.0 Citrus Ghost(courtesy of Josh Hutto)
0.1 Super Pastel 100% het Ghost
2.3 Albinos
1.1 Caramel Albinos
0.1 100% het Caramel Albino
0.4 100% het for Albino
0.5 66% het for Albino(should prove this year)
0.7 Yellow Bellies
1.0 Pastel Yellow Belly
1.2 Ivories
1.2 100% het for Clowns(Mark Petros)
1.6 Cinnamons(Thanks Stan Ruppel)
1.0 Pied
1.4 100% het for Pied(Josh Hutto and Paul the Pied Peddler)
0.5 66% het for Pied(should prove out next year with my visual male Pied)
1.5 Mojaves
0.1 Pastave het Ghost
1.1 Beautiful Black Pastels(thanks Gulf Coast Reptiles)
1.2 BumbleBees(thanks for the AWESOME Bees Marc Bailey)
1.1 Pewters(Myself and Scott Priester of Brookside Reptiles)
0.1 Chocolates(Thanks Brandon of Priceless Pythons)
1.3 Lessers(Josh Hutto)
3.2 Fire's(Thanks Brandon of Priceless Pythons)
1.2 High White Calico's(Thanks Brent from BRB)
1.1 SpotNoses(Thanks Brandon of Priceless Pythons)
1.1 Enchi's (Me and Josh Hutto, Thanks again Josh)
1.0 Pinstripe
0.1 Pinstripe 100% het for Ghost
0.1 Lemon Blast
1.0 Vanilla Ghost(Thanks again GCR for all the great snakes)
0.1 Super Vanilla Ghost(Awesome Chris and Shelia from GCR)
0.1 Vanilla Yellow Belly
0.1 Vanilla(Another one from Josh Hutto,I must have all your snakes now...lol.) Thanks my friend, Jay
1.1 Stillwater Hypo Bull snakes(Brad Chambers)
0.0.1 Great looking Brown and Tan Desert Bull Snake)
0.0.1 Vietnamese Blue Beauty
1.1 Argentinian Black and White Tegus
1.0 Gotti Pitbull (Tank)
2.0 Beautiful Bengals (Stryker and Cynbad)
14 Tarantulas
Last but most Important 2.2 Children

milkman2 Jun 20, 2010 09:37 PM

Two week old hatchling that hasn't eaten and you are worried? better get out of balls now, it is probably just going into its first shed. I usually do not even try feeding them for close to a month.

kingofspades Jun 21, 2010 12:27 AM

She shed for the first time, and this isn't my first clutch. This is my 3rd season.
I'm not worried...I'm angry. She's the only female pastel I have and I want her to grow dammit. Her brother pastels and normal sisters have already pounded 2 mice a piece.
-----
"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)

kingofspades Jun 21, 2010 12:29 AM

And I was wrong, it's been 2 weeks since her first shed.

Trust me, I know how picky they can be. I had a male normal stop eating for 10 months.
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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)

milkman2 Jun 21, 2010 07:08 AM

What temp do you incubate? Past few years I have dropped my temp and get hatchlings that are bigger and have a better feeding response. Just got to wait a little longer for them to hatch.

kingofspades Jun 21, 2010 08:47 PM

They all hatched a bit late. I had them at 86-88.
All the other babies have eaten twice. She is just...the odd one out.
-----
"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)

boacraze Jun 20, 2010 07:38 PM

ball pythons are just ball pythons this subject has been discussed as long as ball pythons have been around just forget about them keep them clean fresh water good temps and when it wants to feed by god it will i promise you that just relax and take it as time off from feeding because these snakes are just doing what they are desighned to do. hope this helps regards

JYohe Jun 20, 2010 08:39 PM

picky mouse feeder....

I'll shoot....feed it, ? mice?....mice are fine...I have alot of huge balls that eat mice....

....stop eating...???...yea...you sneeze, move them, look at them , take them to a show...change bedding, change shelf level, change temps, heat source, and even if someone in Italy leaves a big burp on Sundays after a losing soccer match with Peru....they will stop eating....

....balls...gotta love them....

to get them to eat...change some of that stuff......it makes them start too at times.....

...
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......JY

JoshMolone Jun 20, 2010 09:16 PM

Haha, I will try that! And ill be sure not to burp! xD
I had a big girl go for 7 Months before finally taking a mouse. Thank goodness she was fat before she went on that break of eating! It amazes me how long they can go without eating.
But yea, I love these snakes.
My pride and Joy.
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Got Balls?
Josh Molone

Wyvern Jun 21, 2010 02:13 PM

>>Haha, I will try that! And ill be sure not to burp! xD
>>I had a big girl go for 7 Months before finally taking a mouse. Thank goodness she was fat before she went on that break of eating! It amazes me how long they can go without eating.
>>But yea, I love these snakes.
>>My pride and Joy.
>>-----
>>Got Balls?
>>Josh Molone

The more you want a BP to eat and grow up the more they will do the opposite...and there is the exponential factor if it's a morph desired by you.

Taken us 5 years to get a picky albino het snow to do more than eat a couple meals two months out of the year. This past winter she finally decided to eat for a couple extra months and looks good now.

I also have a special hatchling that I have been assist feeding for 2 years. I don't know if his sense of smell was off or if he was just really slow in the head but he would never eat unless the food was placed into his mouth and jaws lightly pressed together then put back down into his cage...he'd sit there for a bit and then start eating. Then the other month something finally clicked in his head that food was food and now he's slamming rats and mice like a beast & I have to use tongs. He just recently topped 161 grams.

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