Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got my female spider on Tuesday and the guy told me she is picky with f/t, but eats live mice. Tried f/t, no go. Tried a live mouse, no go. Very aggravating, especially because she is underweight as it is. The guy told me it is because he did not go to the store as often as he should have to get live mice and all his other snakes were eating f/t. I guess I just got her, and I have been changing the hides in her tub because she hasn't been going in them until the recent change. My idea is to do nothing for a week and try again?

My male normal didn't eat for a long time I had him and the past 3 weeks he has been eating GREAT! First 2 weeks I fed medium size f/t rats, 3rd week I got greedy and fed him a large size rat, and today I tried giving him a small rat and he flat out refused and burried his damn head under his body (I hate when they do that). I'm guessing he is just not hungry (hasn't defecated and is looking rather plump) and to try and get him back on medium rats once a week?

I love ball pythons, but this picky feeding behavior is so damn aggravating!!! I kept corns in the past and those things are a cinch to feed compared to balls!
Anyone have suggestions or opinions as to what direction I take these two?

What is the opinion on re freezing a f/t rat? Is that a no no?

Dont refrezze the rat throw it out ang get a new one next week. It ia little soon to feed if you just got the snake a few days ago

re-freezing is pretty much a no-no.

on the feeding note, with new babies I've gotten several of them have taken right around a month to take their first meal, and after that they took off big time. so i wouldn't stress over it too much
-----
www.bamreptiles.webs.com
www.facebook.com/bamreptiles

Well she's not a baby, she is an '08 and I know they can go a long time without eating which is why I never worried about my big guy (sex to be determined) not eating for so long when I first got him/her... however, I am hoping to be able to breed this spider and she has some growing to do (getting a weight on her this weekend) so am a bit anxious for her to start eating. Maybe some luck will come my way and my older one will turn out to be female, just a normal, but big and beautiful

I do it all the time and have no problems.
Ball pythons will eat prey in the wild that has been dead for awhile. Not too rotten of course.
Some snakes prefer prey that has been thawed, frozen and thawed again. Makes the smell a little more noticeable and inviting.

But I only re-freeze them if the rat hasn't been out for more than a few hours.

Try re-freezing the prey item and thawing it again before feeding your picky eater. It may entice him. Also, thaw the rat in a place where the smell can reach the snake without the prey being in the enclosure. Easy to smell but out of reach.
It usualy preps them to eat and they start figuring out when feeding time is.

hope this helps.

BP's are ambush predators in the wild. I highly doubt that they eat carrion.

I've actually read a few sources that say they do eat carrion, claiming snakes in the wild are opportunistic feeders. Here is just one site and it happens to be a kingsnake.com source, http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/ just ctrl f to find "carrion."

welcome to the wonderfull world of ball pythons! there just this way! they eat when they want & dont when they dont!

Give it time it will eat on most bigger balls it takes more time for them to get use to there enviroment.Get hides and stuff in spots and leave alone.Then try food in 3-5 days,I never have problems feeding mine.Only at breeding time.But I also raise my own feeders.
-----
1.0 100%het albino
0.1 100%het albino
1.0 pastel
0.1 spider
0.1 pastel
1.0 butter
0.1 albino hc
1.0 orange ghost
0.1 100%het pied poss het albino ringer
1.0 med pied
0.1 pewter
1.0 pinstripe
1.0 pastel

Why are you stressing about it so soon?