Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can I and should I try to feed my ball while it is in its shed cycle?

Josh

you can try. it really wouldn't hurt as long as you don't try too hard. by that i mean (assuming you are feeding f/t) that you don't dangle the prey in its face for a long period of time. that would stress him. i have a royal that eats during the shed process all of the time. as a rule of thumb though they won't take it during sheds. and you really should just leave them alone when they are shedding. supposedly it is a very uncomfortable time for them. but, every snake is different.
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0.1 Boa (BCI)
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0.2 Daughters

If it will take food while in shed......let it eat !

I have a male that will eat during shed.....and a female that dont. So its really depends on the snake

derek

Often captive hatchling and young snakes will (attempt to) feed when they are opaque, while older adults will not. There is certainly no compelling reason for you to feed them at this time. But if you wish to try, just make sure you don’t offer these still rather naïve feeders something way too large and no damage should be done. In nature, you would not expect to see opaque snakes actively hunting. Of course, if the odd meal just happened to venture too close, I guess that would be a different story.

-Joan