Hi,
This is my first post on Kingsnake, but I've come here for all the answers to my questions! You guys are the best! Anyway, I searched the old posts, and I wasn't able to find any information on this topic, so forgive me if this is an old question.
I've had my Ball for a little over a year, and I started breeding mice about two months ago. Everything was going great at first. I keep the mice in the garage because of the smell. But then Charla (my snake just stopped eating. Not only did she stop eating, but she seemed either indifferent, or scared of the mice that I put in the tank ( yes, I feed her live mice....), and I thought maybe she was fasting, but she's still so young. Then I noticed that the house started smelling like mice, and as it turns out, the furnace gets it's air from the garage, so the smell of the mice has been wafting through the house for a month! I guess my question is, do you guys have any advice? Is there a way to cover the odor as it comes out of the vents? Also, what should I do for now? Is my only option buying a mouse from the pet store? Please help! Thank you so much for checking out my post!
-Emilyhex
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Ball Python Won't Eat Home-Bread Mice 'Cuz of Smell?
Replies (2)
I doubt that your BP has stopped eating just because it can smell mice! I breed mice, gerbils and multimmate rats in the same snake room that I keep over 30 young BPs, and it doesn't affect my snakes. BPs are renown for suddenly refusing to feed, particularly at this time of the year. It is known as 'brumating'. The amount of available light reduces and the air temperature falls - maybe by only a few degrees, and the BP stops eating. If your BP is healthy and has good body weight for it's age, don't worry, it is a normal occurrence. You seem to think that your BP is too young to brumate, believe me, breeders have youngsters a lot younger then twelve months 'phase' themselves. Eric
My son has a ball pyton and he will not eat. he hasn't eaten in 1 1/2 months almost. my son is getting really upset he is on;y 12. Do you have any suggestions??????? We have kept a mouse in with it foe a while should we take it out for a while? Sly's(BP) neck is getting kind of skinny.. Will someone help us. Thanx Chaseman12
