Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I received 5 cbb baby ball pythons from a breeder a month ago. He told me that they had ate 3 times on f/t rats. I have 3 that are eating and I have 2 that are not interested slightly. I have tried offering food every 5-6 days on the two, but no luck. I have tried feeding w/ tongs and the paper bag thing and nothing is working. The two balls were around 72 grams when I got them, now they are around 48 grams. I really need these balls to all be eating f/t, but If it comes down to them surviving I will have to feed live. When should I feed live? I don't want to wait to late and have them die on me. Any help would be great, thanks.

Kyle

You can try live. Maybe a fuzzy or a hopper. If you ae hesitant to resort to live,try dipping the f/t hopper or fuzzy into the juice from a can of tuna before offering it or brain it. Also make sure the mouse is REALLY warm and completely thawed befrore offering it. Or try wiggling the head of the mouse into the snakes mouth and it should take over swallowing from there. Good luck.
Sera
S and M Reptiles

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3.6 ball pythons
1.2 king snakes (1 chocolate, 2 albino)
1.1 columbian red tail boas
1.1 pueblan milksnakes
2.2 african house snakes
2.2 striped albino applegate gophers
1.0 watersnake
1.2 burmese pythons (1 albino, 2 hets)
2.1 pygmy rattlesnakes
1.1 dumeril's boas
3.3 corns (miami, okatee, snow, caramel, 2 creamsicle)
1.1 jungle corns
0.1 american alligator
0.2 ferrets
0.2 degus

A tight hiding place an a fake plastic plant have worked wonders for me. Alot of times they'll hide in the plant and strike from in there. I use fresh killed as well. It's kinda of gross, twitching but not capable of biting. Make them feel secure and not like something bigger's dinner.

if the baby balls lost 24 grams in only 4 weeks i would play it safe and get a stool sample checked,i have may 04 hatchlings and when they decide to go off food they maintain there weight or lose very little.