Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Lo and behold, after taking a pinkie about 3 weeks ago I have tried more pinkies, fuzzies (frozen) even put them in gerbil material before feeding with no such luck. Today I introduced a hopper that was in a box which got lots of attention from my ball. He was all over it. I placed the live hopper in the tank, then added the ball. Much in anticipation, all I got was alot of nose rubbing between the two. Go figure? Has anyone ever experienced this, or have I adopted a fusspot? Also, I had read on these forums that a wild caught ball is harder to feed than a domestic hatchling, I have no idea where mine comes from. One pinkie in 6 weeks to me isn't good. Eyes, stomach, mouth and skin are all fine as far as I can see, and the temps are suitable too. 80F in the cool zone, 90-95F in the warm zone, plenty of moisture. Is there anyone who can help me with this? I will re-introduce the hopper later tonight when he is more active and it's lights out.
Thanx in advance,
Dan

Ball pythons can be quite the picky eater. One of mine will eat everything in sight, the other will strike at everything but a meal. Eventually when it gets hungry enought, it will eat. Some tricks that worked for me were putting the live hopper in dirty gerbil bedding and letting it run around for a bit and then giving it to the snake. Also if you let the mouse run around and "freak out" a bit it will release hormones that the snake can smell. Other than that, just keep trying, it will eat sooner or later.
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annjaret

"When I die, I want to come back as one of my animals."
0.2 Cats - Cordelia and Chloe
1.0 Dog - Jake R.I.P. I miss you little buddy.
1.0 Leopard gecko - Joey
1.1 Ball Pythons - Niame and Nala
0.0.1 Snow Corn - Gandalf
1.0 Aberrant Cali Kingsnake - Cicero
1.0 Husband - Shaun
(Not always in that order...but sometimes)

Thanx, I've got the hopper in a separate tank right now, so I'll keep it going with carrot shavings and gerbil stuffings for the time being, and try later tonight. I'm only impatient because I want him to eat. It's not the thrill of watching, his skin does seem a little loose in places and that concerns me. One other question, would it be okay to let him soak in a tub of warm water for a bit, say an inch or so deep or would that stress him out?
Thanx again, much appreciated!!
Dan

I strongly believe the key to a well-feeding baby ball is patience! How big is this guy? Sounds to me like a pretty small baby. It sounds to me as if you are bugging him too often. Balls, even babies can go for long periods without food. If I were you, I would leave it completely alone for a week. Don't go in it's cage for any reason, unless it needs water.

Then, in the evening a week from now, introduce the mouse. I don't take my animals out of their enclosures for feeding, and they are all fine as can be. In fact, my pickiest ball HAS to be in his one hide spot to eat, he just doesn't eat unless he's safelty holed up there. If your baby is hungry and feels secure, it will eat.

P.s. I know how hard it is to leave that little baby be. It is soo tempting just to peek in on it or hold it for "just a minute," but some balls are just shy little starters, and leaving them alone is good. This is why I have 8 snakes. . . if someone isn't eating, or is in shed, or has a full tummy, there's always another to handle. well, at least that's part of the reason!

Unless you are feeding it a pinky rabbit, there is no way that is a big enough food item. Ball Pythons HATCH out being able to take small adult mice. It wouldn't even recognize a pinky as food.

Could it have gotten the idea that pinkies are food, rather than furry mice, maybe?
Pretty strange.
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2.1 Ball pythons
1.0 Boa Constrictor Imperator
0.1 albino Cranwell's horned frog
1.0 bearded dragon
1.0 Tiger salamander
1.1 breeding Clawed frogs
1.0 black kittycat
3.1 Oscar cichlids
0.1 Paint horse mare

Maybe he is just off-feed for the breeding season? I say this because my male went off-feed last year, and his reaction to prey was similar to that you described; going right past it with no interest. Though, it was f/t prey in my situation. How old is your snake?
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2.1 Ball pythons
1.0 Boa Constrictor Imperator
0.1 albino Cranwell's horned frog
1.0 bearded dragon
1.0 Tiger salamander
1.1 breeding Clawed frogs
1.0 black kittycat
3.1 Oscar cichlids
0.1 Paint horse mare

Thanx for your advice everyone. As for my snake, he's about 14-16 inches long, smallest one they had. As I said, there are no visible problems with him. He has beautiful markings all over including his stomach. I don't try to feed him outside his domain, I just let him smell the food today and he was all over the box that the hopper was in. I thought I'd try live instead of frozen. No more pinkies or fuzzies. I'll take all your advice and hope that the next time I post, I'll sound a little more like I know what I'm doing...lol!!!
Thanx again,
Dan

Try not moving the snake around before you try feeding it. Leave it in the cage & put the hopper/mouse (not pinky) in the cage. The less stressed out the snake is, the more likely it is to feed.
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Chad Bachman