Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, before you all start bashing me for buying a WC animal, hear me out, lol. I got a WC female a couple months ago. Got her straight from the importer, something I have never done before, but thought it was a good idea to find a nice looking female to bring fresh blood into the breeding scene as she will be paired with my pastel male (once she's big enough). She's been completely cleaned internally & externally (took 3 treatments to get her internally parasite/microbe free). She's currently in shed (which brings me to another question, is that good?), so after she sheds I am going to try a small rat on her (she's over 800g and could very easily take a medium rat, but I want to just see first). If she doesnt eat, how long should I wait before I should think about tube feeding her until she eats on her own. She has only lost 12-15g or so since I got her, she drinks fine, temps are great, she's in a 50gal tank by herself, so there's plenty of space. Just wondering how long it normally takes for wild caught animals to get acclimated and start to eat? I am new to ball pythons, so all the info you want to throw at me I will gladly take! Thanks to everyone for your help!

Melody

I got a wc female to about 2 months ago, she is 1,000gs. The person that I bought her from said that she did eat 2 adult mice in two months, So now it has been two months since I got her and tmorrow I am going to try to feed her 1 adult mouse. It is good that your female is in shed. I would go with a frozen adult mouse first and if she doe's not eat it over night try again and if she still doe's not eat it go with a live adult mouse if that doe's not work try a hamster. And about tube feeding you sould start tude feeding if she loses over 250gs-350gs but I would wait and keep trying feeding her live mice or hamsters. It is very good that she is drinking my did not drink for about 3 weeks, her eyes started to like suck in, but as soon as her eyes started to like suck in she started drinking again. Hope it all gos well with your female ball python, Scott Glover

Wow...250-350g! Thats a lot! LOL..I dont think I would wait that long! She's lost at most 20, but I dont think it was that much. Her eyes are fine (atleast I could tell before she started going into shed! I havent been able to pick her up in about a week, I feel like keeping all my fingers) I have tried mice & small rats on her, she only hits them to be mean. She gets mad and bites whatever comes near her! She's doing better on that, but I still dont trust her 100%. Anyway...thanks for the info!

Melody

Thats how my female is she bites what ever is in her way, until I pick her up then she is fine. I got bite 4 times from her. My male lost 170gs when I got him he did not eat for 8 months I had him for 4-5 years, And know every time I feed him he will grad the mouse right out of my hand. Scott Glover

"She's lost at most 20, but I dont think it was that much. Her eyes are fine (atleast I could tell before she started going into shed! I havent been able to pick her up in about a week, I feel like keeping all my fingers)"

There's your problem right there....
Leave them alone.Every time you open the cage it sets the animal back more...(let alone weighing it,etc).
..and don't try to get them to eat a large meal.
The last thing a wc bp wants,is to eat a meal that could potentially slow them down.Just in case they get that chance to escape.So,keep the hotspot around 92-95 and offer meals that will digest quickly (ie,no medium rats,yet).

yep...wildcaughts suck
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Charles Glaspie

I got a supposedly long term captive female not too long ago and she had not eaten for a while, so I put a live mouse in with a live Gerbil for a couple of days to scent the mouse and the mouse was eaten pretty much right away when fed to the BP. Maybe this is something that might work for you.

Rob Reiding.

I heard of that...but honestly, I dont feel like buying a gerbil (I dont need anymore animals, lol..I already have 23 in my small apartment!) would the bedding work maybe? I am good friends with the people at the reptile store where I get all my feeders, if I ask them for a handful of bedding from the gerbil cage, and buy a small rat, do you think that would work the same? or just go ahead and buy a gerbil? could I just feed her the gerbil? Thanks for the info!!

Melody

I just got the gerbil for about$6 so I don't have to back to the store for the bedding, but just the bedding should work fine too for scenting the mouse,rat, or hamster. You could try feeding the gerbil, but gerbils are argressive little buggers and may attack your BP so be very careful witht that.
Hope this helps,

Rob Reiding.

Wow, I didnt know they were aggressive! She finally shed, so I am going to try a mouse or rat pup (as was suggested to be by a guy at the reptile show last weekend) scented in gerbil. Thanks everyone for your help!

Melody

You're welcome. If she doesn't eat the scented mouse or rat the gerbil scent will go away pretty quickly so it would need to be re-scented then in case you want to try to feed it to your BP later.

Rob Reiding.

.such info

anyways.........they eat what they want and when they want.......keep trying from time to time and keep waiting.it may take months it may just die......

IF you try tube feeeding it....it will be very weak till you can actually get it to hold still enough to do this.......and it is usually that weak that it is closer to death than to health..

just wait........

I have 8 wild ,,,1000 gram (more or less) balls here right now.been 3 months and none eat..and yes......I try hamsters,,gerbils,,mice and live or deads........

wild balls suck.....period......buy American
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.................

I recently picked up a WC that had been imported last September, had not yet eaten, when I got her, took her to the vet and of course she had to be treated for parasites. After a couple of treatments and about a month of trying nce a weoek (rats, mice, hampsters, no gerbils we don't have them in CA) she finally ate. Honestly they can go like two years without eating, so don't worry if yours isn't eating unless it looks obviously sick. Do not force feed it! Here is a link to a page with some good advice on getting your WC to eat.

www.thereddragonsden.com/wcballs.htm

Hope this helps!
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Tosha

8.10.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and currently un-named)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
7.9.5 Fish (1,2,3,4...)
0.0.1 Frog rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.2 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer