Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a captive bred and hatched yearling ball python, i just bought on saturday, the last time the snake ate was saturday july 30, they tried again on friday august 5, but the snake refused, i figured it was a little to soon, and the snakes looks kind of hazy, like it is fixing to shed, they said the snake had not shed yet, it shed in the beginning part of july. before i brought the snake home i set the enclosure up, so the uth could adjust and to make sure everything looked ok.
so far i havent bothered the snake, just looked in on him but other i have not done anything to stress him out.
this morning i went to another petshop, who has a pretty bad rap with herps, that my reason for not believing them. the girl was talking telling me they were getting a few ball pythons in later this week, she knew i was looking for one.i told her i already found a yearling and bought it and have it at home.
she told me they are very hard to get to eat, and if i have a problem getting the snake to eat to bring it in to them to force feed it, they are experinced in force feeding, they killed about 3 snakes learning. here is my opinion on the whole subject, right now i think it is to soon for me to worry about the snake eating, hes only been here for 3 days, i know he needs time.... secondly i would think to start a snake off force feeding would stress it out ?? she also claimed to me that a yearling ball python could not live past a month with out eating, i dont believe that either i was under the impression a snake could go well over a month without eating.....
i hate going in to that shop they give bad advice in my opinion, but they are the only shop in town that carries the brand of ferret food i feed, and they also sell sugar glider supplies, other wise i wouldnt go in there.

First off this is only my opinion, and from my experiences!

I wouldn`t worry about the not feeding at the moment. Most of the balls that I have brought home normally start feeding within 2-3 weeks. There are reports of balls going over a year without food and the resume feeding, so I have been told. A moth or 2 without food generally does no harm

Force feeding should only ever be used as a very very last resort when the snakes body weight is declining rapidly.

The staff in that store seem very undereducated and you should just avoid their advice full stop.
-----
2.3 Various Ball Pythons
1.0 Madagascar Giant Day Gecko
1.0 Red Stripe Gragoyle Gecko
0.1 Border Collie
0.1 Rat
2.0 Kids

LOL~
"she also claimed to me that a yearling ball python could not live past a month with out eating"

That right there~ that says it all~ do NOT listen to that person!!

And please don't force feed the poor thing~ even if it does go months without feeding. Force feeding is as likely to kill it as anything else. That should be an absolutely last resort.

This is an EXTREEM example~ but just to demonstrate how long they can go without food and be fine~
I bought this WC girl on 10-10-03. This is her feeding card for the almost two years I've had her~ and I mark down everything~ so it's all documented here. She is offered feed~ rats (live and F/T) Mice (Live and F/T) and Chicks (Live and F/T) EVERY week.

Female 37
10-10-03 ~ 1089 Grams
10-13-03 Flagyl/Panacur treatment--tubed
10-21-03 Flagyl/Panacur treatment--tubed
11-18-03 ~ 1085 grams
12-1-03 ~ Shed
12-16-03 ~ 1038 grams
3-16-04 ~ 1000 grams
3-25-04 ~ Shed
4-12-04 ~ 951 grams
4-14-04 ~ Nutribac treatment--tubed
6-4-04 ~ Shed
7-15-04 ~ 881 grams
8-7-04 ~ Shed
11-14-04 ~ 844 grams
1-30-05 ~ FEED 1 rat pup!!!
3-15-05 ~ 859 grams
5-25-05 ~ Shed
6-15-05 ~ 752 grams
8-4-05 ~ FEED 1 adult mouse!!!
8-7-05 ~ FEED 1 adult mouse!!!

Yes~ that card says she has fed a total of 3 times in the entire time I've had her. I've been very worried about her~ but she never lost muscle tone or the willingness to bite me~ so I didn't try to force feed her. Now she has eaten twice in a row~ I'm very excited.
-----
Cheryl Marchek
AKA JM
Check out my website at:
The Red Dragons Den

>i have a captive bred and hatched yearling ball python, i just bought on saturday, (snip) right now i think it is to soon for me to worry about the snake eating, hes only been here for 3 days, i know he needs time.... secondly i would think to start a snake off force feeding would stress it out ?? she also claimed to me that a yearling ball python could not live past a month with out eating, i dont believe that either i was under the impression a snake could go well over a month without eating.....

You are right. Your yearling needs some time to settle in, especially if he's in the early stages of shedding. And he's more likely to eat a few days after shedding than any other time.

Force feeding is a last resort. A yearling ball python in good shape could survive six months without eating, in my opinion, though I'd not like to see it go that long. Force feeding should not be necessary, even with a wild caught ball python, and especially not for a captive born and bred snake.

I'd not let those pet shop people lay a finger on any snake of mine.

Paul Hollander

i have 2 corn snakes, i got worried when my first corn wouldnt eat for a month, he shed then 5 days later he ate, i just kept waiting and checking him to makes sure he looked ok.
this being my first ball python, i dont want to start off worrying for no reason, the guy i got the snake from let me see it eat on july 30, that was how i knew the snake had ate, he has a small business and if you ask for something "crazy" like i do i always ask to see a snake eat before i plan to buy it now after the first episode, he is willing to let you see....plus the thing i do like about him to is if you ask a question he is not sure about he will be honest and tell you where you might can get an answer, i have been in his shop for over 5 months now have even helped them with some of their smaller animals, and some of the reptiles. the other thing i like is he doesnt sell pine or cedar shavings, he has a sign up stating they cause problems so he wont sell them.

I have a wild ball that is 2 or 3 years old I guess ...it just ate (a chinese hamster) yesterday for the first time for me........I got them December 9th I think it was.........

let it be......let it settle......try and feed it every week or two.......bigger mice and or rat hoppers/smalls.....

it will eat sooner or later.........usually.
-----
.................
can people get anymore annoying?...........

really.....................

i almost emailed you to ask you about that, because i thought you had bp's but i wasnt sure...... and i know you give pretty sound advice as does most of the "regular" breeders i know on the cornsnake board.....

I got a big amel male....hasn't eaten in 6 months.ate today...

have a het amel that hasn't eaten in 6 months.his problem.I eat when I want....

got wild that took 4 months average..and that one that went yesterday after 8 months.......

have had baby corns go 3 months to start...yet others die in 2

know guy with BIG wild morph ball ...she hasn't eaten in a year...looks ok

know that humans have gone what? .... 45 days without food?........

...........yet I have other girl balls that ate guinea pig again today..bigger one 2 weeks ago.and rats in between....damn is she fat...looks like there are 20 eggs in her.....yet she already layed for the year.......

good luck..........
-----
.......remeber....you CAN help prevent stupidity........
read a book.........

she ate, i was going to put the mouse in and she moved away from it and i went to pick the mouse up and she snatched it!