Ball not eating, big suprise?

[DannyBoy]

How are you guys? I am looking to take advantage of your vast collective knowledge . Well, I have a 5 month old male Ball Python who has not eaten since 11/16/05. The last thing he ate was a small FK mouse. Before then he ate like clockwork, every week, since I got him on 09/25/05 from my brother-in-law. I questioned my brother-in-law and he was eating just fine for the month and a half that he had him. I understand that balls are sensitive eaters and that they can go a long time between meals without too much ill effects.
I am looking for suggestions of creative feeding techniques. I have tried several that have worked in the past raising my other ball from a neonate, but they have not worked. So any suggestions, tips or hints would be awesome!!

I included two pictures of the little guy, thanks!

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Well balls are a pain in the rear if you ask me. Here are some good tecniques I have tried when I had my ball and some I have heard of.
Things to do now.......
-Make sure the temps are high enough. Low 90's at the most and mid to high 70's at the least
-Make sure you have enough hides in the enclosure. 1 on the cool and 1 on the warm side MINIMUM!!!
-Reduce or if you can elliminate all handling for a while, it causes stress exspecially in balls. Make sure he is getting a proper photosynthisis perieod(around 12 hours of lights on and off)
-Make sure he isn't in shed, some times its hard to notice. I find that it helps to look at the belly, it usually turns a light shade of pink.

Feeding Techniques
-Make sure the pre Item in warm. Balls have heat scencing pits and they know if their meal is cold
-Try to wiggle it alot with tongs and touch it against the balls tail and mid section. DO NOT touch it to his head
-Leave him in a rubber maid shoe box or whatever size fits him best and keep the DEAD rodent in there with him for the night in a DARK space. Try to provide heat in the feeding box
-With him in his favorite hide, lay the mouse or rat at the entrace to the hide before night comes around. When he goes out to look for a way to escape the cage like always, he should stumble across it

If worst comes to worst, not for a typical hunger strike
-You may have to try a f/t gerbil. I say f/t since those things are mean as heck
-Try to scent him with gerbils,
If you can't find gerbils, the dwarf hamsters work ok but not quite as well.
This is just my 2 cents

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Oh ya, don't try to offer food to often like mentioned earlier. It adds lots of unneeded stress

[JuliusSqueezer]

90 is too hot for a ball python. They hate it that hot and I'm convinced that a lot of people's ball python feeding problems stem from overheating them.

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Originally Posted by JuliusSqueezer

90 is too hot for a ball python. They hate it that hot and I'm convinced that a lot of people's ball python feeding problems stem from overheating them.

As long as they have a cooler place to go they will spend some time at the low 90s. Not much but they do occasionally.

[DannyBoy]

His heating is set up with a undertank heater giving hot spot of 87 degrees and ambient temps of 82.

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

That should be about perfect, Make sure he has plenty of hides. imo you can never have to many hides

	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Maybe the care sheets are a bit off, but everyone I read says 80 something to 90 or 92 or something around there. Maybe personal experience is better than care sheets. Idk

[DannyBoy]

Any more suggestions for feeding techniques? I have tried most of the above listed feeding techniques. I'm not to worried about it, he will eat sometime, just wanting to learn some new ways of feeding him so that he does not get bored.
Just so you all know, I really appreciate your responses and help.

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Originally Posted by DannyBoy

Any more suggestions for feeding techniques? I have tried most of the above listed feeding techniques. I'm not to worried about it, he will eat sometime, just wanting to learn some new ways of feeding him so that he does not get bored.
Just so you all know, I really appreciate your responses and help.

Go here, just stumpled upon it, look in the feeding section, it should give you an idea

http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/index.html

[JuliusSqueezer]

Once every week to 10 days or so, leave a f/t rat in front of the hide in the cage overnight on a paper plate. Eventually, they will start to disappear. Going off feed doesn't seem to stress them too much. Don't let it stress you.

About the ball python temps. Ball pythons are found in a variety of locations in Africa. Dense jungles, open grass land, scrub forest...All of these places have places for them to avoid the sun during the day. Underground burrows are a favorite spot and despite what the surface temp is above ground, it's quite cool where they spend their days. I keep mine at 78 cool side- mid 80s warm side. They spend most of their time on the cool side even at these temps. I have never had one develop an RI, and I never have feeding problems.

	Frozen/Thawed A rodent or other prey item that is frozen and then thawed to be fed to a reptile or other animal.