Wouldn't eat

[Johari]

My ball python wouldn't eat the rat I got him.

He is two years old, about two feet, I've had him now for two weeks. I tried to feed him a week after I got him, like the guy told me too. I got the correct size rat for him. The guy told me that he eats fresh kill. So that's what I tried. Though the day, Wednesday of last week, that I tried to feed him, he also shed that day.

Should I try to feed him again this wednesday, or should I wait.

The man that I got him from said to move him to a different container, like a sweaterbox, to feed him in so that he wouldn't get the idea that food is in his cage. Also, how long should I leave him with the food if he doesn't take it immediately? Should I be worried?

He also made a big poo last tuesday.

thanks

[MAG_Pythons]

ball pythons are hardly ever cage agressive, so i would put sone news paper down in his cage and leave the rat in there over nite and see if he takes it

[cornyballpython]

yah, i wuld just leave his rat in there with him, i had to do that with akua for a while cause he was food shy, and he just refused to eat in front of any one! so yah and i just keep him in his cage to feed him cause i dont want to stress him out moving him from feeding tank to home

[Johari]

ok, he ate today. The store was out of rats, so i got him two large mice. he loved them. i fed him in his cage. though i fed them to him live, just in case he wouldn't eat them, i could keep them alive until he did. It was so cool to watch him. He seems so satisfied now. I don't think that I'll have to worry about him now.. Hopefully they'll have rats next week and I'll give him one of them.

how long until I should expect him to go poo? and is two mice enough for him right now?

[MAG_Pythons]

i would thump the rat on a table b4 you feed it to him, rats do alot more damage than mice (if he dosn't eat it, you can put it in a bag in the freezer) ... it all depends on your snake, mine poops every time it sheads, if not alittle b4 ... 2 mice should be okay, how big is the snake, what size rat is he normally eating??

[Johari]

The guy said that he should be fed a medium sized rat... Yeah, with the rat I will be thumping it... I used to own rats, and know the damage that they can cause... been bitten a few times.

He did poop the day before he shed... So they shed how often... once a month?