BP is on hunger strike...

[pilot511]

so far hes just eating live hopper mice though..lol

[citysnakes]

pilot511, you said your bp is 1 year old and over 900g and your feeding him hopper mice? he should be getting a food item at least the thickness of his biggest girth. i have one month old hatchlings eating hoppers that are almost the size of adult mice.

you need to double check your husbandry and make sure the snake feels secure. leave him alone a couple weeks and then try an adult mouse or small rat. i know you said everything is perfect but is it really?

there is no trick to getting balls to eat. scenting with chicken broth or tuna juice is a complete load. if your temps and humidity are on,have two secure hides in the enclosure, dont overly stress the snake by handling, he will eat.

tanks are not the best thing to house snakes in but if you use them i would suggest covering up the back and two sides with a background or construction paper to add a sense of security for the snake.

after he gets settled from the second move in one day, and you decide to try feeding him again after a week or two, prescent the room by leaving the adult mouse or small rat near his enclosure for a good 30 mins. this should help to strengthen his feeding response.

hope this helps.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

[dhonaker]

also its a ball find some one that hasent had feeding problems with a ball one point in there life

[slither9192]

I don't know if there was a confusion but when I said scenting I meant leaving the rat/mouse in the room for a couple hours before trying to feed so that the snake can smell the food item. This worked with my girl. I wasn't talking about tuna or chicken broth scenting I don't see why that would help.

[dhonaker]

some problem feeders go nuts for chicken broth its like crack to them

[reptilicus81]

Well said Citysnakes!

I completely agree, I have never found any evidence that suggests scenting with chicken broth or tuna is appropriate for rodent only feeders. I could see it working for bird or fish eating snakes...although chicken broth is primarily salt.

I do not refer to my ball pythons as problem feeders....I think of them as normal. Just because we feel that our snakes must eat every week, doesn't mean that they agree with us, and it doesn't mean that it is appropriate. If the snake doesn't lose condition, and your husbandry is fine....let him eat when he is hungry!

I have almost 30 ball pythons in my collection, and they all have different feeding schedules. I don't concern myself with a reluctant feeder (adults), unless I notice a problem with the snake's physical condition.

[pilot511]

Originally Posted by citysnakes

pilot511, you said your bp is 1 year old and over 900g and your feeding him hopper mice? he should be getting a food item at least the thickness of his biggest girth. i have one month old hatchlings eating hoppers that are almost the size of adult mice.
you need to double check your husbandry and make sure the snake feels secure. leave him alone a couple weeks and then try an adult mouse or small rat. i know you said everything is perfect but is it really?
there is no trick to getting balls to eat. scenting with chicken broth or tuna juice is a complete load. if your temps and humidity are on,have two secure hides in the enclosure, dont overly stress the snake by handling, he will eat.
tanks are not the best thing to house snakes in but if you use them i would suggest covering up the back and two sides with a background or construction paper to add a sense of security for the snake.
after he gets settled from the second move in one day, and you decide to try feeding him again after a week or two, prescent the room by leaving the adult mouse or small rat near his enclosure for a good 30 mins. this should help to strengthen his feeding response.
hope this helps.

His husbandry is good...I just tried a hopper to see if he would eat it bc if not I can feed it to my milksnake or JCP...as of now he ate 2 live mice for me, so were doin good, thanks.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

	Jungle Carpet Python (Morelia Spilota)

[pilot511]

So he has not been eating well again, husbandry has been right on, 88-90 on the warm and around 80 on the cool, humidity right around 40-50%, always fresh water....he just hasnt pooped in probably at least 5 weeks, could this be because he hasn't been eating, or possibly blocked?

[angrybananapeel]

Originally Posted by pilot511

So he has not been eating well again, husbandry has been right on, 88-90 on the warm and around 80 on the cool, humidity right around 40-50%, always fresh water....he just hasnt pooped in probably at least 5 weeks, could this be because he hasn't been eating, or possibly blocked?

Could be any number of reason's he isn't eating...but honestly... it's a bp. My two 1/4 year old went off feed for 4-5 months ( I never tried live... he is now back to eating ft med rats every 2-3 weeks... but if he pushes it further, I don't worry about it). If the husbandry is spot on... then their is little more you can do. It'll eat when it eats. Unless you witness deterioration..... I wouldn't be overly worried, just overly annoyed . Of course, a vet visit might set your mind at ease.... crap, I'm no doctor... but I've seen members here slam vets cuz they disagree with their advice, so who knows...? I've never scented, never tried live, braining, etc. I'm going to bump him from his 20 gallon long to a 40 gal soon, and we'll see how he adjusts. I know I've got at least 4 months to work with... and I'd be happier to offer more space if/when I can.

you are feeding inside the cage, right?


Good luck.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

	Geek Auto Linker or Gallon Geek Auto Linker Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

[pilot511]

yeah inside the cage....apparently there is a "car ride" trick I read about on another forum which I may try....usually if you take a problem feeder on a 15-20 minute car ride a lot of people have had success when they get back,.

[angrybananapeel]

New one to me, but good luck!