My ball python wont eat.
I had him for 3 months now
Only at twice (1 April) x (1 may)
Everything in his cage is correct
Temps/husbandry/
No respiratory infection idk what to do now .
I offered frozen and live and he still rejected.
Please help me what should I do next ?
Do you have a pic of the setup? What are temps and humidity like? Just saying they’re correct doesn’t actually say much since there’s a ton of different information out there, some better than other
Ok.ill send a picture when I get back home.
The more info you can give, the better folks here will be able to help you.
Pictures of the enclosure will be super helpful, as will the answers to these questions: What are your temps/humidity? What’s your heat source? How are you measuring temperature and humidity? How often are you offering food? What size and type of prey are you offering? How old is your snake?
I think that covers most of the bases.
Thank you for planning to share a photo. Once you’re able to do so, we’ll be better equipped to offer specific, constructive recommendations. To expand on earlier points about the enclosure, if a snake feels overly exposed, whether due to bright overhead lighting or a lack of sufficient cover, this can also contribute to feeding reluctance.
In the meantime, another factor to consider is prey size and type. Some snakes may hesitate to feed if they perceive the prey as too large, even when it falls within appropriate size guidelines. This sometimes happens in juvenile animals that were previously kept on a maintenance feeding schedule before being acquired, or in snakes that have simply been picky eaters from the start. Additionally, if a snake was consistently fed a specific type of rodent, such as mice, rats, or African soft-furred rats (ASF), it may be reluctant to accept a different kind. In some cases, snakes can be even more selective, refusing prey that differs in coat color from what they are used to. For example, a snake that has only been fed white frozen-thawed mice its entire life may refuse a black and white mouse in any form. It may sound unusual, but I’ve seen it happen, and sometimes we need to get creative to help our animals overcome these challenges.
If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to contact the breeder or previous keeper to ask about your snake’s feeding history and preferences. That information can be very helpful in narrowing down the potential causes of feeding issues.
Lastly, if you’ve been handling your snake frequently, or offering food often in response to repeated refusals, that may also be contributing to stress and reinforcing the feeding hesitation. Giving the snake time to settle in with minimal disturbance can make a significant difference. For example, I once had a snake that refused food for several weeks after I brought her home. I started to worry, until I discovered she simply didn’t want to take frozen-thawed prey from tongs. She preferred that I left the prey item in her enclosure and give her privacy during feeding time. Eventually, I transitioned all of my snakes, including her, to live prey without any issues so long as she continued to enjoy her privacy during feedings.
All great advice! I just wanted to add a few questions:
Have you changed his enclosure in any way, like moving him to a different one, or moved him to a different location?
Have you changed the type of bedding you use?
Did you try changing the size of prey (try sizing down if you haven’t already)
You could also try giving him a live mouse (if you currently feed him rats)
That’s all I have for now
No I haven’t moved him into another location.
I think I’ll try that out next.
Yes I changed his bedding.right now now coco chips
Yes I have mices and rats (breeder) I fed frozen and live appropriate size for him
Tried a smaller size too (rejected)
I bought my Snake from a breeder (morphmarket)
I didn’t get much information about besides a box and the snake
Honestly I wouldn’t move him, it might cause him more stress. I was wondering if he had been moved, with the thought that a change in location could be the reason for his food refusal
Just to check, in case I mis-read your comment about using coco chips, were you using something like aspen or anything that is different from what substrate he is on now?
Sometimes it’s so difficult trying to figure out why snakes decide they don’t want to eat. It can be so frustrating and in some cases, can feel like you’re looking for a needle in a haystack!
How old is he, approximately?
i was using coco fiber bedding.
Yess exactly.like tell me so I can fix it
When I got him he weighed 19g.
(Forgot to post the picture It will be up today)
There might be your problem. Liability in this case may ultimately fall back on the Seller regardless of my the time you’ve had this animal depending on the information pertaining to the transaction and MorphMarket Rules.
However:
- Statute of Limitations (SoL): The maximum period of time that can elapse between a cause of action and when a formal dispute is filed with MorphMarket.
- You can file a dispute at any time, but if the SoL has passed, MorphMarket will not mediate that dispute.
- A dispute filed even without mediation will go into the records and could weigh on future action for or against parties involved.
First, review the MorphMarket rules as they pertain to your purchase of this animal, the information exchanged, and any agreements or guarantees you made with the Seller, the Seller’s Store Policy, and MorphMarket’s Default Store Policy. Reviewing both the Seller’s and MorphMarket’s Store Policies and TOS is key because the Seller’s Store Policy can not override MorphMarket rules, which are underlined in the MorphMarket Store Policy (linked below). I recommend taking screenshots of the Seller’s Store Policy if you have not already in case they attempt to change it if a dispute arises later, and because I’m assuming they did not provide you any copy when you made your purchase.
I would definitely contact MorphMarket Support directly with your case, in addition to any support that can be offered here to help you navigate through your situation. This is a little more concerning regarding the animal’s health and welfare, at least in my opinion, so please consider taking it to an exotic/reptile vet, if that is feasible.
How old was the animal when you bought it, and how old was it when you received it? It sounds like this was a new hatchling. Did the animal you bought have a “Not Ready” disclaimer/tag on the ad?
Did you agree to purchase a “Not Ready” animal, and did the Seller have MorphMarket approval to offer unestablished animals for sale? Some Sellers have this exception, but there are rules for selling “Not Ready” animals.
-
If the seller’s account does not support the “Not Ready” tag, then they may only sell animals that are established as feeding regularly and old enough to safely ship upon purchase.
You stated that you do not have any information about your snakes feeding history, which is a red flag -
Qualified Sellers may list ads for newly hatched/born babies, but these animals must have the maturity set to "Not Ready” on the ad.
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“Not Ready” animals should be confirmed as healthy and established before shipping unless the buyer consents and comprehends the associated risks.
It does not seem that this was an established animal, nor does it appear that you were given any information by the Seller about the animal before or after making the purchase -
Seller may offer one or both of these options:
- Immediate shipment upon sale
- Established by seller before shipping
5: All “Not Ready” listings will automatically include a disclaimer about the additional risks involved.
3.8. Limited allowance for the sale of not yet established animals
As a BP breeder…please tell me you forgot a number somewhere. Generally a breeder would never sell a hatchling under 100g.
A normal and healthy size BP hatchling is typically 40-70 grams. Something is very wrong here if your snake weighed 19g at the time of purchase.
Holy cow you guys! If 19 is the correct number that’s ludicrous! I hope it’s at least 109 or 119 grams!!!
That is what I hope they meant as well.
Seriously!!!
The concern pivoted sharply at 19g.
This would be a situation of severe neglect, not a just a hatchling sold too soon.
There is a stark difference
It could be either, it could be both!
Which is again, why both Caron and I are hoping that number is wrong and waiting for op to reply before going into detail.
Your post’s info may not even be as necessary if they made a typo.
And until we find out I’m not going to nit pick on this further.
Yes much better for us not to nitpick/point fingers at this stage
My post’s info is still informative and helpful. Where has anyone nitpicked anything? A 19g weight would be accurate for a new hatchling that has declined through starvation over a period of about 4 months, with the exception of a meal or two.
I asked questions, provided information and MorphMarket page resources, and then told them to first reference those sources and review their transaction information before contacting support who could better address those specific concerns. Nobody asked for names or pointed fingers.
Respectfully.