Any tips on feeding a picky ball python? He’s about a year and a half old getting fed every other week. He’s eating food that is slightly smaller than his body. He has been eating in the morning just fine but now he doesn’t like to and it takes me about an hour to get him to take it.
He didn’t eat on his last feeding day and I tried dipping it in chicken juice but he doesn’t like it. He used to get fed rats from PetSmart but now I get them from rodent pro in bulk. I have never fed him at night, but I tried that the same day after trying to feed him in the morning. I also tried cutting the mouse but he didn’t care for that either, that was also in the same day.
I usually grab him out of his house or from under his water dish before feeding him.
If you haven’t, try bagging the mouse so it won’t get wet. That preserves the scent better. Also, warm up the mouse to 95 degrees by keeping the mouse in warm water for around 15 mins then what I do is put the mouse in hotter microwaved water. (don’t heat it up to a high temperature too quick or the mouse will pop) Be sure not to pressure him/scare him when feeding, and if you try feeding him on the day he’s supposed to take it and he doesnt take it don’t try to feed him daily until he takes it, just wait another week and then try. Also maybe instead of removing him from the hide just wiggle it in front of the entrance. Best of luck 
I wouldn’t be too worried about it at the moment as well. The tips above may help, but at a year and a half he may be getting a bit hormonal and be off food because some males are in breeding mode.
As long as he doesn’t start dropping weight too fast, trying the above or spacing food out a few days more between meals usually won’t bother them much.
The other thing is if he was used to eating rats and he’s now being offered mice, he may just not want them. BPs can sometimes be very picky about their prey. One of mine only eats mice. Which is frustrating now that I breed rats. Lol
I think you are stressing out way too soon. BPs, especially males, can and will, go off feed at any given time for seemingly no reason whatsoever. However in this case, the change in the rodent provider could have triggered the feeding strike.
I would wait a week from the last time you offered food and then offer a Petsmart brand rodent again the next time to see if he will take it. If he does then there is your problem. If he DOES NOT eat it then wait another week and offer food again. Keep doing this for a few more weeks. Do not make any more changes such as scenting, etc. You don’t want to stress him out. If he was eating before then he will eat again, eventually. However don’t grab him out of wherever he is when you offer him food. Just lift his hide or his water dish and wiggle the rodent in front of him, not above him. Make sure the rodent is warm and dry.
If he doesn’t eat in a month or two, you can try a small live (or fuzzy) mouse TOTALLY SUPERVISED, Sometimes the feeding response can be jump started this way……
Just what I was thinking!
Keep us all posted. There may be others with a lot better advice than mine……
How long can he go without eating/when should I start worrying? I tried feeding him today but he still didn’t take it. I was planning on getting the PetSmart rats next week to see if that works. Then if that didn’t work I was going to get a small live rat to see if that would work. I just am unsure how long they can go without food.
Ball Pythons in a healthy body condition and good health can go quite a while.
My oldest male routinely would go on 3 month fasts when he was younger. At his worst he went a full 7. I worried when he started loosing body weight quickly and lured him back to feeding on a live rat. It then took me a while to break his live feeding habit, but that’s just how BPs can be sometimes…
I would try to avoid pulling him out of hiding or the habitat before feeding. they’re naturally ambush predators, so you may be ruining his feeding behavior by putting him into a defensive behavior. What you can do is leave some dirty bedding from the pet store near his cage so he smells rodents. Usually when they’re hungry they get curious and start peeking their heads out for food. That would be the best time to then offer the prey on tongs, just carefully bring the prey to them and don’t spook him too much with sudden movements.
Another thing is, the more you keep bothering him, the less likely he’ll be to eat in the long run. I would give him another week with no handling or feeding attempts before trying the dirty bedding and trying to feed him what he had been eating before he stopped. Get him as low stress as possible before trying again
Like armiyana said, just try to avoid stressing him.
What’s wrong with taking him out of the hide? Just curious
Did you read it?
@jumpedimpala BPs can go for months without eating so don’t worry about that right now. You could always invest in a reptile scale to keep tabs on his weight but I don’t think it would really be necessary. I would leave him alone until you get the Petsmart rats. If he doesn’t eat the next time just leave him alone and try again in another week. I would give him another month and then try a live very small rat or a mouse. Do not change anything and be consistent. When he gets hungry he will eat.
Welcome to the world of Ball Pythons! Lol! 
I always leave them alone when feeding and on feeding days. The most I would do is remove the hide but without disturbing it. This is only if they do not come out.
The longest thing one of mine went without food was 1 year. I have seen a few others post theirs went 18 months.
Each winter, most of mine go off feed. This happens even though there is no temp change or any other changes. It does seem to be the males do it more then the females.
As others have stated, watch the weight drop. There will be a change, but it should not be major, but a slow drop can occur.
The other thing would be to only try to feed monthly, only if it keep refusing to eat. This way you will not stress it out. And go back to live as it seems to help them get back in to mood to eat. Start with something smaller also helps.
oh wow, a year? Is it okay now?
It is good. In this situation it did loose a lot of weight, but that is to be expected going that long.
The first time you have this happen it will get you worried and you will panic to get it to eat. After your first experience, is when you realize you just need to wait, try feeding 2 weeks, then 3 then 4. You will know if it will eat or not in a short time. If not, then remove its food and let it be so not to have it stress.
There is one thing you can try, but I would wait 2, 3 months as it will most likely eat on its own.
You can try a reptile electrolyte soak, and soak it for 30 min couple times a week. Then try to feed it. If feeding day is Friday, soak Tues & Thursday, feed Friday. This may help it start. At the least it will get something it needs from the soak.
Glad its okay now… Its crazy how they can do that.
Should I not mess with him till he eats again? Just leave him alone till he decides to eat?
My longest ball python that went off food was 18 months, and it was a girl. Finally got her back on a regular schedule of eating and it wasn’t anything I really did. She just decided one day that she wanted food.
I would never dip a rodent in chicken juice. There’s no point to it, they aren’t like a dog.
For customers who have issues with their new snake not taking f/t I always ask them what temp they are getting their rodent to. If it’s under 100 degrees then that’s no bueno (in my experience). I will heat the rodent up to 115 - 130, usually the head being the hottest spot and then offering them the rodent on tongs. Rodents are quick to lose their warmed up temperature, so it’s best to feed asap once you hit the correct temp. As for how often to feed, I feed breeder males every other week. Once over 1200 grams get fed once a month. If he won’t take a rat for you, wait a week, and then offer it again. Don’t mess with him during this time. If he’s always been a picky eater make sure your husbandry is not off. 
Hopefully he’ll start eating for you in no time!
Yes do not bother him at all except necessary maintenance. Once he is eating consistently then you may handle him on occasion.
Sorry, I don’t know how I missed this.
It is always best to leave them alone for a while if anything is not right, especially not eating, as @jumpedimpala posted.
Has it eaten yet?