Hi! New ball python owner here, this is Nico! He is a young male (though im not sure his exact age, the breeder didn’t say). (Edit: he is actually 6 months, he hatched on 5/9/25 according to the breeder!) I brought him home on october 25th and haven’t been able to get him to eat. His breeder said he was eating f/t adult mice once a week, and the last time he ate was october 21st. I’m really worried about him. He seems perfectly healthy, coming out to explore every night and he was smelling the mouse I offered tonight but didn’t strike.
I am thawing the mouse in the refrigerator all day and then warming using a heating pad until it’s around 100 degrees F which is what i’ve read is recommended. I have tried both tong feeding and leaving the mouse over night and he won’t take it.
I have attached a photo of him as well as a photo of the inclosure, which is a 55 gal. I have been keeping a blanket over the screen top to maintain humidity and have the sides covered so he feels more secure. He has both UTH and a ceramic heat emitter above, and i try to maintain humidity 60% or more. I plan to change his substrate to coconut husk from aspen shavings (bad advice from local reptile shop i guess) but want to make sure he is eating before I handle him, as I haven’t since he’s been home. Any recommendations or help would be really appreciated, I will be able to breathe so much easier once he is eating!
are you making sure the rat is evenly heated when you offer it and the head is warm to the touch?
What is your hot spot temp? a heating element on a snake enclosure should NOT be getting a prey item to 100 generally, and the hot spot itself shouldn’t be anywhere over 90
A bp can go about a year without food, even generally young ones, so I wouldn’t be worried at all yet. Also, I’d recommend repti chip for a ball python, not aspen, but if it works it works. Thirdly, I’d recommend not getting your humidity anywhere above 60%, as that’s asking for issues with a respiratory infection, I really like your setup so far though! Lots of things to interact with and plenty of hides. Hopefully I can help and someone else can chime in as well!
He was probably housed in a hatchling rack in a small tub before you got him. Your tank looks great but it’s too large and busy for him right now. Put him him in an 8 to 12 qt sterilite tub with a lid, heat mat under one side, and 2 small cozy hides and water bowl. Right now he probably doesn’t feel safe enough to eat.
When he is eating consistently then reintroduce him to the tank.
Oh the hot spot isnt getting the food to 100! the hot spot sits at 90 degrees F. I warm the food using an electric heating pad outside of the enclosure. one like you would for muscle cramps or something. I’ve seen so many different recommendations about humidity, with some people saying it needs to be 70-80% and others saying lower, so its a work in progress. I’m offering food once a week.
Got it! He explores the tank every night and i often see him using all 3 hides, but I will try anything to make him feel better. I messaged the breeder and they recommended I try feeding him live a few times but would really prefer not to for his own safety, so hopefully moving him to a smaller enclosure for the time being helps.
Great! I forgot to add that the tub needs to be in a quiet area. Also do not offer him food every few days. Wait an entire week in between. Too many attempts will stress him out. I would not offer live at this point. Keep working with the FT……
Gotcha. I have been waiting an entire week in between, ive only tried 3 times since I’ve had him for 3 weeks. I will purchase a tub immediately after im off work and move him, hopefully the smaller space helps. His current tank is in my reptile room but I might put the tub in my bedroom which gets less traffic and is definitely darker and quieter. I really appreciate all of the advice! <3
Sounds good. I’m a tub keeper myself. There are those who insist that young bps can be housed in large permanent tanks and still be enticed to eat as long as the tank is cluttered enough for the bp to feel secure. So you may get advice along that line of thought……
Make sure you put ventilation holes in the sterilite tub.
He’s my first ball python so I’m willing to try anything (within reason of course haha). I will of course add ventilation holes, will update with the new setup.
It seems counterintuitive because we think the bigger enclosures are obviously better… But sometimes you still need to do what is right for that particular animal. So don’t worry about the naysayers complaints about tubs being cruel.
These little guys grow up in areas where they have rodent or termite burrows to tightly coil up in a cozy dark space. Tubs can help mimic that feeling with a nice little hide. Heck some BPs even prefer hides they don’t even fit under because they feel snug.
Once they’re feeding reliably for you and you have a good idea of their behaviors and habits you can always try a different enclosure again. Sometimes these little guys need some time to build up confidence before trying the bigger setups.
Edit: do make sure to have a thermostat probe sandwiched between the heat mat and the underside of the tub. The mats can get hot enough to melt the plastic and burn a noodle badly. There’s a quick and easy one to pick up from a big box shop called Reptitemp. I’ve used a couple for a bit now as well as two of the more well known brands. They’re not a bad choice for a quick setup
. You can also put in a bit of fake greenery in between the hides as well……