Yes exactly we all care and we are a family that sticks together i love it as everyone here has said as well!
2 Likes
I have a ball python as well I got her in August 2022. She was about 5 months old when I got her. When I got her I waited a few days before handling her and she didn’t eat the first 3 weeks of having her I got her to eat once (frozen/thawed) but after that she didn’t eat for about a month until I decided to try live and that was the first time she had eaten. But even now she will go weeks without eating and from some of the thing I’ve seen and read BPs will go without eating every once in a while so I’m pretty sure it’s normal. I don’t think you will have to worry about it. Just keep trying
Thanks for all the amazing advice! As far as the habitat she is in a 29 gallon tank, I have two hides (one on cool side and one on hot side), a three layer stick to climb on, and some fake shrubbery for cover. I have been thinking of putting her in a 10 gallon tank for a while to see if she would be more comfortable. I use a heat pad on a thermostat under the hot side to get the temp up, I’ll just get a smaller one to use for the 10 gallon tank. As far as feeding I havent been a huge fan of feeding her live, even the breeder had her on frozen/thawed. I may go with the 10 gallon tank and maybe some slightly smaller food for now and see how that works.
1 Like
Before buying an expensive tank, get a storage bin with locking lid. I know target has Ezy Storage bins that work great. Just put sine 1/4" holes along half the top sides and the one end. You can put some in the lid if needed. Just space all of the about an inch or two apart. You won’t need to clutter it up, just a hide, water, and bedding.
Some BP like small places and do better in them. Especially when it comes to eating.
As far as switching to live, it might be your only option, if everything else fails.
Bp can tend to be picky eaters, not all and not all the time. Before trying live keep track of its weight. If it looses to much to fast, then definitely try live. And start with something smaller then you have given before. The average size feeder (that most will tell you) is about 10% of the snakes weight. And about the size of its roundest largest part of its body. (*** now I do not like stating it this way as it could still be to much for it. 10% could still be to big***) this scale is based on an regular eating pattern, not one not eating, so go smaller then this thought process. And only try weekly at first then 2 weeks then a month.
Feeding live with this small of a feeder, you have almost no chance of any harm coming to your snake.
A larger/older BP can go a year without eating, some even longer. Something much younger, could be a problem going that long. So you are not in the worrying stage yet. Be patient and don’t try to force it. Keep us posted. We are here.
2 Likes
If you do have to try live, as everyone has already mentioned, go with a smaller prey and if she accepts the prey you can offer another small ft prey of the same thing while she is still in the “feeding” mode. I have used this “live then ft” method in the past to introduce a ft food item to a finicky BP eater. If you can catch them while they’re still in the feeding mode, it works sometimes.
Good luck to you and her! 
Another week gone by and she is still refusing to eat. Going to move her out of the 29 gallon tank and into a 10 gallon to see if she likes it better. Haven’t held her or bothered her at all, she even comes out and explores the tank every night like clockwork. Hoping the 10 gallon tank makes her feel more comfortable.
1 Like
If she comes out every night to explore have you tried just leaving a f/t prey in her tank before she comes out? Maybe that’s what she is looking for…… but she wants to “hunt” for it?
1 Like
Some will just refuse f/t. If it was me, I would be trying live and start with something small.
The other thing I would do is to skip a week before trying again.
Have you been weighing it to watch weight loss?
1 Like
Really I’ve been trying to leave her be and adjust to be honest. I’ve had a month now I believe, and she ate just fine a week after I got her. The breeder even said she ate fine for him (ate f/t). I have left one of the f/t in the tank over night to see if she would eat through the night but didn’t touch it. Thinking maybe she needs a smaller tank to feel more comfortable so thats why I was going to move her into the 10 gallon tank.
2 Likes
Yes I totally agree about the smaller tank idea. Remember that even though she ate for the breeder, she was no doubt in a very small breeder tub in which she was raised up from birth before you bought her. If it were me, I would put her in a small sterilite tub, with a lid , that is just large enough for 2 hides and a water bowl, with uth mat on one side. Paper towels for substrate maybe.
This setup is not fancy with all the bells and whistles but for now your main goal is to get her secure enough to eat. And soon. After a month or two of consistent eating then maybe introduce her to the 10 gallon tank and then go from there. 
1 Like
It is not uncommon for them not to eat after a move. A month is not that long. Definitely try a small tub, something that can fit a small water container and 1 hide, something small that it can curl up in. Contact the seller and see what they used for bedding and duplicate that.
Trying to feed every week can be more harm then good. Let it be for a couple weeks without trying to feed it or handle it before trying again. I would definitely switch to live for the next feeding.
I had one that did not eat for two months when it first arrived. The trip alone can throw them off eating for a while. I had several I had to keep on live for a long time before going to f/t. Now I only use live for all feedings. And they eat much better and more often then using f/t.
F/t, can be challenging. You will need patience. It can take a long time of playing (moving it around different ways) to try and get them to grab it. You will waste a lot of feeders using f/t. Only refreeze once max if it doesn’t eat it the first time.
1 Like
Also when you decide to offer food to her again you can try something without a lot of hair such as a yummy fuzzy that doesn’t smell. Just rest assured that she was eating before so she will eventually eat again. As @d_y_python said, bps can go for long periods of time without eating so she will be fine. For some reason it’s not unusual for bps to eat once after you get them home and then stop. Again don’t worry but I think the tub and maybe a fuzzy will do the trick! 
1 Like
Live was the trick! Stopped by Petco after work today and grabbed a small feeder. Dropped it in her tank and as soon as it came close to her she snatched it up. Currently digesting, so happy! Thanks for all the helpful advice folks!
5 Likes
Glad to hear. At least you know what is happening now. Try again on 7 days and use the same size. If it is to small, then on the 3rd feeding try something bigger. You just done want to over do it until it is eating stable. Congratulations
1 Like
Yay! Congratulations on your perseverance! 
Congratulations! I have a similar issue right now and am not sure how to go about setting up a live mouse while we prep to put it in her tank. Any tips?
Here’s the thread with my girl, if that provides ways to compare and contrast! Newbie feeding schedule question
1 Like