first feed after shipping she struck and coiled but didn’t eat. I’ve never had one shipped to me and I’ve never had one this young she was born April 23rd this year I’m thinking she just learning still
How long have you had her?
Since Monday
I recommend people to wait at least a week with no handling before offering the first meal, how big is your enclosure and what are your temps?
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40 breeder which I know people are going to have something to say but I’ve had snakes my whole life she’s exploring and climbing , using both hides … 82 cool side 89/90 warm side , ambient around 85 humidity 48, all glass . UTH w/ thermostat… she likes her warm hide best . coconut fiber, lots of hides and climbs which she seems to favor the vines toward the top at night . she is very active around 9/10 pm.
the only thing im thinking is I just got her the breeder said to give her till Saturday which was yesterday cuz that’s when he feeds. like I said she took it coiled I left her alone went back to check she was at the other end of the tank I picked it up with thongs offered it to her and she was look like she was trying to figure out how to grab it but I didn’t want to stress her out so I stopped. I feed Frozen and he was feeding live so that’s the only two things I could think of.
40 gallons breeder is for a full grown adult not a hatchling especially not a ball python and if your snake is not eating or not a voracious feeder at that age that means it’s telling you something. Your animal just went from a cozy and very secure environment in the form or a 6 quarts or v18 tub to a very stressful environment
You are gonna have to do make changes if you want to use a glass tank get a 10 gallons max, even than it may or may not work and if it does not here is what you can do New owner with non feeding hatchling, troubleshooting 101
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Ok thanks … I said I ran up a lot on the babies cuz the youngest one I’ve ever had was maybe six to eight months old and she was in the 40 breeder I had her for five years but there’s a lot in there like there’s a lot for them to hide in so but yeah if she doesn’t take food again for me this week then I’ll try smaller tank but she seems to be doing everything else good like she’s using both Hides , exploring climbing she likes to be up high for some reason like almost every night she’s up in the Vine thank you though.
How long did you leave her? I had a couple feedings with my first balls when they were young where it took them over a couple hours to locate the head and start swallowing. I’d always leave them with it for several hours/ overnight and take it out in the morning. If she was still close to it I would guess she was still working in figuring out where to start swallowing it. If she was back in a hide showing now interest then, yeah idk. Maybe a one off strange situation
It’s possible the “confusion” you were seeing was just that. If she thought in her mind this thing was dead and now it’s not wtf?!
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Everybody has given great advice! The only thing I wanted to add is I have a hatchling I produced last season who will always grab and coil a F/t rat but then leaves it and won’t strike again. I dangle a live and he grabs it and it’s gone in 10 min! I have tried several times with the same outcome, ball pythons be crazy!
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She took it last night no problem. Thanks everyone.
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Glad to hear she took it!
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I have two baby balls, both started Live and now on f/t (I switched them). Neither of them have given me an issue, maybe make sure the rat/mouse is really warm, I use Hot water and I also mimick movements by shaking with the tongs. Also, they are both in 40 Gallon Breeders with 3 hides in each. They don’t seem to be “stressed” at all and eat every time I offer. Hope yours is doing well.
CoCo CHANEL is doing great she gained 19 grams since I got her on 7/8/20 ( I weigh her and the food item before every feed and I feed every 5 days she is taking with no hesitation.) She’s exactly 3 months old now she just started Frozen rat pups …her first one Sunday no problem! she is starting to have a little routine… Shell sneak over the cool hide about 6pm but by 9 she s in her tree up high just hanging out. shes still in the 40 breeder… active , feeding great, hanging out, seems happy, super friendly ! Some think that they don’t have feelings and the 40 is to big but she’s got lots of things to explore ,hide and climb. Her temps and humidity are spot on as well. I don’t know …everybody’s got their own opinion but thanks for the replies and advice.
Good she is doing well.
I think if your setup works for her and she’s thriving, I wouldn’t worry about what people say.
I’ve kept many hatchlings in 40 gallon breeders with no issue at all, really depends on the individual snake. I honestly think the more room the better, otherwise they just sit there in one spot all day. I keep my male pied in a animal plastics t8 enclosure, which most say is to large. He absolutely loves the ability to climb and roam.
Keep up the good work!
I typically notice this behavior when the rat is not quite warm enough and the snake is a little picky. It tends to happen repeatedly to the same snake. They have the feeding response and then it’s almost like they can’t find it after the uncoil. Sometimes I will reheat and retry or just retry and usually by the third try they find it and eat it but occasionally, they leave it. I do believe this mostly comes down to the temp of the food but agree that some snakes enjoy FT more than others.
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