New Ball Python

my name is Danny,

im new to this, i just got my first python, it showed that it was last fed on the 3rd of this month, i received it on the 7th. It is now the 10th, and i tried feeding it a live hopper but it just wouldnt eat it. I have her set up in a terrarium all blacked out, with a herpstat redline 2 and a heatpad on the bottom left right under the hide. I use a a substrate that maintains moisture, and i have another hide on the cooler side with a humidity box with moss inside. I’m basically doing my damn best to keep this thing alive and im worried. i just want her to eat. Any suggestions as to whats needed?

I have a Corol glow spider pied python (female) about a month old.

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She probably just needs some more time to settle into her new environment. Sometimes the stress of a new environment can cause them to not eat . I wouldnt worry too much just yet just give her 4 or 5 more days to settle in to her new home before you offer her food again. Also don’t handle her during this time until she eats.

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No handling until she starts to eat. Spiders are excellent feeders. It’s rare an animal with spider misses a meal. I own quiet a few of them and they are always my flyers. They hit hard and fast on feeding day which makes me believe you maybe missing something.
Make sure all your temps are correct number 1.
88-90 hotside
80 cool side
Ambient I keep around 84

Clutter next make sure you don’t throw this tiny snake in a huge enclosure. This animal is just a baby she needs a small enclosure to make her feel secure. If a snake doesn’t feel secure it will not eat.
If you have her in a huge tank you need to clutter it up more than. Fake vines do great give her plenty of space to hide. She shouldn’t look across her cage and see a huge long open space.
Also make sure your offering her what the breeder fed her.
Hopefully some of this helps.

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Thank you, i have 2 hides the warm side is 88-90 according to the thermostat. I did handle her a bit, so ill just leave her alone. Hopefully it’ll help. Ill probably add artificial plants and other random things that are safe for her. I don’t want to overwhelm her. I posted a picture of her tank and of her maybe i could get some pointers? Thanks

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As @scosta56 said, I’d put some fake vines/leaves in the cage to make it feel more secure. She will want to be in a hide that she feels snugly fit into, and in an enclosure that feels like she is under something with not much space above her. Ball pythons can’t defend themselves very well from above/behind (works to your advantage if you ever need to handle a defensive one), so they will feel stressed in situations where they feel they can be approached that way.

Beautiful pied you got there! I remember that worry when I got my first hunger strike. Let it motivate you to try to get things right, but don’t let it panic you. And resist the urge to offer her food more than once every 5 days or so. There’s plenty of time to try some adjustment. I’m sure with some tweaks and some patience she’ll be eating in no time.

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Thank you everybody that responded. I did a lot of more research, plus i jusy cane from the reptile convention in pomona California. Lits of help from basically everyone. Almost walked home with more damn snakes. Im looking into getting a brazilian rainbow boa as well. I already know humidity and everything is VERY important, but hell ill see how she goes maybe after 2 or 3 feeds ill be ready and get used to it.

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Was it shipped, if yes it can take a bit longer to adjust and be comfortable to eat. I’ve had some that will eat that day and others that take a month to eat. I would try feeding in a separate plastic tub. Chances are the breeder had it in a rack tub and it might be more open to food in a familiar environment.

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Just a little update, so far she had 3 feedings, started off with a fuzzy mouse, it looked too small, so the next two feedings were fuzzy rats, plus she just had her first shed with me. Shes pretty damn awesome right now, she also got rid of what she ate , so i know it wasn’t regurgitated and she has no impaction. She also seems a lot bigger since when i first got her. Didn’t realize they get big that quickly.

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Good to hear! And yeah, they grow up so fast don’t they! :pleading_face::sob: :grin:

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Awesome glad to hear she has started to feed for you. I would give her a few more meals personally before handling, but entirely up to you. Spiders and pied I just absolutely adore. Two of my favorite morphs. You have a beauty on your hands. She will grow like a little weed now that she is eating for you.

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Hi there, small question, how do i get her to eat frozen thawed, because now she eats live and is very shy, she never eats when im around?

So here is some things I do to start conditioning my animals to take frozen thawed. For the next few feedings lightly tap on her tub , or cage whatever you have her in. That tap conditions my animals into feeding mode. Usually 3-5 meals and when they feel that tap they come right out to hunt. Stick to what you feed live. If your feeding live rat pups feed them to her frozen thawed. I find putting a good heat signature on the prey item helps with the “hunt”. I do that by using a hair dryer to warm up the prey item after it’s completely thawed out. I make the prey items do the zombie dance lol. Once they hit I use my feeding tongs to make the prey “fight back” not forceful. Just enough to make them wrap up tight on the prey. After I have an animal take a frozen thawed I never feed them live again. I’ve never had to. I try my best to keep them on a strict routine. I feed them the same way every time. Hopefully this is a good starting point for you. Good luck and stay with it. All of mine have given in sooner or later. My whole collection eats frozen thawed now. They all have been for years and years.

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Thank you very much, ill buy some frozen thawed tomorrow, with a couple love and just keep trying. Plus now shes in pre shed so i dont want to bug her too much.

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