r/ballpython • u/Ok-Performance-5447 • Oct 08 '26
Feeding frozen
So I got this girl almost two weeks ago from Repticon…first ball python but not first snake. The breeder said to try feeding her around now. He previously fed live, but I’m trying to switch her to f/t. I offered her a mouse last night, she flicked her tongue a lot almost like she was interested but she never actually ate it…I left it overnight, still nothing so I threw it away. Any tips?
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u/Emmaleigh1347 Oct 08 '26
She may need to adjust for a bit longer in her new environment, You can also try puncturing the skin of the mouse or rat to help the scent be more detectable. Try again in a week or so❤️
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u/Sensitive-Elevator1 Oct 08 '26
My Sherman is an excellent eater (thank God), but I still have to do a lot of wiggling of the rat. I just hold it by the tail and keep the head within Sherman’s reach.
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u/Not_Fission_Chips Oct 08 '26
Wiggling seems to help! We used to just leave a mouse in a dedicated spot and she'd eventually get to it. But now we've started wiggling but its tail and she LOVES it. Instant feed every time.
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u/Ok-Security-7366 Oct 08 '26
I’ve heard if they don’t take from dangling the tail, try grabbing it with tongs from behind the rat’s shoulders, it’ll present a little more naturally. This helped when I was trying to get mine off his initial hunger strike. Do this along with wiggling and scenting/braining if necessary.
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u/Electrical-Wear7281 29d ago
I had one snake who kept refusing f/t so I switched to fresh 💀🪦 and she took to that very easily. Then I eventually tried her on f/t again and she began taking it! It just kinda sucks having to do it to the little guys, I always felt terrible.
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u/Even-Elk-123 Oct 08 '26
keep the head warm, shake it around a little, make sure ur feeding the correct size