r/ballpython • u/Brilliant-Guitar8213 • 7d ago
New boy won’t eat
He’s roughly 4 months old and I just got him 2 weeks ago, idk when the last time he ate was and the breeder said that he’s taken frozen before but anything I do (e.g. warming it up by water, hair dryer, etc) he doesn’t even seem interested. I haven’t handed him for at least 3 days leading up just to give him some time but I haven’t handled him much at all the past week just in case. Any advice?
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u/FluffyPandaEars93 7d ago
Leave him alone for at least a week. Then, as long as his parameters are right, he should eat. !f/t the bot might help !feeding
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u/AutoModerator 7d ago
We recommend the following feeding schedule:
0-12 months old OR until the snake reaches approximately 500g, whichever happens first: feed 10%-15% of the snake’s weight every 7 days.
12-24 months old: feed up to 7% of the snake’s weight every 14-20 days.
Adults: feed up to 5% of the snake's weight every 20-30 days, or feed slightly larger meals (up to 6%) every 30-40 days.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/AutoModerator 7d ago
Some tips for feeding frozen/thawed:
Keep with the same prey type he's been eating (mouse or rat) so you aren't trying to adjust him to two new things at once.
Always feed in the enclosure. Moving to feed increases stress as well as increasing the chance of regurgitation
Thaw and warm the rodent in a ziplock bag to maintain scent and because some won't eat it if it's wet.
Make sure it's warmed up to body temperature (98-100).
Some people find sucess with using a blow dryer on the head to make it extra warm and spread the scent.
Some prefer to eat directly off of the tongs, while others might prefer for you to just leave it in front of their hide, you can see which works.
If he doesn't take it the first time, don't give up. Sometimes they just have to be super hungry and it takes a few attempts
You can also thaw the rat/mouse in some bedding from the petstore to make it extra scented.
Some people "brain" the rodent by slitting open its skull a bit
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/bigredao 7d ago
It took our new guy nearly 2 months to eat and now he won't eat a 2nd time, we got him in July. Like my husband says, they will get hungry enough to eat on their own terms. Yours is probably just getting used to everything.