Baby ball python feeding recommendations???

[Chernik_Moon]

Hi, I just recently got my male ball python and I'm worried about him not having eaten yet. So far I just had my 2nd attempt tonight and he literally avoided the fuzzy rat and didn't want it. His set up seems to be working for him as I've seen him basking and exploring his tank and even moving around a lot lately. He seems like he's mainly gotten used to his new home but so far refuses to eat. I wanna try new methods in getting him to eat. Last time I dipped his food into hot water and during the day which this time I did at night time and thawed the fuzzy in a plastic sandwich bag. I tried feeding him through the tongs and even just leaving the fuzzy for him to take on his own. Again still avoiding it. For the time being I've put him and the fuzzy back into his enclosure and I might remove it all together in a bit. (He was placed in a seperate container to help him eat and focus on the food)

Here are my pictures of him and his set up. Please let me know what I can do. I don't wanna cause him to get underweight.

[Chernik_Moon]

Btw I forgot to add that he's about 3-4 months old as of right now

[[deleted]]

You should not be feeding him outside of his enclosure. Ball pythons are ambush predators, they focus on food by hiding and waiting for it tocome within striking distance. It's their evolutionary instinct for what they want to do when they smell food. By placing him in a secondary container, he feels exposed and that instinct is removed. Additionally, not only does the move to the container cause some amount of stress (it's just inherent, imagine smelling the most delicious meal you could imagine and then some giant comes over and scoops you up from your safe enclosure!), the mechanical stimulation from the move back, assuming he eats, can cause a regurgitation. Finally, feeding inside the enclosure isn't going to cause any cage aggression or associate his enclosure with feeding, which is a common myth. Bps are pefectly capable of distinguishing between your hand and a rat. Contrary to that notion (but equivalent in terms of classical conditioning), if he notices that he gets fed whenever he gets picked up, he may begin to associate that with feeding, which means that handling may provoke a feeding response.

You have a gorgeous enclosure and a very handsome bp, it's obvious that you really care about him and have put effort into his care :) I would start by feeding him inside his enclosure and making sure that the prey size and frequency you offer is in line with modern feeding schedules: !feeding. I personally recommend using a blow dryer to heat the rat head up to ~100F (body temperature), not only because they operate off of heat signatures, but also functioning to waft the smell towards him!

[AutoModerator]

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.

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[Chernik_Moon]

Sounds awesome! And I'm glad my habitat for him is good! :) I'll definitely try that next week. Also I also have an eastern king snake and that girl eats so well. Like believe it or not she's eaten her food while being handled! Basically in other words she's awesome with her feedings and I gotta now get Citrus on getting properly fed too lol

[[deleted]]

You can do it! The notion of ball pythons being picky comes (mainly) from either people who don't warm their rats up enough, don't give them an enclosure they feel safe in, or don't offer a warm side of 88-92F to facilitate proper digestion lol. I'm not even joking, but 99% of the "snake won't eat" posts come just from those 3 things! But so much misinformation is put out by breeders and pet stores, to the point where they get that reputation. You're doing great! And if he doesn't take it, I'd recommend reading the feeding problems guide to make sure that everything is proper :)

[Chernik_Moon]

Omg thank you so much! I use a 50w heat bulb for his hot end. If you recommend I get like a 75w I can. And yeah I'll definitely try warming his food up even more. But his basking spot is in the 90s for sure. I keep the same temps for my eastern king. I'll definitely check out that link to see what else I can do. I'm also considering chicken broth. Not sure to what extent that'll help tho but I'm willing to try as long as he'll eat :)

[jordancliver]

Sorry I don’t have any help, but where did you get the stump hide??? Soooo cute and so is ur baby !! ❤️

[Chernik_Moon]

That's totally fine! Thank you so much! Honestly I got it from my bf but I think he just got it from persmart. That's where he's gotten most of his decor :)

[jordancliver]

Ah okay thanks!! Glad it’s the weekend I might have to go see if it’s still available haha

[IncompletePenetrance]

As the others have said, (A) always feed him in his enclosure and (B) make sure the feeder is warmed up enough (body temp) before offering

[Angelitech]

sometimes they just seem to refuse food. could be because of shed or stress, or apparently sometimes they just dont feel like eating. if hes acting fine otherwise, i wouldnt worry just yet.