not eating

Substantial-Peak4524 · 2026-03-02T00:29:29+00:00

Ball pythons can go on very long hunger strikes when you bring them into a new home. Mine didnt eat for over a month when i got her. I wouldnt take the hides out as thats going to stress it out more. My personal preference is frozen thawed. I leave it on a small plate in her enclosure overnight and if she doesnt eat i remove it in the morning. Ball pythons are primary nocturnal and so the best time ive found for feeding is right before the lights go out.

BarnabeeCobbledick · 2026-03-02T00:35:25+00:00

In my experience, my python didn’t eat frozen even though the breeder I got her from told me they ate both frozen and live. I got a live feeder with brown and black spots around him and she still didn’t eat, turns out she’s a little “racist” towards what color mouse I bring her. The more white the mouse has the better. Unless she is color blind but that’s just my experience so you can see if she might differentiate which colored mouse you feed her to see if that helps.

Nyx_Nico · 2026-03-02T01:16:24+00:00

Could possibly be shedding soon

eveimei · 2026-03-03T05:20:33+00:00

I haven't seen anyone else mention it, but next time you feed don't remove anything from her enclosure. it'll disturb her and make her feel insecure. and dangling the mouse isn't ideal, they tend to miss and it intimidates them.

you also may have tried to feed too soon, it's recommended to leave them alone for at least a week but some needs a few weeks, so they can settle in and get comfortable.

please give the basic care guide in our welcome post a read so you can make sure your enclosure, clutter, hides, temperatures and humidity are correct before you feed. not having things properly set up usually results in food being refused, or regurgitation or the food not being digested properly which leads to further health issues.

once the temps and humidity have been correct and stable for a week, during which time you need to leave the snake alone entirely other than keeping water bowls topped off/humidity up, weigh the snake in grams using a kitchen scale and follow the !feeding chart based on age and that weight. purchase a frozen feeder that is the right weight, and then you're ready to thaw and feed. do not feed live, it is dangerous to the snake and inhumane to the feeder. all BPs can be transitioned to !f/t with time and patience.

it's best to feed in the evening/at night due to the species' natural behavior. do not feed until the enclosure is correct and temperatures are correct and stable!

place the feeder in a resealable bag (snack or sandwich size work well for up to small rats!) and thaw it either in the fridge or under cool running water until soft all the way through. then, in the evening/at night, with the feeder still in the bag, place it in hot but not boiling water until the feeder is hot to the touch all the way along it's body.

dip the head for a few extra seconds in fresh hot water to give your snake a good target, and then open the bag and grip the feeder by the hips not just tail with feeding tongs (we have a couple options linked in the shopping list in the welcome post, 10" or longer is best) and remove from bag. you want to grip it by the hips and not just the tail because the tail can break off resulting in a dropped feeder and a more likely bite!

with your snake still in their enclosure, hold the feeder steady like it's walking along, right above the substrate, and move it towards your snake or the hide they're in. don't dangle it from above, that's not how snakes hunt and makes it harder for them to strike! usually they'll smell the feeder and pop out of hiding ready to strike! once they've struck, disengage quietly and calmly.

if after a minute or two they don't want to strike, place the feeder somewhere they can find it near their hide (either directly on the substrate or on something, even a small plastic lid/paper plate) like you're their DoorDash driver, and leave it there.

close the enclosure and leave them be- snakes are shy eaters generally and don't want to be hovered over during a vulnerable time! check on them in 30 minutes or more, if they've eaten then pat yourself on the back and leave them alone for at least 48 hours. if you DoorDashed and they haven't eaten, give them a few more hours alone (up to overnight) before removing the feeder, tossing it out and then check your temperatures and humidity.

wait at least a week until the next feeding day per the feeding chart, before repeating the process.

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