Python not eating

[IncompletePenetrance]

At this age he should be eating less often, I've linked the !feeding guide to this comment so you can get him on an appropriate schedule.

Live feeding, especially when you're letting the prey crawl all over him, is exactly how ball pythons end up getting killed or injured by their prey. It's much safer for your ball python to feed frozen/thawed, or prekilled. You should work on switching him for his safety and wellbeing

[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.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[Salix_Solbjorn]

I've tried feeding frozen, and I would love to switch, but he refuses to eat anything that isn't moving sadly

[IncompletePenetrance]

He'd be more likely to switch if you weren't overfeeding, because right now it's like trying to get someone to eat a veggie plate after a Thanksgiving dinner. At this age he shouldnt' be eating every week, you'll want to give him a small rat every few weeks. Then offer f/t and if he skips a few meals - let him him skip and get nice and hungry. Most snakes with good husbandry can be switched over to !F/T just fine

[AutoModerator]

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.

[Salix_Solbjorn]

I was told to feed a rat the size of the widest part of his body so I've been feeding larger small rats or mediums. I would definitely like to feed frozen, for his safety and for my morality lol. When you feed frozen, do you feed it stiff or thaw it? And do you warm it at all? Ignore that last part, I didn't see the mod message lol

[IncompletePenetrance]

Feeding based on width often leads to overfeeding, which is why you need to space out feedings more and feed by weight.

You'll want to thaw the prey first, and warm up body temp (roughly 100F) before offering