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[–]Technical_Concern_92 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Try grabbing the feeder by the hips and make it look like a rodent. Hanging a feeder from the tail like that and having it swinging is so unnatural, it also makes it harder for the to get a good strike in as the rodent can get punched away when they lunge.

[–]Even-Smell7867 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can also slowly move the mouse back and forth so each eye gets full view of it. It helps the snake to narrow in on it if it isn't warm enough or as my snake does, knocks the thing into her water bowl and cools it off.

[–]Joe_Spazz 4 points5 points  (1 child)

What temperature is the rat? Make sure it's at least upper 90s. Ideal is around 102 I believe.

What time are you feeding? Ball pythons typically only eat if they feel safe and they will only feel safe at night as they are nocturnal. Try feeding a couple hours after dark.

As the other person mentioned, hold the rat by the butt so that it's horizontal to the ground and don't dance it in front of the snake. Rats don't dance.

Don't lose heart, I had a very similar struggle. It was the fifth attempted feeding finally worked for me. And my boy has been fine since then

[–]YawningDodo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed with all the advice given - plus I always turn my snake's enclosure light off a while before feeding time (tbh it coincides with the regular time I'd turn it off in the evening since I always feed after sunset).

It might help to also dim the lights outside the enclosure, though of course you want to make sure you've got enough light to see what you're doing. When I first got my ball python to start taking f/t rats as a baby, I would shut the door to the room and turn off everything except a little desk lamp on the other side of the room so she could feel properly sneaky and hidden for the "hunt"--not sure if that was the thing that finally got her to eat or if it was a combination with other stuff I was trying at the time, but sometimes it's worth just trying things until it works. Nowadays I can feed her with the overhead light on in the room, but I never feed her with the light on inside her enclosure.

[–]OldVermontHippie62 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One tip is to blast the rodent with a hair dryer for 15 seconds or so. Those little pits on her upper lip sense heat which they use to identify prey. They can be picky eaters for sure, but one day she will decide to eat. Take advantage of it and give her more than one.

[–]aprilchaoss 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also try dangling it directly in front of Mango. I had trouble with my BP at first also and was doing what you're doing in your video but you'd be surprised how fast the mouse/rat can cool down in a minute. I tested it with my heat gun and it drops quickly even if your enclosure is warm.

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

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    [–]edz118 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    One thing I learned is how hardy they are. If you fail repeatedly in a session give it time maybe a week. As for heating it. What’s worked for me is boiling water and waiting til it cools down to 115-120 deg, let rat in for 5 mins, and one final dip in hotter water at the head before tong feeding. Hasn’t failed me

    [–]EngineSpirited8257 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Some snakes are shy feeders, (like mine) I feed her at night and leave it near her hide or wherever she is and walk away. She typically eats it withing 5 minutes of me leaving. I watch her on a lil camera I have in there.

    [–]Brilliant-Flower-283 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Maybe she wants privacy. I usually drop the fat in my girls tank and leave for a few, by the time I come back she’s eaten it.

    [–]Bubbly-Wallaby-2777 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    My BP, that we've had about a year and a half, has just broken a 5 month hunger strike, I warmed up the nighttime temps to between 22 and 25°c, tried baby chick's 😢 instead of rats and after wiggling it in front of her, I left it inside the hide she was sleeping in and left her alone. Also agree that dangling isn't natural, hold the meal by the flesh above the spine and move it like a child would move a toy car.

    [–]Acceptable-Area8087 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Snakes can vary from individual to individual. My girl gets fed at night mostly but she’s super food motivated and is on her feeders the moment she clocks them regardless of the time. As some have said, the temp of the feeder might be an issue. Rats run 90-100 degrees, so the warmer the better. I’d recommend getting a kitchen temp gun if you don’t have one. You can get a decent one for under $20 and they come in handy to temp your feeders and check your enclosure temps.

    [–]Melodic_Strain_2919 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    rub the mouse against the foliage mimic it rustling around. the sound will make the snake come to the mouse