Both novice snake lovers and more seasoned owners who appreciate the variety of color variations will find that ball pythons are excellent companion snakes. All ball python owners, however, share the same worry about feeding their pet snake on a regular basis.
What do ball Pythons eat?
What do ball Pythons eat?
Like other snakes, ball pythons consume a range of sizes of prey based on their size. Though they ought to prefer eating pinkies or fuzzies as they grow larger, shorter and younger snakes can consume larger insects. When they grow to a sufficient size, adult ball-pythons will consume adult mice and rats. Some devotees of ball pythons are adamant that you should never give your ball python any insects or mice and should only ever feed different life stages of rats.
How Do You Choose the Right Size of Prey for Ball Pythons?
Prey that's as wide as the largest portion of your snake will usually be readily consumed by a snake. That means he should have no problem eating a huge mouse that measures one inch wide if the middle of his body is one inch wide. That being said, you might need to experiment with different prey sizes to find out which snakes prefer smaller prey. Feeding an overly large prey will cause it to regurgitate or even become lodged in its mouth or esophagus. Feed a smaller prey option instead of the larger one if in doubt.
How often should I feed my ball python?
An adult snake normally eats once every 10 to 14 days, though your particular snake might be the best person to answer this issue for you. Because they are still growing, younger snakes need to eat more frequently. As they mature, they should eat once a week at the very least, or even sometimes every five to six days. It's acceptable to wait longer to feed your snake the following time if he refuses to eat every week. You should also wait longer between feedings to avoid obesity problems if your snake appears overweight (the tail ought to gradually taper to a point rather than having an abrupt shift in breadth from the vent to its tip).
Reasons Your Ball Python Couldn't Be Hungry
Snakes have a variety of reasons why they could refuse to feed, aside from serious illnesses. Most pet ball pythons suffer from being too chilly, especially during the winter, but this issue is easily resolved by offering a heat lamp.
Your snake may not feel well or may not put on weight due to intestinal parasites. It is advised to perform a yearly fecal examination to check for a high prevalence of pinworms, coccidia, and other intestinal parasites that may require deworming treatment for your snake. Your ball python won't eat until it has finished shedding its old skin if it is going to shed. Your snake may exhibit ashy skin or milky eyes as indicators that it is ready to shed.
An often-ignored cause of snakes refusing to feed is stress. Excessive handling, new enclosures, and even other snakes within the enclosure will agitate your ball python and make it refuse to eat.
A finicky snake will also quit eating if its prey changes. The type of prey your snake will eat depends on a variety of factors, including the prey's size, color, sort, and even whether it is living, just killed, or frozen and then thawed.
How can I get the ball python to eat something?
There are a few things we can do to encourage your ball python to eat if you've already looked into the reasons why it's not eating (and made any necessary adjustments, such as changing the type of prey supplied or raising the enclosure's temperature). To keep your snake from being distracted when he should be eating, feed him in a feeding bowl that is kept apart from his usual enclosure and cover it with a towel.
First, make sure you give the ball python the same kind of food item as the last owner, pet store, and breeder where you purchased your snake if you recently bought one and he hasn't consumed anything from it yet. A snake may become reluctant to consume its victim if it notices subtle changes in it.
Second, make sure the prey is warm if it has been pre-killed. If the prey wasn't recently slain, you may accomplish this by submerging it in some hot water for about a minute or two.
Try slicing open the pre-killed prey to reveal the blood and attract your snake with the aroma if your ball is still refusing to eat. It can also be useful to dangle and wriggle the food towards the front of the snake with long tongs, hemostats, and feeding forceps, particularly if your ball is more attracted to live prey. Rewarming low- or no-sodium chicken stock and soaking your pre-killed prey can also help give the dish a pleasing aroma.
See an exotics veterinarian if your ball python is still refusing to feed after you've tried any of the previous methods. Depending on the snake's age, body condition score, and length of time without food, your veterinarian might advise force-feeding. Force-feeding is easy, but you have to take caution not to cut your snake's fangs.
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