What do ball pythons eat

It is also important to kill the snake's prey before feeding it; even small mice will fight for their lives, and a minor scratch or bite from frantic prey can quickly cause an infection that could be fatal to the snake. Pre-killed prey can be purchased from pet stores, and dead mice and rodents can be stored in a freezer for several weeks if necessary. The prey should be fully thawed - although not cooked - before feeding it to a python. If a young, inexperienced python has difficulty understanding how to eat already dead prey, it is possible to condition the snake to pre-killed prey by wiggling the prey near the snake to simulate movement before it strikes.

After a few feedings, the snake will become accustomed to the already dead prey. It is perfectly normal for ball pythons to avoid eating for several weeks, especially during the winter breeding season. If a snake stops eating, watch it closely for any signs of poor health, especially weight loss. If the snake has not eaten after 45 to 60 days, or if it shows other signs of distress, it may be necessary to consult a veterinarian experienced with pet snakes and other reptiles.

By understanding what ball pythons eat and how to feed them properly, it is possible to provide your pet snake with a healthy, nutritious diet. Combine that diet with good husbandry, and your pet will likely live a longer, more contented life. Small Pets Reptiles and Amphibians Ball Python Diet Ball pythons are popular pet reptiles and feeding these snakes a proper python diet is essential to keep them healthy.

Pet Ball Python Diet What do ball pythons eat besides mice? Feeding a ball python may include the following foods: Mice Gerbils Chicks Rats The exact food depends on the snake's age; younger snakes are smaller and cannot swallow or digest food that is too large.

A ball python eating. Where to Get Python Food Pet stores commonly stock small mice that can be purchased for a ball python diet, or interested snake owners can breed their own mice for a ready supply of food.

Vegetarian Diets Are Not Appropriate Squeamish snake owners often fantasize about the idea of training their snake to be a vegetarian, or conditioning the python to eat only insects or eggs instead of small mammals or rodents. How to Feed Your Python It is always best to feed snakes whole mice or rodents; the organs, skin, and other parts of their prey supply essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are critical for a healthy pet.

Pinky mice are often used as feeders. Age-appropriate feeding schedule : Young ball pythons typically need to eat one to two times per week, while older, larger snakes can eat just once a week. Best time to feed : Snakes will be more active in the evening and near dusk, and will more readily attack prey if fed at that time.

Digestion : After feeding, it can take four to five days for the snake to digest the prey fully. But they carry the risk of your ball python refusing to eat. If you are using frozen-thawed prey recommended , thaw it out in the fridge the night before feeding day. Then about minutes before feeding, stick the prey in a BPA-free plastic bag like a Ziploc and submerge in warm, almost hot, water.

You can check the temperature with your temp gun. Do not stun live feeders. Although as obligate carnivores ball pythons should get all of the nutrition they need from the animals they eat, the nutrition provided by feeder rodents is often inferior to the nutrition provided by the prey that ball pythons would consume in the wild.

Some studies have revealed that commercially-bred feeder rodents are deficient in crucial nutrients like vitamin D, which in turn negatively affects the health of the snakes that eat them. There is a risk of developing nutrient deficiency over time even when you buy your prey items from the best breeders. Use a calcium supplement that contains vitamin D if you are not using UVB lighting.

Weigh weekly for best results. An imaginary cross-section of a healthy ball python would look a bit like a melted Hershey Kiss, round on the sides with a gentle peak at the top the spine. Obesity is a rampant problem among pet snakes, and especially in ball pythons. Ball pythons are famous for engaging in fasts that last for several months at a time. This probably stems from the tendency for wild ball pythons to fast during the dry season, when food becomes scarce.

Additionally, males of many snake species often cease feeding during the breeding season. Do not panic if your snake begins to refuse food. As long as he is healthy, he should be able to go several months without eating before suffering any harm. Many captives have refused food for more than a year before finally starting to eat again. Ball pythons in the wild eat a wide variety of rodents aside from mice, and they also eat small birds. In captivity, you can try to feed them any appropriately sized, commercially bred rodent.

This includes domestic mice or rats, multimammate mice, gerbils, and hamsters. You can also feed them very small chicks or ducklings. Young ball pythons may consume the occasional lizard in the wild, but most eat rodents. They do, however, require smaller rodents than adult ball pythons do.

For a variety of reasons, ball pythons occasionally present feeding challenges for their keeper. Specifically, they may refuse food for extremely long periods of time. But ball pythons will occasionally refuse to eat for weeks, months, or even years in exceptional cases. There are a few reasons ball pythons will refuse food, including some that are common to most snake species as well as a few reasons that are unique to ball pythons.

The most common causes of food refusal include:. Now that you understand some of the reasons that ball pythons may refuse food, we can move on to a few helpful tips and tricks, which may help you get your snake to eat.

A few of the best strategies for tempting finicky ball pythons include:. Ball pythons drink water is much the same way that most other snakes do. Some snakes actually put most of their face in the water while doing so, but this is no cause for concern.

Additionally, ball pythons may drink water droplets from their bodies or the environment. Many may only drink once or twice per week. However, it is important to ensure your ball python has access to clean, fresh water at all times. I have a question bout my bald python…. I gave him a large rat, hes bout 2 years old. He got it half way down to the middle of his body then the next day he must have thrown it up. Is this normal.

Hi Melinda. A snake regurgitating his meal is not something normal. You can refer to our feeding chart in this article to see if the size of the rat was appropriate. Bring the regurgitated food with you as it might help the vet to understand what happened. Hope this will be helpful for you and your ball python! Hi, I have a female Ball Python and she is probably atleast 6 years old. Recently she has been having issues eating.

Not actually consuming the food but seeing the rat. She will get super close to it and the rat will scare her away or she will look above the rat. Sometimes she will just stare at the glass of the tank when the rats in there. Have you heard of anything like this before?

Thanks in advance for your time. I got him from my Uncle. I think? Hey there, buddy.