Any tips on stuborn hatchlings?

Originally Posted by phoenix-cry

All great tips! I think I'll just try live a few time and then switch over. Thanks all!

So 110 isn't too hot?! that sounds hot!

What I do is warm to normal eating temp then warm the surface to 100 - 110. Like I said, balls aren't my forte so the temps might be off a little.

Just to add to what everyone has already said; try keeping the hatchlings in complete darkness. If they are in clear tubs in a room that is well lit, it tends to be an issue. What I did to resolve this issue myself is to use a blanket to cover the rack. Or you could also use solid color, non transparent tubs. It makes them feel like they do in the wild. This has worked every time for me. It is all about making them feel like they are in a little burrow, just like they would be in Africa.

I like to keep my ball pythons 'in the dark' they are in tubs that only have light at the front side and I don't keep the lights on. But thanks!

As others have said, I start mine on live and switch to f/t as soon as I can. This year so far, out of 13 babies, 10 switched to f/t after only two or three live feedings. Trying to start them on f/t hasn't worked for me yet, but I also didn't try very hard.

Maybe see if the baby will take a f/t mouse instead? I don't know what else to try, unfortunately. Best of luck!

Good feeders don't care what you're feeding them, they take it. I start out on live hoppers of one sort or another, and then switch to FT rat pups whenever they're really eating well. Most never bat an eye, just grab and inhale.

Good luck!

I have a Calico male that I was at the point of selling because he was getting thin (he wasn't that old). Today, the male is successfully switched to f/t but the little bugger wants to be a prim a-dona and will only eat mice on a tong (the rest take it if it's laid down and left).

How did I do it? I left the decision up to the snake and nature whether it survived and kept feeding the way I do (they are opportunistic eaters in the wild..it's genetic). I decided not to sell it, (at first I was, but didn't feel comfortable with my decision, because someone else might sell this non-eater) and kept trying.

It was, "Eat or DIE." Harsh, I know.

Well the eat or die is true I'm not interested in force feeding. I'm going to grab a live one today. Thanks!

What's up with so many ball python keepers feeding frozen thawed now days? Is it a convenience thing? I used to feed frozen thawed when I kept other species but gave up soon after switching to ball pythons. At that time it was just pretty much accepted that you need live for ball pythons. Just seems like frozen thawed has become the new norm for ball pythons; and not just people with a few pets but also people planning to breed.

Anyway, not sure how much of my experience is applicable but I certainly wouldn't worry after 1 week. I don't give up and assist feed until sometime around a month post shed depending on how much yolk was absorbed. Also, I wouldn't try pinkies on a normal sized ball python hatchling (60 – 100 grams). At least with live they seem to be much more interested in a hopper or small adult than a fuzzy. Maybe it's the way they move or maybe it's the longer hair so not sure if it would apply to dead.

Originally Posted by CornNut

What's up with so many ball python keepers feeding frozen thawed now days? Is it a convenience thing? I used to feed frozen thawed when I kept other species but gave up soon after switching to ball pythons. At that time it was just pretty much accepted that you need live for ball pythons. Just seems like frozen thawed has become the new norm for ball pythons; and not just people with a few pets but also people planning to breed.

Anyway, not sure how much of my experience is applicable but I certainly wouldn't worry after 1 week. I don't give up and assist feed until sometime around a month post shed depending on how much yolk was absorbed. Also, I wouldn't try pinkies on a normal sized ball python hatchling (60 – 100 grams). At least with live they seem to be much more interested in a hopper or small adult than a fuzzy. Maybe it's the way they move or maybe it's the longer hair so not sure if it would apply to dead.

I know from my experience, (I have no ball pythons) f/t are easier for the average person to aquire ... big pet stores only sell f/t feeders. Also, unless you breed mice/rats it is cheaper to feed f/t.

I feed f/t because it is safer for my snakes, there is no chance of bites.

Originally Posted by CornNut

What's up with so many ball python keepers feeding frozen thawed now days? Is it a convenience thing? I used to feed frozen thawed when I kept other species but gave up soon after switching to ball pythons. At that time it was just pretty much accepted that you need live for ball pythons. Just seems like frozen thawed has become the new norm for ball pythons; and not just people with a few pets but also people planning to breed.

Anyway, not sure how much of my experience is applicable but I certainly wouldn't worry after 1 week. I don't give up and assist feed until sometime around a month post shed depending on how much yolk was absorbed. Also, I wouldn't try pinkies on a normal sized ball python hatchling (60 – 100 grams). At least with live they seem to be much more interested in a hopper or small adult than a fuzzy. Maybe it's the way they move or maybe it's the longer hair so not sure if it would apply to dead.

I fed f/t long before I started keeping BPs. I don't like breeding/maintaining rodents, which would be required on a much larger scale if I was trying to feed my BPs that way. I've only got one BP that is a live feeder - she was purchased as a young adult (1300g), and has been resistant to my efforts to convert her. I like her, but not enough to keep putting up with this, lol. My anticipation is that she will be sold as soon as I get another female up to breeding size (of course, the girl I got to replace her has been a huge pain in the butt - not feeding at all for 10 months after I got her. Now, she eats only f/t mice, placed halfway in her hide. I'd tried live mice, rats, and ASFs repeatedly during the first 10 months.)
Breeding BPs, though, IMO, requires a supply of live to start the babies unless one has a lot of time and patience (and doesn't mind throwing out uneaten rodents, or possibly assist feeding to get them going).