how picky is your python?

[Lrptls]

alot of people have had to deal with their ball pythons not eating and then they do all sorts of things to try and get them to eat, i know that i'v done the same a few times. sometimes people have to continue doing some of their tricks to get their pythons to eat...

for my smallest bp, lucy, she takes FT but she'll only take the mice while hanging from tongs and it can't be moving. it can't be too close to her and if it touches her she wont eat it. if its moving too much she'll be scared and back away. if i accidently drop it she wont eat it (even though i pick it right back up) plus she has bad aim and when striking she usually misses a few times-if she accidently hits the glass she wont eat.

for my big bp, charlie, he also takes FT. he could easily take a good sized rat but i'v tried giving him big rats and he seems scared of them. he'll only take smaller rats. they can not be held up by tongs, he only takes them right off the bottom of the cage and he never constricts he just starts eating. the main thing is the rat has to be hot. when i thaw out rodents i just make sure their not wet any more. he wont eat his warm, i have to stick it right under a heat lamp for a very long time and once it feels very hot he'll eat it.

any one else have picky ball pythons?

[mykee]

All of my balls have ideosynchratic behavior, it's whether or not you can figure it out that's usually the difference between eating and not eating. I have one male right now who hasn't eaten since October. I'm not going to freak out as he's lost little weight but I have to make sure he's healthy for breeding season. He didn't eat all through this breeding season, but successfully bred nonetheless so he's still got his priorities straight at least. His ideosynchrasy is he likes mice. Though I broke him of it, apparently not. I'm not going to cave. Some 'pickiness' has to be nipped in the bud.