Years ago when i got my first ball python he fed great for the first three months and then went on a seven month hunger strike. This freaked me out a lot until i talked to some more experienced keepers. I tried all sorts of things,nothing worked, then one day he just ate. He never had another hunger strike after that the rest of his life. Thank god he really didn't lose much weight since he was a baby at the time. I wished videos like this were around back when i started as it would have helped a lot. Great job and keep the info videos coming to help the new reptile keepers.
Yea ball pythons are so strange with their eating. Sterling will go a few months without eating, and then eat fine for a while, then a couple more. It's so stressful until you realize that they're not losing weight and this is just how they are (but... It's still a little stressful haha)
Wow this makes me feel better my snake isn’t a baby he’s almost 2 and a half and he hasn’t been eating for the past 4 months.:[ he looks chunky still I just bought a scale to check on his weight however I got covid so I’ve also been waiting until I’m not sick anymore to handle him. ☹️
They are certainly a fascinating genetics study! I dont breed, myself, and have no plans to, but I'm hoping to come across a video that 1) explains all the morphs, and 2) shows some kind of visual learning tool of how different morphs or mutations are created... maybe a flow chart? 😅 Either way, I cant think of any other animal, except maybe dog, that has gone thru such extensive genetics/breeding projects. And the results are stunning! ❤🐍
Always informative, always helpful, always Encouraging and a little bit goofy. Love your personality and the way you deliver your info. Always an amazing job! Thank you.
I NEED SOME HELP.....Hi from Scotland Elle.....love your vids....you're very knowledgeable and super cute. My 1 yr old Mojave female is a hunger striker....had her from 2 months old and she has only fed 4 times....last fed 4 months ago. Temps, hot/cold spots all perfect. In medium vivarium with adequate furniture & natural bark chips etc. She drinks plenty but when feeding her she strikes frozen/thawed rat or mouse lots of times but just won't take it or constrict it. Tried them wet and dry...different colours....even scenting them with gerbil litter.....all to no avail. Please help as I'm worried why she does this. X P.S.....I can't try live feeding here in UK as it's illegal.
Excellent video! And thank you so so much for standing against live feeding. I have heard two stories from owners fhat have actually had their balls die from live feeding. There were circumstamces but end result tells itself. Its cruel and there is no reasom to feed live in captivity apart from bugs. Balls are such a stubborn troublesome lot.
I now feel incredibly stupid and like an awful owner, I was told and always heard that you should try not to force feed but that it was no that bad. I will definitely be trying ALL of these from now on. thank you for the help and I owe my baby an apology.
Thank you for adding as part of this video reasons why you would chose to switch to f/t if they are thriving on live. I think I commented on another video of yours last night (just found your chanel, so working my way through your vids) asking the benefits of switching. Your snakes are beautiful. Thanks again! ❤🐍
Great advice on feeding ball pythons. I have one that will only eat live but the other 2 will eat frozen thawed. They are all fasting rite now but I know they will eat by spring. So no worry here. Thanks for all you do to teach us about are reptiles. GOD BLESS and see you next weekend.
Just an update on my previous unanswered plea.....my little baby mojave female died last night....she finally succumbed to her hunger strike.....despite me trying everything I could to get her to eat. So sad now without her. I pleaded for help online at numerous places but nobody bothered offering any advice.
I have a BP that was born sept 2022 i got him in may he ate twice live mouse but is not eating now i tried frozen mice and not eating that either should i go back to live and see if he eats
I've had 2 ball pythons and they've been polar opposites. My very first snake fed perfectly for 5 months straight. Then... it was like someone flipped a light switch. Just all of a sudden he stopped eating. He wasn't interested in the rat, he didn't want anything to do with the rat. Sometimes he would strike at the rat and then run away as if the f/t rat were a threat. After months and months of trying every trick you've listed above and having no success, I took him to the vet. They did blood work, x-rays, and $575 he was given a clean bill of health. Since my vet specializes in exotic pets, I absolutely trust them. So I just kept trying. He ate 1 pre-kill rat, but wouldn't do it a 2nd time. Same color, same size. But refused. So in the end I had to force feed him, which only stressed both of us out each week. After a year of him eating a total of 2 rats on his own, and not regurgitating no more than 6 force-fed rats I felt like a total failure and ended up surrendering him to a reptile rescue. After a month they emailed me and said he'd taken his first f/t rodent on his own. So must be they had a better touch than me. Hopefully they can find him a better home as well. My other ball python is a dream. She almost never refuses a meal. She doesn't care what color the f/t rat is, or the size. As she's grown, I've upped the size of the rat and she eats it like a champ. She also eats rabbit pups as well no problem. On top of being a great eater, she's an absolute sweetheart. I've had her over a year now and she's never bitten me, and only hissed at me once. So yeah, crazy how ball pythons are like a box of chocolates sometimes. You never know what kind of feeder you're going to get.
Aww I'm so sorry that you had to go through that with your ball python. That sounds so stressful. But I'm happy that you stuck it out as long as you did - it seems like you tried so hard for him. ♥️ Congrats on your current ball python doing much better! 😊
@@ellesreptiles Thanks. And yeah, I really did love him, and he was my first snake. But I couldn't handle the stress, both his and mine anymore. Now feeding day is almost boring because everyone usually eats. But that's okay. I like boring. lol.
I don't have the hear to feed live honestly. A lot of people don't know that rats will eat anything. Including a snake if they get hungry. This surprised me when i found out thankfully my snake always took frozen.
My ball python is so freaking picky!! She weighs 1200 grams now and still refuses to eat rats!! So I have to feed her a ton of mice. And often she will only way Petco mice which are pricey. And if I change her substrate to anything other than paper towels she stops eating. If I change her hides up to the proper size she stops eating. I upgraded her enclosure up to the proper size and she stopped eating for 2 months until I moved her back into the small one!! She’s luckily I love her so much.
Haha yeaaa ball pythons are so incredibly stressful and finicky. But they are super cute and so fun to watch, so we just power through. It's good you've figured out all the things that sets her off feeding! You definitely pay close attention to her. 😊
Hello I have a question people complain about live feeding,so here’s my question do they know frozen rodents are suffocated with co2 that’s Carbon dioxide I’m not trying to start a fright I have three balls now and they won’t eat frozen I live the mice I have 18 of them now it I love my snake thanks Elle see you next time
That how it is with Ball Pythons sometimes i bought a mouse for my Corn Snake Medusa Yesterday and she wouldn't eat it so i put the mouse down and put it in the freezer so i give her the mouse next week i felt terrible but my snake needs to eat
Yea, usually corn snakes are a bit better with eating. Mine has stopped eating for a couple weeks here and there, but never months like the ball pythons 😅
Hey Elle! So I am trying to convince my parents to get a bearded dragon. They are mostly ok with it but we also have 2 cats. I am planing to have the tank in my room so my cats cant get to my bearded dragon, but I still dont know if it is dangorus to have cats and a bearded dragon. I dont want my cats or my dragon to be in danger, so any tips?
We just went to a reptile show and we're going to be getting a ball python soon. All of the ones we looked at are being fed live. How difficult is it to switch them to frozen thawed?
My ball python Anubis is currently on a hunger strike. He hasn’t eaten since Sept 30th 2020. He hasn’t loss any weight and is otherwise happy and healthy. Just not eating 😤
Years ago when i got my first ball python he fed great for the first three months and then went on a seven month hunger strike. This freaked me out a lot until i talked to some more experienced keepers. I tried all sorts of things,nothing worked, then one day he just ate. He never had another hunger strike after that the rest of his life. Thank god he really didn't lose much weight since he was a baby at the time. I wished videos like this were around back when i started as it would have helped a lot. Great job and keep the info videos coming to help the new reptile keepers.
Yea ball pythons are so strange with their eating. Sterling will go a few months without eating, and then eat fine for a while, then a couple more. It's so stressful until you realize that they're not losing weight and this is just how they are (but... It's still a little stressful haha)
Wow this makes me feel better my snake isn’t a baby he’s almost 2 and a half and he hasn’t been eating for the past 4 months.:[ he looks chunky still I just bought a scale to check on his weight however I got covid so I’ve also been waiting until I’m not sick anymore to handle him. ☹️
Ball Pythons are The most beautiful creatures ever🐍
They are beautiful, and so cool to watch slither around 🥰
@@ellesreptiles I agree🐍🙂
Cheetahs....
@@bassingbasics6621 no
They are certainly a fascinating genetics study! I dont breed, myself, and have no plans to, but I'm hoping to come across a video that 1) explains all the morphs, and 2) shows some kind of visual learning tool of how different morphs or mutations are created... maybe a flow chart? 😅 Either way, I cant think of any other animal, except maybe dog, that has gone thru such extensive genetics/breeding projects. And the results are stunning! ❤🐍
Always informative, always helpful, always Encouraging and a little bit goofy. Love your personality and the way you deliver your info. Always an amazing job! Thank you.
Aww, as always, thank you so much for all the kindness! 😁
I NEED SOME HELP.....Hi from Scotland Elle.....love your vids....you're very knowledgeable and super cute. My 1 yr old Mojave female is a hunger striker....had her from 2 months old and she has only fed 4 times....last fed 4 months ago. Temps, hot/cold spots all perfect. In medium vivarium with adequate furniture & natural bark chips etc. She drinks plenty but when feeding her she strikes frozen/thawed rat or mouse lots of times but just won't take it or constrict it. Tried them wet and dry...different colours....even scenting them with gerbil litter.....all to no avail. Please help as I'm worried why she does this. X
P.S.....I can't try live feeding here in UK as it's illegal.
Hello mate, what happend with your snke after? How did u fix that? I got a new phyton and its been over 3 weeks not eating, i donno what to do?!!!
Excellent video! And thank you so so much for standing against live feeding. I have heard two stories from owners fhat have actually had their balls die from live feeding. There were circumstamces but end result tells itself. Its cruel and there is no reasom to feed live in captivity apart from bugs. Balls are such a stubborn troublesome lot.
Thank you! And that's so sad about those poor ball pythons. 😔
I now feel incredibly stupid and like an awful owner, I was told and always heard that you should try not to force feed but that it was no that bad. I will definitely be trying ALL of these from now on. thank you for the help and I owe my baby an apology.
Thank you for adding as part of this video reasons why you would chose to switch to f/t if they are thriving on live. I think I commented on another video of yours last night (just found your chanel, so working my way through your vids) asking the benefits of switching. Your snakes are beautiful. Thanks again! ❤🐍
Great advice on feeding ball pythons. I have one that will only eat live but the other 2 will eat frozen thawed. They are all fasting rite now but I know they will eat by spring. So no worry here.
Thanks for all you do to teach us about are reptiles.
GOD BLESS and see you next weekend.
New subscriber here, not only is the information great, so are the outtakes lol
Good morning Elle, hope you have an amazing Sunday.
I hope you do as well! 😊
@@ellesreptiles thank you Ma'am 🙂
Just an update on my previous unanswered plea.....my little baby mojave female died last night....she finally succumbed to her hunger strike.....despite me trying everything I could to get her to eat. So sad now without her. I pleaded for help online at numerous places but nobody bothered offering any advice.
I have a BP that was born sept 2022 i got him in may he ate twice live mouse but is not eating now i tried frozen mice and not eating that either should i go back to live and see if he eats
I've had 2 ball pythons and they've been polar opposites. My very first snake fed perfectly for 5 months straight. Then... it was like someone flipped a light switch. Just all of a sudden he stopped eating. He wasn't interested in the rat, he didn't want anything to do with the rat. Sometimes he would strike at the rat and then run away as if the f/t rat were a threat.
After months and months of trying every trick you've listed above and having no success, I took him to the vet. They did blood work, x-rays, and $575 he was given a clean bill of health. Since my vet specializes in exotic pets, I absolutely trust them. So I just kept trying. He ate 1 pre-kill rat, but wouldn't do it a 2nd time. Same color, same size. But refused. So in the end I had to force feed him, which only stressed both of us out each week. After a year of him eating a total of 2 rats on his own, and not regurgitating no more than 6 force-fed rats I felt like a total failure and ended up surrendering him to a reptile rescue. After a month they emailed me and said he'd taken his first f/t rodent on his own. So must be they had a better touch than me. Hopefully they can find him a better home as well.
My other ball python is a dream. She almost never refuses a meal. She doesn't care what color the f/t rat is, or the size. As she's grown, I've upped the size of the rat and she eats it like a champ. She also eats rabbit pups as well no problem. On top of being a great eater, she's an absolute sweetheart. I've had her over a year now and she's never bitten me, and only hissed at me once.
So yeah, crazy how ball pythons are like a box of chocolates sometimes. You never know what kind of feeder you're going to get.
Aww I'm so sorry that you had to go through that with your ball python. That sounds so stressful. But I'm happy that you stuck it out as long as you did - it seems like you tried so hard for him. ♥️
Congrats on your current ball python doing much better! 😊
@@ellesreptiles Thanks. And yeah, I really did love him, and he was my first snake. But I couldn't handle the stress, both his and mine anymore. Now feeding day is almost boring because everyone usually eats. But that's okay. I like boring. lol.
I don't have the hear to feed live honestly. A lot of people don't know that rats will eat anything. Including a snake if they get hungry. This surprised me when i found out thankfully my snake always took frozen.
Yea, it is sad. It causes the poor rat to suffer more than it has to, and the poor snake to get injured or even killed. 😔
My ball python is so freaking picky!! She weighs 1200 grams now and still refuses to eat rats!! So I have to feed her a ton of mice. And often she will only way Petco mice which are pricey. And if I change her substrate to anything other than paper towels she stops eating. If I change her hides up to the proper size she stops eating. I upgraded her enclosure up to the proper size and she stopped eating for 2 months until I moved her back into the small one!! She’s luckily I love her so much.
Haha yeaaa ball pythons are so incredibly stressful and finicky. But they are super cute and so fun to watch, so we just power through. It's good you've figured out all the things that sets her off feeding! You definitely pay close attention to her. 😊
I love your videos so much!!! And your ball phyons are so cute
Thank you so much! 🥰
Love all your videos great one today!!!
Thank you so much! 😊
Very welcome 😎🤩😍
Hello I have a question people complain about live feeding,so here’s my question do they know frozen rodents are suffocated with co2 that’s Carbon dioxide I’m not trying to start a fright I have three balls now and they won’t eat frozen I live the mice I have 18 of them now it I love my snake thanks Elle see you next time
My ball stop eating in the start of the winter in from nyc
Thank you even know my snake isn't a ball python she seems to relly respond to this thanks
Ellie do you know the company that sponsored you that you can make your 20 gallon tanks into crested gecko enclosures. Thank you
Lesgoooo!!! I was waiting for a vid
🥰
That how it is with Ball Pythons sometimes i bought a mouse for my Corn Snake Medusa Yesterday and she wouldn't eat it so i put the mouse down and put it in the freezer so i give her the mouse next week i felt terrible but my snake needs to eat
Yea, usually corn snakes are a bit better with eating. Mine has stopped eating for a couple weeks here and there, but never months like the ball pythons 😅
It happens
🦎👀
🦎👀
It's been a while, hope you're doing well!
I want one so bad!!
They're great! 😊
Hey Elle! So I am trying to convince my parents to get a bearded dragon. They are mostly ok with it but we also have 2 cats. I am planing to have the tank in my room so my cats cant get to my bearded dragon, but I still dont know if it is dangorus to have cats and a bearded dragon. I dont want my cats or my dragon to be in danger, so any tips?
Yeah, keep the bearded dragon away from the cats at all times
We just went to a reptile show and we're going to be getting a ball python soon. All of the ones we looked at are being fed live. How difficult is it to switch them to frozen thawed?
Congrats! 🎉
It really just depends on the snake. Some switch over the first time, no problem, while others can take months and lots of hunger strikes.
@@ellesreptiles We’ve been watching so many of your videos. Your corn vs ball was sooooo helpful!!!
💛💜
My ball python Anubis is currently on a hunger strike. He hasn’t eaten since Sept 30th 2020. He hasn’t loss any weight and is otherwise happy and healthy. Just not eating 😤
I started my snake keeping with ball phytons. And now ball phytons are a food source for my 2 king cobras . Feels weird till date ngl😬
😬
My 15-year-old ball python it's probably going on three to four months that he has not eaten yet
I washed your videos but I'm about to try to take the rat out of the feeling tank now and going put the rat back up in a separate holding tank
Second hi i love your vids elle
Thank you! 😊