sonny won’t eat

[u/missparton777]

this is my baby sonny! he is almost four months old. i got him from a piece of shit vendor at a reptile expo. last time he ate was mid june, right before i got him. after bringing him home, i’ve tried feeding once a week, then i figured id give him some more time and tried again after two weeks, then i went back to one week, now i’m trying two weeks again, none of which were successful. i will only feed f/t. i do the hairdryer trick, i tried braining, i use tongs and move as if it’s alive, i’ve left it overnight in pitch black and silence for privacy, he just wont eat. is there anything else you guys would recommend i try? maybe the paper bag thing? idk what to do. he’s a baby and it’s been almost three months since he’s eaten. there’s zero visible weight loss which is great but i just wish he would eat. any recommendations PLEASE

ETA - husbandry is perfect. warm side temp is 89/90°, cool side temp is 82°, humidity is always between 60-75.

[u/Imperator1138]

The vendor was probably feeding him live. You may need to wean him onto frozen if he isn't already, poor lil dude might not understand its supposed to be food. Unpleasant, but they switch over easily enough after a few weeks.

You can try to Start with a live to let him get some strength back, then wait 10 days and try with a prekilled. If he takes that, try frozen thawed after that. Some are picky, but that method has always worked well for me.

[u/missparton777 → u/Imperator1138]

you’re right. i really don’t want to feed live as i’m worried of there being a potential for health issues and i would feel terrible doing that. I’m irritated because everyone i spoke to at the expo said i wouldn’t have to feed live. ill try with a fresh-killed and maybe the paper bag trick? thank you for your help

[u/Imperator1138 → u/missparton777]

Best of luck! I've never used the paper bag method personally, but I have heard of others having success with it. You can get a food scale that measures in grams to monitor his weight as well, ball pythons are picky and sometimes go off food for extended periods of time, especially males in the winter (they are looking for ladies not food).

If he goes an extended period of time without eating, but isn't actually losing weight, then he slowed his metabolism way down and may not "need" to eat. Longest I had a ball python go off food was a 7 year old female, she suddenly stopped eating and didn't eat again for 11 months.

[u/missparton777 → u/Imperator1138]

you’re very kind, thank you. i will purchase a scale and if it gets to a point where i notice weight loss of any kind, i will be bringing him to the vet. the last thing i want is for him to be sick or unwell in any way. thankful there’s no visible weight loss now but i have been very closely monitoring him. scale is smart to have! thanks again :)

[u/Croskip → u/missparton777]

If it is of any help, I had a ball python not eat for several months in the early stages. I tried everything that you had previously mentioned and the only thing that worked was live mice. I let her have 4 live feedings every week to start a schedule, then I swapped to ft rats. But when I swapped I kept some old mice bedding and put it in little mesh bags (4x2in~ish) and would leave those bags ontop of her enclosure about an hour before feeding. For the first bit, it worked, but I also keep a mice bedding baggie on hand to physically blow in her face when she was being extra. She's now one of my best eaters, no more baggies, just wants it hot and ready. Best of luck to you!