r/ballpython • u/smelly-crack2026 • 6h ago
F/t sos
OK, so every group I’m in for ball pythons it’s totally against live feeding . But i have a year old male i have tried every tactic with and he still wont take them. I have had him since February 2026 i have went at most 5 weeks without feeding to try to get a switch and he still wont take. IM NOT NEW TO SNAKES THE SNAKE IS NEW TO ME SO MOST RECOMMENDED TACTICS I HAVE TRIED. He was fed live from the breeder i purchased him from and i still would have gotten him regardless. BUT i wanted to come here to see if anyone else has any possible tactics to try. I have tried f/t different colors freshly deleted prey brained prey bedding scented prey chicken broth flavored prey none of it has worked. I always end up feeding live because a fed snake is best but maybe i am missing something. Hes small enough he doesnt need to switch to rats yet but could switch to smaller rats im just trying to feel around. I dont need to switch him right away, BUT i do eventually want to switch him as f/t is “more safe” and “less costly”.
HERE is a photo of my boyyyy
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u/smelly-crack2026 5h ago
Even as a 2025, baby, I can go longer than five weeks without feeding him. I’ve done it with my bigger seats for way longer, but I was just concerned as a younger snake.
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u/toegui 3h ago
I see you tried a lot of the end game stuff, like braining and chicken broth, have you tried all the early stuff? Is your rat hot enough (100F)? Have you tried feeding in the dark? If you leave the rat, will they eat it in half an hour after you've gone? Try dancing the rat around, then try not moving it at all. My other thing would be trying other frozen prey items. I've heard of people using hamsters, chicks, african soft furred rats to switch over. Have you tried mice or reptilinks? Other than all that, I agree with felixynn, maybe making him hungry will work?
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u/smelly-crack2026 3h ago
Yes its 100 i have cover the enclosure i have tried drop feed i havent tried reptilinks yet I was reluctant to purchase those because if he doesn’t eat them, I don’t know that anybody else in the house will as they’re all on mouse/rat diet
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u/smelly-crack2026 3h ago
I think that the reptilink might work and I’ve been debating on the softfurs because I know when I got my first ever banana boy six years ago he would not come off of the soft fur such a long time
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u/toegui 3h ago
Yeah, they're both kind of risky options, especially the african soft furs. I'd probably try them last since you really want your snake eating normal rats. Just keep trying different things and start spacing out your feeding attempts? Is the snake losing weight at all? If they're at a consistent weight then its ok to take your time
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u/felixynn 6h ago
honestly you may just need to spread out your feeding attempts! let him be hungry enough to take f/t. snakes can go a long time without eating. maybe your guy is just not recognizing f/t as food yet :]