How to Feed Frozen Mice to Ball Python Babies

Ball pythons can make fascinating pets.

Ball pythons are a small species of a constrictor-type snake. They are considered a good choice for a beginner exotic pet because they are relatively docile and don't get as big as other pythons and boas can. Like all snakes, ball pythons need specific care in order to stay healthy in captivity. Because baby ball pythons are so small, feeding them can be a challenge. It's important to know exactly how to feed them and what to feed them, so as not to risk their well-being. Small mice are a good food to offer a baby ball python.

Things You'll Need

• Half-grown mice or pinky mice
• Hiding box
• Tongs

Instructions

1. Select frozen half-grown mice or pinky mice for your python. Pinky mice are baby mice that have not yet developed fur. Half-grown mice are smaller than full-grown mice. These half-grown mice are often called fuzzies or fuzzy mice. Both of these choices are appropriate for a baby ball python. Remember that you should never offer your python a food item that is larger than the python's circumference.

2. Choose brown or darker-colored mice if possible. Many ball pythons are raised in the wild and therefore recognize only darker-colored rodents as prey.

3. Thaw the frozen mouse completely. Thaw only one mouse at a time. You can thaw mice by microwaving them or by placing them in an airtight plastic bag and submerging them in hot water.

4. Provide your ball python with a hiding box in its terrarium where it can feel comfortable eating. This box could be a store-bought hollow log or even something like a flowerpot turned upside down and tilted at an angle so the python can enter.

5. Feed your ball python at night. Pythons naturally eat at night in the wild and are therefore more comfortable eating at night in captivity.

6. Use a pair of tongs to lower the mouse into the python's enclosure. Hold the mouse in front of the python or the entrance to its hiding box. Never hold the mouse with your fingers, as the python may bite you when it strikes at the prey.

7. Drop the mouse if the python does not strike at it right away.

8. Leave the python alone for 24 hours or so, allowing it time to eat undisturbed.

9. Feed your ball python about once a week. This gives the python time to digest its last meal.

10. Offer your ball python larger mice as it grows larger.

References

• King Snake: Troubleshooting Guide to Ball Pythons
• Bob Clark: 2002 Annual --- Ball Python Primer --- Answers to Your Keeping, Feeding and Breeding Questions
• California Zoological Supply: Ball Pythons
• Melissa Kaplan's Herp Care Collection: Dealing With Ball Python Feeding Problems
• Melissa Kaplan's Herp Care Collection: Live Prey vs. Prekill