My snake is aggressive and squeezing. Does it need more food?

Ball pythons are typical not very aggressive unless it is a female protecting her eggs. Also, juveniles can be a bit mouthy but they typically outgrow it with regular handling and as they mature. Reedus may be stressed. Survey the area in and around the enclosure for any negative stimuli. This may include loud noises, strong vibrations, bright lights or high traffic. Reduce or eliminate any if found. Provide a hide on each side of the enclosure. If Reedus will allow, handle him/her for ever increasing periods of time. You can place a small article of your clothing in the enclosure to get him/her used to your scent. If the behavior persists, consider an exam with your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles to diagnose illness or injury. Either can cause a sudden change in behavior.

If he can eat baby rats, feed him baby rats. Going off food before, during,or after a shed is normal. Confirm proper temperature and consider covering the cage or placing him in a pillowcase with prey at the next meal time. If he doesn't eat, wait 5-7 days then try again. Keep him hydrated and stress free in between feedings.

An adult corn snake should only eat once every 7-10 days. Here’s a helpful rule of thumb that applies to most snake-feeding situations. It relates to the size of the prey items. You should offer your snake feeder mice or rats that are roughly the size of the snake at the snake’s widest part (the mid-body area). In other words, the feeder rodent should be 1 to 1-1/2 times the diameter of your snake’s middle. You can go slightly larger than this, but not much.

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There are lots of reasons why a snake might go on a hunger strike, but it sounds like you've narrowed it down to a food preference. Rats are a bit more nutritious and ideally preferable over mice, but mice are also a perfectly acceptable option. Some snakes simply prefer them, in which case you are welcome to keep feeding Luminescence mice, and depending on her size she may simply need multiple mice per feeding as she grows. If you want to encourage her to switch to rats, you can try rubbing a dead mouse or mouse bedding on the rat prior to offering it, to give the rat a more familiar scent. Keep trying - but don't stress if the end result is she ends up staying on mice. Hope this helps!

Feed your ball python an appropriately sized rodent once a week. "Appropriately sized" means prey items that are no bigger in circumference than the ball python is at its largest circumference. A snake that is eating twice a week is likely eating food that is too small so yes, I agree with you, you should probably increase the size of prey. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

As long as he is eating, don't worry too much. If he will allow, look in his mouth for signs of injury. See your veterinarian if necessary. Feed hoppers for several feedings, then try an adult mouse. It is likely the stress related and may take some time.

You may want to consider a follow up appointment with your veterinarian to make sure there are no signs of continued infection such as respiratory disease. Also verify that your temperature and humidity are appropriate. My favorite resource for this is www.anapsid.org Sometimes force feeding with a pinkie may stimulate him to start eating. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.