Eating habits of ball python

Question
Hi Andrew
We have had our ball python for around 6 months now.  Initially he was eating one small mouse each 2 weeks.  He went off his food for a few months and wouldn't eat anything for over a month at one point (he wasn't shedding).  To encourage eating I used the scent of a chick which, unless it was coincidence, seemed to work.  Recently he is hunting every night and will strike at the glass of the vivarium even if he senses us nearby and fingers and hands become food if we are not careful!  We have increased his feeding to on demand: now two medium mice each week.  He still doesn't seem satisfied.  We are unsure of his age or sex.  He is around 2 feet long.  Should we continued to feed him as he is demanding?

Answer
Hi Sandra,

It might help to give him a large or even a giant mouse once a week instead of two smaller mice each time. feeding a larger mouse should help him feel more full after the feed and not request more food.

if you feed live mice, i would suggest feeding thawed mice. if you already feed pre-killed, use tongs to imitate a live mouse or just place the mouse inside the tank. this should help him become less aggressive. you could also try feeding him in a different tank if you don't already.

to help him understand that not everything that enters his tank is food it is a good idea to go into his tank and move things around or take him out more often than you feed him. if this is difficult to do because of his aggression, you could try wearing some gloves for protection and use a snake hook or something similar to take him out.

your Ball python is probably coming up to a year old. you can sex your ball python to a reasonable degree of accuracy by comparing the length of it's tail to another ball python. male tail length is usually noticeably longer than females, who have shorter stubbier tails. you can also check spur length. males generally have larger spurs than females, as they are used in courting. so, if both tests suggest one sex, you can be fairly confident that it is correct.

i hope this helps,

Andy