How to Get a Baby Reticulated Python to Eat

Baby reticulated pythons are constrictor snakes, which means they squeeze and crush their prey in their coils before eating it. In the wild, baby reticulated pythons hatch from eggs and immediately begin seeking food. Measuring 30 to 35 inches at hatching, baby reticulated pythons will seek out small prey, such as mice, lizards and frogs. In captivity, a baby reticulated python's diet will consist primarily of rodents. Snakes caught in the wild and domesticated will be more challenging to feed than captive-bred snakes.

Things You'll Need

  • Small live or frozen/thawed mice
  • Feeding tongs
  • Feeding cage
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select an appropriate size rodent, live or frozen and thawed, for the baby reticulated python. The smallest size available is a "pinkie," or a newborn mouse, followed by a "fuzzy," which is a mouse just a few days old with a thin coating of hair. The baby reticulated python will probably do best with pinkies and fuzzies for the first six months of its life.

    • 2

      Place the live or defrosted mouse in a "feeding cage" and move the baby reticulated python from its living quarters into the feeding cage. This move helps the baby reticulated python understand when it's meal time.

    • 3

      Quickly able to smell its prey, the baby reticulated python should circle around the mouse, constrict it and then eat it whole. If this does not happen within 15 minutes, remove the baby reticulated python from the feeding cage and return it to its living quarters. Wait several hours and repeat the process.

    • 4

      Use long-handled tongs to hand-feed the baby reticulated python if it does not approach the prey on its own over the course of several days. Grasp the live or thawed mouse with the tongs and hold it directly in front of the snake's mouth. If the snake continues to ignore the food over the span of a week, place a thawed mouse in the snake's living quarters cage and allow the baby reticulated python to find it and eat it on its own.

    • 5

      Remove and discard any uneaten food from the cage within 24 hours.