Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my ball has not eaten in about 5-6 months he lost i think about 70 grams. he looks healthy just wont eat. hes about 750 grams. i only try feeding mainly mornings or early afternoon i know its best to feed at nite its just im never at my collection of snakes at nite and so its very hard to do that all though i might just need to give that a try soon. any opinions. thanks in advance.

BP do go off feed and it can be for various reasons such as overfeeding, breeding, husbandry, illness, stress, etc.

So if your BP go off feed what should you do?

Check your temperature and make sure they are 80-84 on the cool side, 90-94 on the warm side, of course this mean you need to have an accurate reading provided by a digital thermometer/hydrometer such as this one.

Check your humidity and make sure it is between 50%-60%

Make sure the enclosure is in a low traffic area.

Make sure your enclosure is the appropriated size, an enclosure that is too big can be overwhelming, and can cause stress overtime.

Make sure your hides are tight enough so your BP can snug in, all sides must be touching your BP's body (Avoid log hides as they do not really provide enough security for a BP).

If you handle your BP often, try to limit handling (Too much handling can cause stress)

BP will also fast to catch up if the prey they have eaten in the past are too big or if you feed too often, try feeding our BP a prey slightly smaller then the girth size, once a week, and nothing bigger then a small rat (4 weeks old) for an adult BP. This will allow your BP to feed with more consistency.
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Deborah
www.myspace.com/gaballpythons

It's also late in the breeding season...and a 750 gram male is probably breeding size/age. It's normal.

If you are really worried, bring a stool sample to a vet and have a fecal done...but chances are it's not a biggy. I had a 1500 gram male stop feeding for 10 months...
then one day he went right back to eating.

Welcome to the world of ball pythons. Haha.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

I've had many snakes go 8 months without eating, and just had a female end a 22 month fast. One day, POOF! they just eat again. I wouldn't stress it, it's what balls do.
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www.strictlyballs.ca

wow im trying not to stress but sometimes it worries me. your snake that went 22 months how many grams was it? and how much weight did it lose? thanks for your post.

My male is 1100 grams went off feed for 7 months when he does eat it is a mouse every other week.

She is a 16 yr. old LTC female who weighed 3800g before the "fast" and lost a little over 400g during. After offering her a food item every two weeks for 22 months, she just decided to start eating again. Go figure........
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www.strictlyballs.ca

I tell ya what. Once you get used to you're snakes going off feed you almost welcome next year when it happens again because you save money!!

I think the biggest problem is when you are feeding your snake. ball pythons eat mostly in early evening and over night, not during the day. During the day they sleep, probably don't even know there is food till it has long gone cold.

I can't see why you are not able to feed at night, unless you work graveyards..but even then, better to offer food early evening than in the morning (and I am assuming morning is around sunrise or later). But nobody works 7 days a week, so feed on your days off if its a matter of being gone to work.
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PHLdyPayne

I don't beleive I have ever fed at night, but for a few problem feeders. I feed when I can. I have a life that keeps me away from my reptile room at all hours and they eat when I offer them food. Morning, noon, evening. In my experiences, if I offer my balls food at 10 a.m. they wake up, see the food, and instead of going back to sleep, they eat it. "Opportunistic feeders" means they eat when they can. They can when I offer it. I believe time has nothing at all to do with feeding responses.
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www.strictlyballs.ca

Mykee, I'm with you on this. I've got a 16 year old pair that will eat day or night. A new snake, or young one, may be easier to feed at night, but in the long run I think they adjust to YOUR schedule.

Ballfreak, have you tried the sack method? Sometimes a difficult feeder will eat if it's put in a paper bag, or snake sack for that matter, with the prey item and left overnight. secure the opening so it can't get out. Use F/T or prekilled, not live.

Also, as everyone else has said, it the nature of the beast. They're known for going on yearly fasts during breeding season wich can last a variable amount of months, and sometimes just choose not to eat at odd times. As long as it's not loosing a significent amount of weight try not to stress yourself over it. In time you'll get used to it .

Quig
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

never said ball pythons will never eat during the day, just that could be the problem with the particular snake in question. As it hasn't eaten in a long time, it could be because it is not feeling secure enough to eat during the day. It was my suggestion to get this snake to eat but if you don't want to take it, that is your decision. It may not work but it could work, that is why I suggested it.
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PHLdyPayne

if you cant make it to your snake at night. trick it. make the room the snake is house in dark during the day and light the room at nights. it might help with trying to feed it "at night". Also if you feed your snake frozen rats, try a live one, or recently killed one. My ball doesnt like prekilled rats and i usually can only get her to eat prekilled 1 in every 10 attempts.

I have a male 700 gram, that will not eat live rats, but will readly take 2 live mice each week. I also have a bigger male that has went off the last 2 years for 5-6 months at a time. The first year I was so frustrated, and didn't know what too do. Then he just started again. The second year I know what to expect, and didn't sweat it. Hope this helps.