Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey. first let me say sorry in advance for the bad punctuation. my shift key is no longer working so i have no acess to question marks or capital letters. when i ask a question, ill just type -question mark.

anyway, i have a beautiful ball python i have had for about a year now named natasha. she is my first snake. i beleive she is about 2-3 years old. she is a really finiky eater. i cant get her to eat the once a week to 10 days like recommended. she only eats about once every 2 months, more or less, and this is not for a lack of trying. i now own a menagerie of mice and rats because she won't eat. she has been seen by a vet, so i know she doesnt have any physical problems. anyway, this week, i took her out of the cage for awhile. i know she was hungry, so it was my own fault, but she ended up mistaking my finger for food. i was bleeding, but happy that she was willing to eat something, finally. i bought her two mice the next day, and tried feeding them to her, but even after the biting incident, she still wont eat. she did end up killing one of the mice, but it looked like she didnt even try to eat it. it didnt look regurgitated or anything.. just dead. so im really not sure what to do. im starting to worry about her, as its been about 1 month and and 1 week since she has last eaten, and even though the timing is on par compared with her past eating habits, she has started to noticeably lose a few pounds. she is not overly skinny or anything, but there is a weight difference since i first got her. she has never bitten me in the entire year i have handled her, and because she didnt eat right after the incident, im beginning to wonder whether she really thought i was food, or if she just doesnt like me. i wasnt making any sudden movements at the time. i just had my hand in front of her while she was curled next to me on the couch. anyway, i make sure i keep her aquarium nice and warm, always around 80 degrees on one side, and about 82-85 on the other. she spends most of her time on the cool side however. her humidity is always around 60 degrees, but this is due to the fact that i live in florida, and our ambient humidity is usually up to snake standards. she always has fresh water and a hidy hole. i try not to handle her too often, because i have read they usually like to be left alone, so i only handle her about a few times a month. should i handle her more or less-question mark- am i doing something wrong-question mark. i have tried feeding her male mice, and female mice, both white and black, and rats. though when she does eat, she prefers white female mice. i got her those this time, but she still isnt eating. do you think i shouldnt have handled her before i fed her-question mark. maybe it was the wrong time of the day-question mark. i just dont know what to do. does anyone have any advice- question mark. i really love my natasha. she is beautiful, and can be quite affectionate with me when i handle her, except of course this one time when she bit me, though she has never done that before. i have been around animals my whole life- dogs, cats, rats, gerbils, etc, but i gotta say, this is the first time i feel completely at a loss, and unable to really empathize with one of my animals. i wish i understood her more. even right before she bit me, she seemed happy and content.. then bam she bit and started to try constricting my pinky finger.. i really love her, and im really trying my best, but im beginning to feel i may not be the best owner for her any longer, but i know this could be because im just new to snakes. i guess i just need some reassurance and some really good advice on feeding and snake behavior. ive read alot of articles and things, but i still feel unsure. can anyone who has owned ball pythons for awhile give me some good advice-question mark.

thank you very much for your help. i really appreciate it.

It sound like you are doing everything correctly. Balls are finiky eaters. They can co for a year without food. She may lose a little weight but as long as it is not a extreme amount I am sure she is fine. As far as the bite that can happen for any reason, maybe she got a whiff of rodents, maybe she fell asleep sitting there. I would keep trying to feed her what ever she normally eats. Then give her a day or so then take her out. This winter all my females went off food and one didnt start again till late april she went 6 months no food, and has been off and on all summer, I am in pa thou and the weather has been funny here, hot then cold.I sure she is fine just keep doing what you are doing.

Your temperatures are low, and that could very well be causing her to refuse food. Ball python feeding responses are based on their metabolism, which is directly based on what temperature they are being kept at. If temps are too cool, they go into winter breeding mode and will not feed. You need to have belly heat providing a warm spot of 90-92 degrees and a cool side of 80-82 degrees. Use digital thermometers to measure temps and a thermostat to control the heat pad. Provide 2 hiding places, one on each end of the enclosure. Dark, snug, round ones work the best and make them feel the most secure. Make these changes to your enclosure in addition to stopping all handling (sounds like she is very stressed out and continous handling is making it worse), then try to feed her again in a week or two.
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~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors

I own 20 ball pythons. I have been keeping them for over 6 years. I all of them eat weekly, except for breeding season and shedding. I keep all of my ball pythons in rack systems. Most do not have a hide. My ambient temps are around 80 and my hot sides heat tape is set at 95. My first ball python was kept in an aquarium. He ate great for the first 3-4 years, then I moved him into a bigger aquarium, and he was fine for about 6 months. Then one day he stopped eating. He didn't eat for 6 months, then finally took one small rat. Then started eating much like yours. I finally bought a sweaterbox rack system, that had heat tape on one side. I also bought a johnson controls thermostat. I set it at 95. I put him his tub with a tighter hide box, and gave him a week to get used to his new home. The next time I tried to feed him a small rat, he took it with gusto. And has been doing great ever since.
It is true that ball pythons are picky eaters. But most of the time they are just stressed out. I have seen them strike at prey, just to get it away from them. Once your BP feels comfortable, you will see a major change. Also, when your BP bit you, it was most likely because he was stressed. You should not handle him much until he feels more comfortable. I am not saying you have to get a rack system, but if you plan on getting any more BP, then it wouldn't be a bad idea. They love tight spaces.
Hope this helps...

Sorry for all the mistakes I made in my post. I just woke up... Lol.

I think some Balls are just picky eaters. I have snakes I handle ALL the time and they eat great. Personally, if you have a snake that is clearly a pet, you would think you would want to handle it...or whats the point?? If your not breeding to make money, then interaction with your pet is the whole idea - no? I dont know...maybe its me??

I dont think there is any easy answer. I would get her a smaller hide or even a smaller enclosure like someone reccomended (I think?). Also, I would buy a cheap digital scale ( I am not sure what your financial situation is but they are like $20 at Wal-Mart). This will allow you to accurately track Natasha's weight and even if she only eats 6 times a year, you can at least know she isnt in danger of losing so much body mass that she will be in danger. If she is losing too much weight, there are steps you can take to keep her alive until you figure her picky ways out - hopefully.

I really think you should get another snake (not get rid of Natasha) just if you have another that you know eats well, even if handled everday, YOU wont be so stressed. I think Natashe is just one of those snakes (maybe?) that are though to deal with. Its not your fault, you seem to be doing everything just fine for the most part. It surely isnt for lack of trying - right?

I have several great eating normals on hand right now(some are % het albinos) and I also have a few 300-600 gram females, that love to be handled (my kids take them out all the time). If you want to pay just for shipping, I will send you a really good eater that you can interact with. Not to replace Natasha, you can work with her, but you will at least have one that will clearly thrive in your care? Its up to you, message me and we can set it up for like $30-55 or so..I think you said you live in Fla. right? Unless you want to drive to Connecticut, you can pick one out for free.

~Alan

My first suggestion would be to double check your husbandry. What are you taking your temperature reading with? Are you taking them at snake level? And how are you heating your cage? Do you have belly heat? Try bringing the hot spot up to about 90* with your ambient temperature to 85ish. Check your temps with a temp gun and use a good digital thermometer/hygrometer for accurate readings. Make sure that you cage is not in a high traffic area (what type of caging do you have?) Make sure you have a nice tight fitting dark hide for her on the hot side and in the cool end as well. Make sure you are feeding at night. If you can, double check with previous owner as to her eating/feeding habits and preferences.

With that being said - some snakes will only eat every month or so - theres not a lot you can do about it - except for be thankful you aren't spending as much as the guy next door that has to spend 4 times as much to feed his.

As for the bite - don't worry about it too much - it could be stress, mistaken identity, you startled her - bites happen.

If she continues to act "funny" you might want to try finding a herp vet to have her a good going over,fecal, etc. to be on the safe side.

Good luck!
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Tosha
JET Pythons

(CJBianco explaining the origins of the BP market.)
"In the beginning Bob created the Ball Python market. And the market was without morph, and wild traits were upon the industry. And Bob said, Let there be morph, and there was morph. And Bob saw the morph, that it was good; and Bob divided the morph from the wild trait. And Bob called the morph Albino, and the wild trait Normal. And the Albino and the Heterozygous Albino were the first investment.
-- Christopher 1:1-1:5"

thank you everyone for replying. i've gotten some really good advice.

to answer some of your questions, she does have a half log to hide in, very tight, but she doesnt have one on each side of the glass aquarium i keep her in. so i will have to fix that, though i think i will need to get a larger tank-right now she is in a 30 gallon glass aquarium. i will also start keeping one side of the cage hotter, perhaps that should do the trick. i know some of you were asking about these things, so i wanted to give you the info. i do keep track of the temps with two in-tank thermomenters, one on the cool side and one on the hot side. i also have a humdidity gauge in there as well. thank you again for all the wonderful advice. also, before posting, i was thinking i didnt handle her enough, because i only handle her a few times a month. i thought i was isolating her more than helping, but i guess i need to realize she isnt a mammal, she's a reptile. lol. i also realized i may be feeding her too early in the day. she is nocturnal, after all- so ill start feeding her during her normal waking hours- in the evening. i do have one question though, when is breeding season-question mark. i have read they enter breeding cycles during the rainy season, and if that is the case, then her breeding season for this area, florida, would be now. that would explain her increased activity in the cage lately, and may also explain why she hasnt been eating recently. i will certainly keep trying to get her to eat. thank you for the advice on the scale. i shall try to find one. there was a period during the first two months i had her that she did eat every week, and you know what, the temps in the cage were higher at that time because i had better heating lamps. i didnt really think of it until i read your posts. oh yes, she does have a heating pad she can snuggle on, but i was only using it in the winter time, however i think i will turn it back on. when she bit me, she was nice and warm from my body heat, so i think perhaps she has been a bit too cold to eat, so i will have to change that. thanks again everyone for all of your help. i really really appreciate it, more than you know.

all the best,
jessica

Since you are tweaking her set up anyway....

If by half log hide you mean one of these:

These don't work well for balls - toss it and replace it with something that will completely surround her with just a hole in it.

Like:

or

Or you can make one out of overturned cat litter boxes, terra cotta plant pots, plastic plant saucers, even cardboard ones.

Otherwise it sounds like you are on the right track!

good luck.
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Tosha
JET Pythons

(CJBianco explaining the origins of the BP market.)
"In the beginning Bob created the Ball Python market. And the market was without morph, and wild traits were upon the industry. And Bob said, Let there be morph, and there was morph. And Bob saw the morph, that it was good; and Bob divided the morph from the wild trait. And Bob called the morph Albino, and the wild trait Normal. And the Albino and the Heterozygous Albino were the first investment.
-- Christopher 1:1-1:5"