Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i bought my first ball python about 7 months ago and hes always been a really good eater with the exeption of one missed feeding. but he has refused the last 3 feedings ive given him and im not sure why he wont take.the first two that he missed he lived in the same 20 long that he has always lived in but i just aquired a new 75 gallon and moved him into it with another ball that i just got also. so any input would be nice. and is it bad to house 2 ball pythons together?

Well, he stopped eating, so something you changed made him uncomfortable. Maybe you had some new visitors over, maybe you watched TV too loud, maybe you left the light on in the room too long, maybe you got a new pet and he doesn't like it, maybe the stars are aligned the wrong way... Think about the past two weeks, and see if you started doing something different in the room the snake is in. That may have been what triggered it...or maybe the snake just doesn't feel hungry this month.

75 gallons is a little excessive for ball pythons. They do tend to do better when kept seperately, and in a relatively small cage for their size. A 40 gal breeder tank is usually more than enough room for an adult ball python.

This IS the time of year for a lot of balls to go off feed. A couple missed meals is not too big a deal if the snake is a good weight (looks nice and round) and not losing any noticeable weight. So, your ball is probably going to be just fine. I'd scrap the 75 gallon for the balls, and invest in them each getting their own cage, and just wait out the older snake. Don't handle it until it starts eating, which will probably be anywhere from a week to a month from now. I repeat - as long as the snake isn't noticeably losing weight, it's not a bad thing if it's not eating.

Obviously, double check husbandry (temps, hides, fresh water, etc), and don't handle the snake until it eats. Handling can be a stressful event for the snake, so it's best to eliminate possible stressful things until the snake is eating again.

Good luck!

~jenny
-----
"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

thanks. thats what i needed to hear

hes my favorite snake i just figured he would like to have more room.

If your snake was in the wild he would probally be in a whole in the ground right now with not enough room to turn around, then he would be happy. Ball pythons do not like a lot of room. They like it as cramped as possible. I agree totally with the above post except one thing, I have seen very few ball pythons that outgrew a 20-long. Once over 3500g or so you may need to move to a 30gal but most pets do not get to that weight. See if you can return the 75gal and get another 20-long. Leave both of them alone for 7-10 days and try feeding again. Like mentioned above make sure all the conditions are right, heat, humidity, ect.
Link

-----

If a 40 breeder can be set up right with plenty of hides, there's nothing wrong with housing a ball python in a larger enclosure than it absolutely needs. They can and do exhibit some interesting behaviors when provided with a good setup that gives them lots of choices. Slap a low-wattage red or "moonglow" bulb on there, and at night watching the snake is more entertaining that TV has been lately!

So while yes, a ball python can be housed in a 20L for its entire life... it's not a bad thing to give it a little extra room. My adult tubs have almost the same floor space as a 40 breeder.

The biggest thing that I have noticed when placing a juvenile (because babies don't like the extra space, period) in a large cage is that they need LOTS of places to hide and/or foliage to hide behind and feel secure. The less you can see the snake, the happier the snake will tend to be.

My two cents

~jenny
-----
"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

I wont disagree with that. My though process is usually based around breeding purposes and not the fact that this snake may just be a pet. If I had a ball just as a pet then the enclosure you just described about would be just fine. As a matter of fact I have a 30 & 40 breeder in the ouside shed and may take one of my normal males that don't help my breeding process much and set up something like that just to be able to sit and enjoy them. Thanks
Link

-----

It's a cool setup to make, and a lot of fun. Since balls aren't very arboreal, you can set up a second level in the cage using some corkbark wedged across a corner, and just fill that up with orchid bark or moss. Use a couple hefty rocks to wedge the corkbark in, and viola! Second level.

I've done this with kingsnakes and cornsnakes, and the corkbark ledge witheld, but I haven't had a chance to try it on one of my adult balls yet.

You can see the idea in my tarantula cage - it's a short ledge, but it's working perfect for her (she's built her tunnel right behind the corkbark):

~jenny
-----
"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

how about a 75 for a full grown rainbow boa?

How big is your full grown rainbow boa? If it's as long as the tank, I'd say toss it in and see how it does.

75s work great for big and/or active lizards that like dry and hot, not so much for most snakes that get big enough to appreciate the size, as they need more humidity, or the screen top isn't secure enough (lotta big snakes can push through the screen), or it's ridiculously awkward to get them out.

Just my observations though. Rainbows are gorgeous, I'm sure you could set up a great display tank with one.

~jenny
-----
"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

hes not full grown yet but just thinking of a reason to keep it around

When ball pythons are stressed out, they stop eating. If you put him into an more secure enclosure then he will start back up. A 75 gallon aquarium is too open. I use rack systems for all my ball pythons. Most eat great. Hope this helps.

hes very young still. so im gonna put him back in a 10 gallon and hopefully he will loose some of his stress