Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is this a general thing with balls or just my snakes. Out of my 4 07s, all were great eaters, never missed a meal. That is until they were all around 700 grams. One has only eaten two rats in the last 5 months. The others have just now started refusing meals. I feed once a week, a small rat. What gives?

I am having the same issue. I have heard of balls hitting "the wall" around that weight from some breeders. I will be interested to see what some people with experience in this say.

>>I am having the same issue. I have heard of balls hitting "the wall" around that weight from some breeders. I will be interested to see what some people with experience in this say.

Some of mine have "paused" in their growth at around 5 to 7 hundred grams(females at 1k to 1400g)..While the others didn't.
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Charles Glaspie

lots of them do this..it sucks.......some won't.......if you change something it might trigger it......but lots of them just do it even if you change absolutely nothing......I have alot of them ......once they start feeding I just try and pump the stuff into them,,,even this doesn't work at times.......

even BHB posted on here about it once I think.....that magic 600 / 700 gram mark is it too......

...good luck........
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This reminds me of one female Cinny I have that's the only "finnicky" feeder I have. And she's right at that 600 gram mark so she's getting even more difficult. Her brother and sisters are over 800 grams and she's still at 600. But she'd probably be even lighter without this little trick I use with her. About half the time she'll eat readily, but when she turns up her nose, I harass her with the rat until she gets defensive and starts throwing coils to get me to leave her alone. Then I throw the rat into her coils and she constricts it. Doesn't bite, just constricts. After she holds onto it for a good 10 minutes, it seems to kick her feeding response in and she actually eats the rat. Works almost everytime.

OOOOOOOOOOO yes the 500-700 point , its funny how some will stop and others keep on feeding , it has been my experience that it is more prevalent with males . And just wait till they hit 2 years old I have had some female but again mostly males go off feed for extended periods of time , I had a male that went off for 6 months at 2yr. and at 4yr. almost 5yr. He went off feed foe 8 and a half months and he was 2100gr. And he dropped to 1652gr. So I’d say it is very common so just be patient and keep offering them food and like they said above tri changing thing up some to spark a response . David

"I would rather be precisely wrong than approximately right"
Marion "Doc" Ford

I've tracked our ball pythons' growth and about 75% of ours "hit the wall" around 600 - 700 grams. After several months they start eating and growing again. Sure is a pain when you're trying to get one up to size to breed . . .
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

three of mine went off feed for about 4-7 months! i hate it. they just started eating again and one is pigging out! the one thats pigging out is my female and she is about 1300 grams before she stared pigging out so i hope she just keeps going so i can breed her! good luck!

Mine usually hit their wall around 1000 grams give or take.
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Tosha
JET Pythons