Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had this ball python for almost a year now. When I got it, it would not eat. I tried waiting awhile in between feedings and tried different size mice but they were all frozen. As soon as I tried a live white mouse, the snake ate it up.
I started to feed it one feeder mouse every week. It seemed like the snake was still hungry so I stepped it up to 2 feeders every 7-10 days. The snake was still eating both of these mice right after the other. It has been defecating and shedding regularly and I always wait for it to defecate before attempting to feed it again.
My local pet shop suggested, because of the regular eating and the size of the snake, that I move up to a small rat instead of multiple mice.
I tried this at the pet shop one night and after a few minutes, the snake ate the small rat! I was surprised but figured that was what the snake wanted to eat.
After the snake ate the rat, it defecated three different times during the next three weeks. There has been none since the third time. After the third time, it was more active around the tank at night; just like it gets when it is hungry. I got another small rat and fed it at home this time. The snake did not seem interested and did not eat the rat. I removed the rat after about 15 mins and tried again a couple of times across the next 2 weeks. I figured that for some reason the snake did not want another rat so I went back to feeder mice. I tried just one even though I knew it had to be hungry by now. In the same scenario that it has been eating since I got it, it would not eat the mouse.
Now is has been about 8 weeks since it ate last which was the rat at the pet shop. It is still active and I handle it regularly. It does not look like it is going to shed; even its eyes are clear.
Any ideas about why it stopped eating? Is there anything else I should be doing? Is it abnormal for ball pythons to just stop eating for awhile?

Thank you for any advice you can give me.

Check his temperatures. That would be the first thing I would do. It is a little late for him to begin his seasonal fast, but every snake is a little different and I have some that go off feed earlier than others so I guess it's not completely out of the question.

8 weeks really isn't that big of a deal at all. I had one that I can only assume was stressed from being shipped and put into a new rack that went off feed for almost a year. He was a very robust adult male (about 2800 grams) when I got him and he only lost a little under 200 grams in that time. One day something "clicked" in his brain and he is now one of my garbage disposals. Go figure, huh?

Switching to rats wouldn't be a bad idea if you can pull it off. Just keep in mind that they are FAR more patient than you are (see above story) and will test your patience. One thing you can try is the next time you purchase a rat from the pet store, have them put bedding from their mouse tank in with the rat. This will help the rat smell more like a mouse.

Also, in the beginning, try to get rats that are as close in size to an adult mouse as possible. Try to pick out rats that are similar in color/markings to the mice that you traditionally feed him. I had one ball that would only eat rats with markings on them - anything that was solid colored (whether it was all-white, all-brown, or all-black) he would not touch. It took a while to figure that out. Eventually, if I couldn't find a rat with markings I would simply pick up an all white rat and apply a couple drops of food coloring to his coat to create a pattern.

Since then, my collection has grown exponentially and I only purchase frozen rats in bulk and don't really have to worry about that problem.

Give him a few more weeks and leave him alone as much as possible. As long as he appears healthy, I wouldn't worry about it. Let him get real hungry and he'll be more likely to take what you offer. Another 3-4 weeks shouldn't hurt him unless he is showing signs of illness or stress. If you can tell that he is obviously hungry (you know his individual behaviors better than anyone else) then go ahead and try to offer him something to eat.

All in all:
1. Don't stress about it too much.
2. They (balls) are far more patient than you - so don't give up.
3. Keep trying different things. You might want to keep a written record of what the prey item is, it's size, any markings it has and anything different that you did when you offered it. This might help you narrow down the things that trigger his individual feeding response (they take everything into account, but some are more picky than others).
-----
.
.
.
.
Stay United!

I'm still not sure if it's weird that my best friend is a two year old boa named Ronin. He's quiet, non-judgemental and listens... what more could you want?

I do keep a record of feedings and wastes. I dont keep track of the markings since every one has been all-white. I just thought is was weird for the snake to go from eating every week to not eating at all. I just want to make sure it is coincidence that this happened after I switched it to a rat.
I only have one meter currently but the tank temp is around 85 and the humidity is about 30. I have a heat pad on one end of the tank that is covered with a hide; this is where the snake likes to stay, and a large water bowl at the other end. I have a heat lamp on the screen lid that can be moved to where it is needed.
Should I change the layout? How do I increase the humidity?

Increasing and/or maintaining humidity in tanks is very difficult. I would cover up about 2/3 - 3/4 of the screen top with either cling wrap, a piece of plexi-glass, or even a black trash bag taped tightly to the screen top. Any of those options should help.

The heat lamp will also decrease the humidity in the tank VERY quickly. If you cover up the top well enough that should help keep in enough heat from your under tank heater to where you can get rid of the heat lamp.

Originally, I guess I took it for granted that you had him in a rack type setup. Tanks are very open and the open feeling that they provide can easily stress out a ball python. Even if he has spent his whole life in a tank up until this point he may still be stressed out.

If you have to keep him in a tank, that is fine, but you will want to make it as ball-friendly as possible to ease any stress he may be experiencing.

1.) Cover three of the sides with something, anything. You can buy decorative aquarium prints by the foot at most pet stores, but even cardboard will do in a pinch.

2.) Make sure his hide is small enough for him. You'll want it to be a snug fit for him.

3.) Purchasing fake plants helps. You are trying to break up the "openness" or open-air feeling of the tank.

4.) If the tank is in a high traffic area of your house (any place that he can see people walking by more than 7-10 times a day/night) then it might also help to move his tank to some place with a little less foot traffic.
-----
.
.
.
.
Stay United!

I'm still not sure if it's weird that my best friend is a two year old boa named Ronin. He's quiet, non-judgemental and listens... what more could you want?

Thanks for your help. I have geckos also and between misting and the live plants, the temps and humidity are never an issue. I am new to the snake world.
I have a heat pad on one end under the tank and one on the backside, I thought these were each too small by themselves so I use both. The water bowl is at the opposite end. Is this ok? Should I have the water bowl near the heat pads to create more humidity? Do I need to add another hide at the other end of the tank? Any suggestions on layout would be great.

I will keep you updated about the snake eating; I am going to try another mouse this week.

Thanks again
Chris