Hello! I have a 2 yr old male ball python that hasn't eaten in 9 months! I have tried to feed him every week with no luck. He did shed back in June, but that's about it. He was on F/T adult mice before he went off feed. I have tried F/T mice and rats with no luck. What else can I do?!?
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Feeding Help!
repcouture
Sep 25, 2012 09:30 AM
Replies (3)
mikebell
Sep 25, 2012 10:03 AM
Live. Live mice or rats or ASF rats or gerbils. Lots of options, I'd start with live mice.
Bolitochrome
Sep 25, 2012 11:25 AM
One, this might not be a problem at all. Especially an adult male will fast for a LONG time. I have a male that maybe eats six times a year and seems very happy for it. Other breeders/keepers will tell you the same thing. Is he losing condition? Does there something about his appearance or health that makes you concerned?
Two, in addition to changing around food items to get his interest, you could try altering his environment. What is it set up to be now?
You could try putting him through a good cold spell, increase his hot spot during the day, fluctuate the humidity a bit, do a full cage clean out, etc. Whatever you try, be gentle, but sometimes a snake just needs a change of scenery to get the juices flowing again.
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26 year old 0.1 from Lincoln, NE
Ball Pythons - 0.1 Silver Bullet, 0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma, 0.1 Yellowbelly, 2.1 Normals
Kingsnakes - 1.0 L. m. thayeri, 0.1 L. m. thayeri X L. alterna, 1.0 L. g. californiae
Other - 0.1 Whitesided P. catenifer sayi, 1.0 H. nascicus, ?.? Chrysemys picta, 1.0 husband, ?.? Mini-human
joshhutto
Sep 25, 2012 08:47 PM
try live. give him some time off without stressing him by continuing trying to feed him. give him a hide, take his hide out, put him in a smaller cage, put him in a bigger cage, change his bedding, change his water bowl, do a feed the snake dance (my go to technique, lol), pray. ball pythons just have a habit of not eating. Usually it's when we don't want them to stop. They usually start back with no problem, sometimes they don't. often a small change is all that is needed to get them to eat or stop eating.
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Josh & Krysty Hutto
Various Ball Pythons, boas, dogs, cats, fish, a couple sulcatas and a few other odds and ends.
a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!
