Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 2 year old BP and hes not eating. Hes a male. is he getting ready to breed so hes not eating or what?
And is power feed good or bad for BPs?
thanks

He could be just going off feed. Give some details on your setup (temps, etc) - there could be something wrong there.

I personally don't understand why people want to make their snakes grow faster. I look forward to watching my BP grow over the long future I hope we have together. Powerfeeding can shorten their lifespan. Just think - it's not good for humans or any other species to overdue it.
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My Album

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

I have him in a 15 gallon. temp. 79 cold end and 84 warm end. hide box, large water bowl, and a fake tree.

Okay - that info helps.

First off it is possible that this is a normal off-feed phase. However, even if it is I see some problems with your setup.

1) your cage is too small. As someone posted in another reply to your post you need at least 36x18 (for an aquarium this would be at least a 30 gallon breeder). Especially for a 2yr old.

2) you need at least 2 hides in your cage - one on the cool side and one on the warm side. This need to be snug hides - not too big.

3) your temps are too low. Your temps should be 90 (no higher than 95) on the warm side and 80-85 on the cool side. A night time drop is not required, but if it does drop go no lower than 75 (72 at the lowest).

If he doesn't have enough hides to feel secure, is too cramped or doesn't have the right temps to thermoregulate and digest food - this could all be leading to him not feeding. Improper setup can lead to stress, going off-feed and illness. You can't be sure whether he's not eating because he's just being a BP or if it's due to the problems in your setup. To be sure you need to get your setup in order and then see if that helps. Even if it doesn't these changes are needed.

Some other questions:
What/how are you measuring your temps?
How long has he not been eating?
What size/amount/type of prey was he eating and how often?
What kind of substrate are you using?
How are you heating the cage?
How have his sheds been & what's the humidity?
How long have you had him?

What's his name? Any pics of him or the setup to share?

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My Album

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

Fist, MANY bp's are off feed this time of year. If adequately fed during the spring/summer/fall, you will have nothing to worry about. I have one bp who goes on annual 3-6 month fasts and this snake has been in captivity for over 30 years (and is big). In terms of power feeding, I think I know what you are getting at. If you have a bp who has a history of going on long, self imposed fasts, you probably want to provide an optimal feeding schedule during the spring and summer months (and this will vary depending on the snake...mine will get 3-6 adult mice or two small rats every 7-10 days and that is plenty while my year round feeders get fed every 10-14 days). Other factors that will determine optimal feeding schedules is whether this is a pet, a male breeder or female breeder. Once again, there are many factors. If your bp is kept in a small cage with little opportunities for exercise, then you want to guard against overfeeding (personally, anyone keeping bp's in small cages might want to re-think the option of an adequately sized cage...something no less than 3' x 18" for a decent sized adult).
Rob Carmichael