Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click for ZooMed
Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You

my ball python wont eat can anyone help me????????

BloodPython7 Mar 14, 2004 06:32 PM

i just got a ball python 2 weeks ago and he hasnt eaten for me yet! im sure its not his cage setup neither because he has water, heating pad, light/heat source/hot spot, and a hide spot. the hot spot is about 85 and on the other side of the tank he has a hide box and he has a large water bowl to drink and soak so i have no idea why he isnt eating and i know his food isnt too big because he is about 3 feet and he can eat small rats and he didnt eat those so i tried to give him a mouse and he wont even eat that! could anyone tell me what i can do to get him to start eating again??? thank you

Replies (7)

lilroach56 Mar 14, 2004 06:44 PM

1 your temps should be 90 hot side and 80 cool side
2 your humidity should be around 55-65%
3 leave in a FT or prekilled mouse in the cage overnight
-----
0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 normal ball python (felix)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

Tigergenesis Mar 14, 2004 07:01 PM

What was he eating before you got him (size, fresh, frozen, prekilled, etc)? Was he eating regularly then?

I agree, your temps are wrong (90-95 warm, 80-85 cool) and you need at least one hide on each side of the tank - of the right size (snug, tight, low and mine prefers round).

What are you using to measure temps and where are you measuring them?

Has he lost any weight?

Post a pic of your setup if you can - that may help.

Many people assume it's not their setup and are quick to rule it out, but in fact we usually find there is a problem with the setup which may very well be the cause. Best place to start is making sure the setup is correct and once that's ruled out you can start to figure out if it's the food, the way your're feeding, health or if it's just a normal going off-feed phase. Since an incorrect setup can cause many problems (stress, illness, going off-feed, etc) it's wise to work on that as well.
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
"Indigo"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

BloodPython7 Mar 14, 2004 07:16 PM

ok i will change the temp and yes he has lost a little weight the pet store i got him from said he ate 1 med rat a week so i tried feeding him one and he wouldnt take it so i tried a small rat and he refused that too the i tried a mouse today and he hasnt eaten it yet

lilroach56 Mar 14, 2004 07:26 PM

what is the humidity?
-----
0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 normal ball python (felix)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

Tigergenesis Mar 14, 2004 07:29 PM

were they feeding live, prekilled or frozen/thawed?
which were you trying to feed?
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
"Indigo"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

BloodPython7 Mar 14, 2004 10:44 PM

im not exactly sure what percent the humidity is but they were feeding him live and i tried feeding him live and fresh killed and he wont take either

Tigergenesis Mar 15, 2004 05:46 AM

That tells me it's more than likely setup problems. Get that fixed and give him a week or two with the correct setup and try again. You need to measure humidity as it's an important part of the setup.
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
"Indigo"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

Site Tools