Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this is the kingsnake section, but I'm sure most of you have more than just kingsnakes. I am pet-sitting a ball python among other animals, but the ball python hasn't eaten in 3 weeks. I've tried fuzzies to full grown adult mice, and it hasn't worked. He shed like a month ago, right before I was supposed to watch him. I'm guessing he needs scented mice... or is there anything else you mind suggesting that isn't costly?
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~Banana~

What was the owner feeding it? Is the bp now with you or still in his/her home? How often did the owner say it eats?
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1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

Well, the owner had a mouse, bigger than a fuzzy smaller than an adult, but that one was tried so many times (she kept refreezing it after the snake refused it) that I threw it away, then I tried an adult. I believe she didn't have the snake long before she went on vacation, so I don't think it ever ate while she had it. I think part of the problem is the snake is like 9-10 inches long... She said she was having problems feeding him too. The snake is at her house in the garage where he's always been.
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~Banana~

Sometimes bps just go off feed, but since he's never eaten for her you should really consider the fact that he may not be eating because his something is wrong with his environment. give us more info:

What size cage?
What's the cool side surface/belly temp?
What's the warm side surface/belly temp?
What kind of thermometer(s) are being used (digital w/ probes, analog, stickons, etc) and where are they placed?
What's the humidity?
What kind of substrate?
What other items are in the tank and where?
If you can provide a pic that would be helpful?
Was the owner feeding live, prekilled or frozen/thawed?
Was the owner having problems with it eating?
Has it been checked for parasites, etc (sometimes a cause)?

Often times if there are probs with the environment they may not eat - and this needs to be fixed because can be causing stress and eventually illness.

Give us more info and we can better help.
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Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

The cage looks like a 10 gallon tank with a slide in lid. She doesn’t have a mat, and it’s kept at 80ish degrees on the warm side, but since the cage is so small there’s hardly a difference in temperature. The thermometer is a round dial looking one. The substrate is reptibark… the same kind of stuff I use with my snake. There’s a water dish that he can easily fit in and soak… there’s a branch, a tree, a coconut hide and a half-log hide. I hold him every time I go, and he is SUCH a docile snake… I dunno if that’s how balls are normally or if he’s awesome, but I love it. Her old snake, a corn, had a problem with mites, but there has been no sign of them with this snake. I believe she comes back saturday, but i'll definately tell her what i learned.
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~Banana~

There you have it. First - the temp on the warm side is wrong. They need warm side belly temps of 90-95 (important for digestion) and they need a temp gradient - meaning cool side temps of 80-85. Difficult to achieve gradients in a 10 gallon. 10 gallons only last maybe the first year of their life? And sounds like he's not getting belly heat - again needed for digestion. Not eating because he doesn't have the right environment to even digest. Probably stressing because he can't adjust his temps very well. And I don't recall how old/big he is, but if the cage is too small that's another cause for stress. Inproper environment leads to going off feed and illness. I can't believe she left you with this to deal with and didn't properly research bp care before leaving (heck, before bringing him home)- ugh. The environment needs to be fixed asap - I'd do it before trying to feed again because he probably just won't eat. Get a small reptile or human heating pad, set it on the warm side of the tank and try to get those temps up in the proper range. If the snake is older, he also needs a bigger home. Finally, the stick on analog thermometers are crap - unreliable and don't allow you to measure temps where you need to...with a loose substrate like that you need to measure under the substrate - where the snake will absorb heat if he decides to go under the substrate. She needs a good digital thermometer with probes. When will she be back or will you have to take care of this yourself?
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Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

I believe she comes back Sunday, but thanx for your input. I have a kingsnake so I didn't have any idea what to do... I'll tell her what you said and hope the changes will help. Thanx again for replying!
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~Banana~

You're welcome - hopefully it helps her. Yeah, Ball Python and kingsnake care can be quite different. Kings are much easier as you can probably tell now.
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Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

...trust me on this one! I don't 100% guarantee it will work, but I've had and worked with quite a few ball pythons who have been finicky eaters, and once presented with a nice fat gerbil have gobbled them down no problem. The only bad side to this is that they may not eat mice/small rats again, even gerbil scented ones, preferring the more expensive gerbils instead.
Best of luck!
~Roo
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"Klaatu...Verata...Nicht--cough, cough, cough!"

Gerbils have worked for me before too. The first snake I ever bought (before I knew any better) was an adult import Ball Python. After several failed attempts at feeding, a reptile vet I knew suggested a gerbil. I placed a pre-killed gerbil outside the Ball's hide box and it disappeared that night. After a couple of times of this, he switched to pre-killed mice easily. It is also true that Ball's are notorious for going off feed for long periods for no apparent reason. As long as the snake doesn't show any ill effects, I wouldn't be too worried. Just keep trying. Hope this helps.

Todd