Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had my BP for over a year now and he's gone off feed once before for about 2 months. As of right now he's gone about 5 months without a meal. He hasn't shed in this time period, it doesn't seem that he's drinking, and he hasn't left me any surprizes in his cage. I know it's breeding season but it seems he started his fast before the winter, and he's lost quite a bit of weight. I don't have a scale so I look at it this way, before he went off feed I couldn't get my fingers to touch each other around his body, now I can not only touch fingers, but they overlap a little. (hope that makes sense.) He's really dull like he wants to shed but more ashy, his scales aren't looking right to me, almost like leftover scales from a shed, but it wasn't like that before. I don't know what to do, I've tried numerous ways to try and feed and he doesn't take to any of them. Does this sound familiar to anyone? should I be worried? Is it time for a vet visit? Thanks in advance for any help.

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1.1 Ball Pythons
1.0 Bolivian Boa
1.0 Western Hognose
3.0 Ferrets
2.0 Cats
2.0 Dogs
0.2 Rats

I had a ball python go a year before it finally started eating great (about 8 months without a meal)
I am sure there are a lot of non- feeding ball python success stories.
I have picked up ball pythons from loving keepers who say it's a picky snake only to find that after adjusting to the snake's needs, they soon become great eaters.
Make sure the temps are correct, and offer him secure hides (on both sides of it's cage,)
The snake that didn't eat for me for 8 months was previously kept in a 10 year olds room on top of his TV.
They can stress easily.
What it comes down to is this:
If it was your kid, would you pay to visit a doctor just to be sure?
A vet visit never hurts (well, depending on the vet and your pocket book)
Good luck!

I would take him into the vet...
They can get a fecal on him without a 'sample' and they can also check for mites, seeing as though the scales don't look quite right to you. If you can see that he is losing weight, that's not a good thing either!
Maybe changing his environment and the room or place that the cage is in will help him start to eating again too.

I'm not sure about the eating, but I have an idea about the scales. I would check the humidity and temps. check to make sure every other day or so to make sure the water is clean. I change my bp's every other day or so. I'm not a vet, so I would recommend you see one.

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--0.0.1 ball python
--0.1 orange cat
--2.0 dogs
--0.0.3 frogs
--3.0 beta fish
--0.0.1 green anole
--and some cockroaches

Is it a wild caught or CB?

If it IS wild caught have you tried a small gerbil for food?

The scale thing sounds like it could be dry scales, I have seen dry scales which look like that, sometimes in patches or evenly all over. If you humidity is within reason though then something else may be up: See a vet for that.

A voluntary fast won't harm a snake unless it goes for a LONG time. I had a ball python just suddenly stop eating and go on a voluntary fast. 22 months later, with minimal weight loss, he started up again like he never missed a meal. If you seriously suspect the reason for his fast has something to do with his possible skin condition then by all means get that taken care of, and the fast will take care of itself. BPs can be tricky this way and it can be frustrating when an animal you care so much for will not eat. There is no need to force it into eating anything, he will come around when he is ready. In all honesty the time to really worry is when there is rapid weight loss.

If you have that many concerns it may be worthwhile to take it to a vet just to give yourself a peace of mind.