You aren't supposed to stare at the mouse--You're supposed to eat it!

[TSCole]

Hello all you shiny happy people. How're you and your little lovies? Doing well, I hope.

The ones here.. Not quite so well. Or, well, maybe not. Not entirely positive, and honestly? A bit worried.

There are a total of four balls present in the house I'm living in--Two males, two females, if it matters at all. One male about two years of age, the other roughly a year. One female almost three years, the other about a year as well.

For the past month, we've been encountering some issues regarding the two older snakes--Namely in feeding. Somewhere roughly about the same time, the two eldest decided that they really didn't feel like eating anymore. Initially, this wasn't a tremendous concern, but as time has gone on, we're admittedly kind of worried about their health and whether or not something is actually wrong with them.

Of course, we figured the forums here might be the best bet to try and figure out what may be the problem--If one is there at all.

Some background:

The snakes are being fed thawed mice. This -likely- isn't much of an issue, as they've been eating thawed mice for years, now--And moreover, the other two snakes are devouring them just fine. We haven't changed suppliers, either, since starting them on thawed mice. There's been attempts to try and heat the mice and jiggle them around to make them more tantalizing a target, but this hasn't really had any sort of effect.

Temperature and humidity are well within the ranges they should be, and consistent between all four ball pythons. Again, we doubt this is really the core of the issue.. But, well, information helps.

There's been consideration that maybe it was due to winter being around, but now that we're entering into some very fine weather patterns, that seems out of the question. Moreover, the weather hasn't really affected the two younger snakes' eating habits, either.

There's been no real change to their surroundings, either. It was thought that maybe this all was due to some kind of proximity between the two of them being around breeding age that could be causing a problem, so the female -has- been relocated to another room on a different floor of the house.. But this hasn't really resolved the issue, either, for either snake.

Also, again.. This started at roughly the same time for both of the snakes in question.

There's a decent degree of worry if there might actually be something wrong with the two of them, considering it's been somewhere around a month and a half for the male, and a month for the female. Any advice, suggestions, or.. Well, anything.. It'd be appreciated.

Thanks!

[rabernet]

Do you have any interest in breeding? Sounds to me like they may have love on the mind more than eating right now.

One month isn't a very long time to go off of feed.

[TSCole]

I'm really new at this, honestly. I don't have access to a scale, but they seem to be underweight as it is--I'm not certain if I've really fed them enough. At what point does it really become something to worry about?

[rabernet]

I'm really new at this, honestly. I don't have access to a scale, but they seem to be underweight as it is--I'm not certain if I've really fed them enough. At what point does it really become something to worry about?

Do they appear to have lost any significant weight? Since you're already feeding f/t, is there a reason you've chosen to stay with mice, rather than feeding the larger ones rats?

How often do you feed when they're on feed? Do you feed more than one mouse per feeding?

[TSCole]

They do seem thinner, but it's hard to say how much. The reason we haven't switched over is because we had a lot of mice. Lately, we'd started giving them two to three per week.

[rabernet]

They do seem thinner, but it's hard to say how much. The reason we haven't switched over is because we had a lot of mice. Lately, we'd started giving them two to three per week.

Has anything changed in their environment? How do you have them housed? Are they housed individually or together?

Have you considered offering live?

[Kaorte]

One month is honestly not a big deal, especially if your older snakes are rather large.

It would probably be worth it to get a gram kitchen scale to track their weights if the fast continues. Scales are only about $20 at walmart or target.

[angllady2]

I understand you being worried. It's in our nature to worry when animals we love don't follow the routine.

It is possible your snakes are underweight. If you aren't sure how much they need, it is easy to both under and overfeed them.

That being said, I have a young female pastel who is the hardest to get to eat. She is very small as it is, and when she stopped eating for quite a while, she lost weight she couldn't afford to loose. Her spine started sticking up quite prominently, and she looked pitifully thin. I mean, I don't know everything about these snakes, but even I knew she was much too thin.

More than two months went by, and I worried and fretted and tried every trick in the book. I was to the point of taking her to the vet when she finally ate. She's still not eating as much as I'd like, but she did eat enough to grow enough to shed!

My point is I guess, these guys can go quite a while without food, and it seems much harder on us than it is on them. I do know that once they reach a certain point, a vet may have to intervene, but from what I understand that doesn't happen often.

I wish you all the best with your babies.

Gale

[BPelizabeth]

welcome to the wonderful world of balls.... All of my snakes have been ferocious eaters until lately. My male bee is becoming a freak of nature. I have to kill it first....then he has to rub on it for a long time....stare at it....then the best of all....he puts his head on it for like 30 minutes to an hour. UGHHHHHHH.....we just leave it in for a couple of hours...walk away....and eventually he eats it. Try to just leave it in and let them do their own thing.

Not sure what your enclosure is...rack or tank. If its a rack just close it up and walk away....if it is a tank...cover it up with a towel so it is super private. I don't know why all of a sudden mine is doing this......but what we are doing is working.

[JLC]

From our Caresheet:

WHY WON'T MY SNAKE EAT?
In almost all cases, a ball python refuses to eat due to husbandry issues. Especially a young one. If your snake misses more than one meal (sometimes they will not want to eat while in shed) please check the following possible causes:

Lack of Security -- No hides, or hides that are too large or exposed (ie: half logs). They prefer dark, tight hides they barely fit into. Also, if the enclosure is too large, or too open (glass) or in a high traffic area with a lot of loud noise or movement. Another snake in the same enclosure can also cause serious security issues.

Over Handling -- Frequent intrusions into the enclosure, changes to the enclosure, and/or long frequent handling sessions can cause a shy snake to feel vulnerable and refuse to eat.

Improper Temps -- Temps that are too high or too low, or temps that fluctuate too much. Make sure you have an accurate and consistent read on your temps.

Improper Lighting -- Bright white lights shining directly into the enclosure, or 24 hour lighting can cause stress. Make sure there is some sort of day/night cycle.

Offering New Prey -- Changing prey species (ie: mice to rats) or methods (ie: live to f/t) can cause refusal. Such changes can be made, but may require patience and persistence.

Improper Offering of Prey -- Offering prey too frequently can do more harm than good. If a snake refuses, do not attempt to feed again for a week. Also, changing environments by moving to a feeding-box or removing hides and "furniture" can cause refusal in these shy snakes.

Prey Too Large -- Too large an item may intimidate a snake and cause refusal, or even a regurgitation if it is eaten. Also, if a ball python has eaten large meals in the past, it can cause a sudden an indefinite period of fasting.

Mites -- An external parasite common to snakes that must be treated and eradicated. A product called Provent-a-Mite (P.A.M.) is the safest and most effective method.

Seasonal -- Sexually mature ball pythons may fast for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months during their mating season (typically anywhere from late fall to early spring) especially if a sexually mature snake of the opposite sex is in close proximity.

Illness -- If all other possible reasons are eliminated, a vet check may be in order to look for internal parasites, as well as possible infections to the skin, scales, mouth or respiratory system.

Fortunately, ball pythons are extremely hardy snakes that can go for months (if necessary) of fasting without suffering any ill effects. This gives a responsible keeper plenty of time to figure out why the snake refuses to eat and get them on a regular, consistent feeding regimen.