Very Frustrating Feeding Issues! Please Help!!

[Tirevy]

Okay, so this will be long, but bear with me...

Here's the email that I sent to the breeder that I bought my bp from. Take a look:



I purchased an '09 normal female from you at the ERAS fall show and sale [October 2, 2010]. After the first week of having her, I offered her a thawed weanling rat. She took it very readily. She weighed 600g then. I tried the next week, but no luck. About 3 weeks after bringing her home, I moved her tank into my room where it is a lot warmer. I kept trying to feed her, but still no luck. About the 5th week after she ate for the first time, she seemed interested in the rat I offered; poking her nose at it for about 20 minutes, but no take. Only last night [November 25,2010] (7th week- weighs 568g) she finally took the rat. I just left it in her tank by her, turned off all the lights, and left the room for about 20 minutes. I came back and it was gone. I thawed another one, but she never took it.

I have Sezy in a 35G tank. It is 92 x 46.5 x 32 cm in dimensions. To me, the tank seems oddly narrow, but perhaps that is because it's quite tall (46.5cm). I have two hides in the tank, one on each side, and a fake plant over one of them. A water dish, large enough for her to crawl into it or whatnot. I am using aspen bedding as her substrate. I have covered the back and both sides of the tank in black paper, and the screen with tin foil to keep in the humidity. Her humidity is at around 55-65%. Her UTH is at 92F. Her cool side, using a CHE, I have measured at around 80-86F. "




Okay, so now she last ate on Thursday the 11, one weanling rat. She shed for the first time for me on the 8th. Very good shed, no problem whatsoever. I tried tonight, (23rd) feeding her a thawed weanling rat. This time, she seemed terrified of it. I left it in her tank with her, like I did the other times. She immediately left that side of the tank and went to the other. I picked up the rat, and tried to offer it to her again, but she started hissing at it like crazy. So I immediately took it out, and now I'm just leaving her.

Boy, she's driving me crazy! Is there something I'm doing wrong? Should I try bigger prey/different colour or what else? We can't exactly have live rats in Alberta, so if that's the case, what should I offer instead for live?


Also, she hasn't pooped since I fed her on November 25....

[Homegrownscales]

She Is a yearling and they can be very frustrating. First off I don't think you have too terribly much to worry about she is feeding just sporadically. You have a scale and the thing to look for its lots of weight quickly. I've seen yearlings that will feed weekly and then one day adjust their own schedule. Especially the girls. Second I'm not a big fan of dangling the rat to close to them. I drag it most of the time or to entice them I'll hold it about 6 inches away from them and shake it vigorously. Seems to work pretty well with out getting right in their face. I'm not to sure what the weather is around there also but some balls will go through their fasting stages and especially girls again will practice this. They will fast or eat very small amounts for a few months when their brain says hey it's time to brumate. Hopefully I didn't forget anything. But I hope it at least gives you a little peace of mind.

[Homegrownscales]

Oh also sorry the defecation thing. You can either stop feeding until she goes or give her a nice 20 min soak in a tub, water temp at like 88.f.
Morgan

[Crazy4Herps]

I feel for you; have been through the same thing myself. You are doing everything just fine, it is a ball python thing. My 5 year old female is the exact same way. One day she'll be all over a rat, the next she'll completely ignore it, or eat only very small mice, or rats of a certain color, then she'll act interested in a rat but 30 minutes later she still isn't interested enough to take it, fasting on and off the whole time. It's a real pain. That's one reason why it's nice to have multiple snakes; I've got my 5 year old, then I've got four other garbage disposals, eating everything she doesn't want.

It's super frustrating, but the truth is, they can go a long time without food, so there's no reason to worry if they fast for a while. The rule of thumb in my house is that a fast that lasts longer than four or five months warrants a fecal test and/or a vet trip. While they can stay healthy for much, much longer without food, it's a good idea to check for parasites and infection, as these can cause fasts as well.

Really, it sounds like you've simply got a stubborn feeder. Try warming the rodents with different methods (warm water, hair dryers, heat lamps, etc, NO ovens or microwaves), try purchasing different sizes (my fussy eaters take smaller prey much more readily), colors, genders, etc. Try gerbils as well as mice and rats. But most importantly, don't worry about her, this is normal.

[SlitherinSisters]

Well if she's eating f/t that's not the issue, so you don't need to buy live. Also, a 35 gallon tank is pretty big for her, it's about 3 feet long and the rule of thumb is have a floor length that is 2/3rds as long as the snake. 40 gallon breeder tanks are often used for adult bps. As for feeding her, don't taunt her with the rodent, that can definitely scare a timid snake. put the f/t rodent in the tank late at night and leave it in all night, don't bug her, don't move it around, just drop it in and leave it. I would consider moving her to a smaller tank for awhile, if you don't want to do that you can try adding fake plants.

[LeviBP]

I would not fret. This is normal. This is plausibly the only draw back to BP's, they will go on hunger strikes occasionally. If this behavior continues wait two weeks before offering food again, this often helps. If your BP does not eat within three months, take him/her to the vet or have someone with experience "force feed" him/her. But this is unlikely, some tips to entice your BP are, split the head of the mouse, dip in tuna fish, or gently rub against the sides of your BP. If your BP still pays no attention after a two week wait, wait another one to two weeks.

[LGL]

I had an extremely picky addition last year. Once the rat was completely thawed, I'd heat it up with a hair dryer (especially the head/neck area) for 10 seconds or so. I stuck the F/T rat just inside his hide or up against him where I knew that he knew that it was there. I then turned the lights off, left the room, and left the area completely alone for three hours. I came back to find the tail of the rat sticking out of his mouth as he was finishing up. I wouldn't suggest leaving a F/T rat overnight. They cool down relatively quickly and the odor as decomposition begins isn't very pleasant.

As others have said, many Ball Pythons fast or become sporadic feeders during the winter. Since she is feeding, how ever inconsistent, this is most likely the case.