Feeding my python.

[Nicholas1985]

So first off I am very new to having a ball python as a pet and I do realize that there are already many threads that have been started for problems with owners feeding their BP's. I bought a female ball back in July and didn't have problems feeding her until recently. She is roughly 3 1/2 feet long and the last time she ate I gave her a medium sized rat. I have been feeding her live because that was what the previous owner fed her. It is now january and some sites have suggested that they sometimes don't eat during the winter months. The temperature is 80-85 with a 90 degree basking area and the humidty is around 40-50. Should I take her to a vet? I've been getting very nervous the past three weeks about her refusing food everytime i feed her. Also until today whenever i tried to feed her a rat she would back away very quickly when the rat got close. She showed improvement today by actually investigating the rat but then shying away afterwards.

[blackcrystal22]

So first off I am very new to having a ball python as a pet and I do realize that there are already many threads that have been started for problems with owners feeding their BP's. I bought a female ball back in July and didn't have problems feeding her until recently. She is roughly 3 1/2 feet long and the last time she ate I gave her a medium sized rat. I have been feeding her live because that was what the previous owner fed her. It is now january and some sites have suggested that they sometimes don't eat during the winter months. The temperature is 80-85 with a 90 degree basking area and the humidty is around 40-50. Should I take her to a vet? I've been getting very nervous the past three weeks about her refusing food everytime i feed her. Also until today whenever i tried to feed her a rat she would back away very quickly when the rat got close. She showed improvement today by actually investigating the rat but then shying away afterwards.

A medium rat seems a bit big to me.. You should be feeding her a rat about the same thickness as her body.

What size tank is she in? You may need to downsize since she isn't eating to make her feel more secure.

[JLC]

It's only been three weeks since she ate? If so, you've got nothing to worry about. How much does she weigh, any idea? If she's 3.5 feet long, and eating medium rats, it sounds like she's plenty mature and may be more interested in finding a mate right now than in finding food. If she's still a bit on the small or lean side...then medium rats may be a bit too big for her. Not that they hurt her to eat them, but they will fill her up and make her not want to eat for awhile.

I'd switch to offering food once every two weeks until she is ready to eat again. Don't worry too much about her. Mature ball pythons can go several months without eating and suffer no ill effects.