Ball Python Feeding Problems

[blackorchid77]

I got my ball python from classifieds in the Summer. I was told he was a breeder and that is why he hasnt been eating well when i bought him, and they also fed him live rats. Two months later of owning him, he got a RI, and I took him to the vet for a shot and he and got better, although vet said he was a bit underweight. Since the summer he barely eats anything (i feed him FT). He only feeds on adult mice maybe once or twice a month. He is supposed to be eating Medium rats once every 2 weeks b/c he is full grown male.

the temps and humidity should be fine.
basking side is 90 and cool sides btw 70-80
i always keep the coco soil moist and give him water.

He is male and he has been losing weight since i got him. He is 4 years old.

I have tried feeding him at night, feeding with a blanked over tank, blow-drying the mice.

He seems to always strike the mouse but doesnt eat it, or will stare at me dangling it for half an hour. I've also left the FT mouse for hours with him alone but he still wont eat.

im almost worried there could be somthing wrong with his jaw, maybe not able to swaller bigger pray items? a few times ive fed huim two adult mice in a row, but he doesnt always take the second one.

I dont know how much he weighs unfortunately. his body is still pretty thick but a lot thinner than when i first got him. i dont have an updated pic yet.

does anyone know what to do? should i go to the vet again?
thanks

[blackorchid77]

-he also has hides on each side-

[CLSpider]

Sorry if I read this incorrectly...but you've only fed him ft mice? Why not try live small rats (to start)...seeing as that's what the previous owner said he ate.
??

[blackorchid77]

Sorry if I read this incorrectly...but you've only fed him ft mice? Why not try live small rats (to start)...seeing as that's what the previous owner said he ate.
??

I tried feeding him Small rats but he never took them, he only takes adult mice.

[coldbloodaddict]

I tried feeding him Small rats but he never took them, he only takes adult mice.

So feed him mice if he eats them...

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[decensored]

I got my ball python from classifieds in the Summer. I was told he was a breeder and that is why he hasnt been eating well when i bought him, and they also fed him live rats. Two months later of owning him, he got a RI, and I took him to the vet for a shot and he and got better, although vet said he was a bit underweight. Since the summer he barely eats anything (i feed him FT). He only feeds on adult mice maybe once or twice a month. He is supposed to be eating Medium rats once every 2 weeks b/c he is full grown male.

the temps and humidity should be fine.
basking side is 90 and cool sides btw 70-80
i always keep the coco soil moist and give him water.

He is male and he has been losing weight since i got him. He is 4 years old.

I have tried feeding him at night, feeding with a blanked over tank, blow-drying the mice.

He seems to always strike the mouse but doesnt eat it, or will stare at me dangling it for half an hour. I've also left the FT mouse for hours with him alone but he still wont eat.

im almost worried there could be somthing wrong with his jaw, maybe not able to swaller bigger pray items? a few times ive fed huim two adult mice in a row, but he doesnt always take the second one.

I dont know how much he weighs unfortunately. his body is still pretty thick but a lot thinner than when i first got him. i dont have an updated pic yet.

does anyone know what to do? should i go to the vet again?
thanks

I have a male who has been off feed since october. He's loosing some weight but i'm not really worried about it due to us being in the midst of the breeding season. It's possible that he wasn't eating often for you because he was stressed with the move which brought him over to his RI which brought him to his breeding season fast. It makes sense that you would have issues with feeding. If anyone asks if they should take them to the vet i always say yes. It never hurts to get a professional opinion. However, Adult BP's can live without food for up to a year, its not healthy but it happens sometimes. I would say you don't have anything to be to concerned about until breeding season is over. here are some questions to consider.

1) how often are you attempting to feed him? you said that he'll only eat mice once or twice a month but how often are you offering?

2)70 degrees is much to low for a cool side. anything bellow 75 is unhealthy, but realistically you want it to be around 80 degrees.

3) what was he being fed by the previous owner? If they were feeding live animals your going to run into resistance with feeding f/t.

cheers.

[blackorchid77]

I have a male who has been off feed since october. He's loosing some weight but i'm not really worried about it due to us being in the midst of the breeding season. It's possible that he wasn't eating often for you because he was stressed with the move which brought him over to his RI which brought him to his breeding season fast. It makes sense that you would have issues with feeding. If anyone asks if they should take them to the vet i always say yes. It never hurts to get a professional opinion. However, Adult BP's can live without food for up to a year, its not healthy but it happens sometimes. I would say you don't have anything to be to concerned about until breeding season is over. here are some questions to consider.

1) how often are you attempting to feed him? you said that he'll only eat mice once or twice a month but how often are you offering?

2)70 degrees is much to low for a cool side. anything bellow 75 is unhealthy, but realistically you want it to be around 80 degrees.

3) what was he being fed by the previous owner? If they were feeding live animals your going to run into resistance with feeding f/t.

cheers.

I am a bit confused when does the breeding season start and end?

Also...

1) I was attempting to feed him every 2 weeks b/c thats his normal feeding scheldule w/ the previous owner, but now i offer every week b/c am worried about his weight.

2) I'm finding it extremely hard to monitor cool side temps, my heat temperature gun just broke and its a bit hard measuring with a regular sticky circle thermometre (i know i think i need to get the probing kind).
all i know is, as hot it is in there right now, there is no way to make the tank hotter. I've got two heat pads on each side, with a heat lamp on one side (the hotter side).

3) I know i would have problems and i was worried its a bit of my own fault. i assumed she fed FT when i went to adopt the snake, but when i got there i held him and feel in love, and then she told me she fed him live :S !
i was considering feeding live if i had too but he was mostly eating FT for a while but he has never eaten very much.

im trying to feed him today but thanks for your answer it helped me a lot!

[Annarose15]

Get a scale. It's nearly impossible to know when to be worried about weight loss if you're "eyeballing" it.

[Homegrownscales]

Are you only using the sticky round thermometers? He sounds like a normal male in breeding season. The only thing that concerns me is you have no basis for knowing how much weight he's losing. You eye is a poor judge. And any animal that isn't eating regularly should be weighed and weights recorded regularly. That way you know he is losing weight and then the vet also has a good back ground on the animal. Have you tried live? Some balls switch back and forth on their preference for live or ft. It sounds like to me anyways you've been having problems from the start. Don't take this personally but something sounds off in your husbandry or temps. He should have had a regular feeding schedule developed in summer time. And if it was a normal breeding fast (October - around march, April, may) he would have slowly whittled down. What are your temps? Hot, cold, ambient? Also I keep my males on a regular feeding schedule. I prefer to feed smaller more frequent meals b. it stops the fasts. 90% of my males eat year round never skipping a meal. I only feed med to my large females. They could easily eat a jumbo. But just because they can eat it doesn't mean they should. Have you ever tried weekly weaned rats with him? A smaller more frequent meal might be more effective. Just some thoughts.


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[Homegrownscales]

Btw too hot is also a bad thing. Did I read that correctly "as hot as it is in there right now I can't make it any hotter" if you don't know your exact temps of the hotside you really need too. Too hot will stress the animal out and he won't eat. If he does eat he also may not be able to digest properly bc of the heat being too hot.
Again do not take this personally but SOMETHING is off and that's why you snake isn't and hasn't really been eating.


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