Growing Into Picky?

[RiA MaU]

Sorry I'm posting so much, but this is all happening at once. I've had Kayly for 8 months now, she's a year and a half old, and she's been living in my friend's house for two months. The whole time I'd had her, she was never a picky eater. Even when I switched her to rats, she struck and at the second it was in her line of site, even in shed. She's always readily taken food no matter the color as well. Recently, I've had to start feeding her every two weeks instead of every week because the last three times I've bought a rat, she's not cared for it until the next time we try a week later. This is not due to moving her as she started this a couple weeks before I did so. Any ideas what she's being picky about? I don't know how much she weighs as I don't own a scale, but I'm fairly certain she's healthy. Is she just now deciding on colors or something? She's eating small rats so I know her food is the proper size. What could it be?

[enginee837]

We have an albino spider female that would only eat mice until we put her in a 12x20x48 cage. Now she will eat anything we put in front of her.
Maybe a change in scenery is in order?

[Ba11er]

i hear that ball pythons will go off feed around 900 grams mine all seemed to around that weight anyways.

[RiA MaU]

Interesting. I cannot change scenery right now as she is with a friend and they don't really have a spot for a different setup... What would you recommend? She's in a 40gal with plenty of plants and hides. Humidity stays around 60%. Temp in basking hide are at 90° and ambient in the rest of the tank is around 83°-84°. I don't know what she weighs.

[RiA MaU]

Also, humidity is around 75%-80% during shed so that isn't ah issue.

[bcr229]

This is normal behavior. When they are young and growing quickly they are always hungry. As they age their growth rate slows and as adults they only need to maintain their weight. They're not "picky" so much as they won't eat themselves until they grow obese and die young, unlike other snake species (or even dogs, cats, horses, people...).

I would just keep offering a rat every two weeks, and plan on offering one every three weeks over the winter.

Look at the bright side - your food bill is going down and she'll be easier to take care of since less input = less output.

[RiA MaU]

Oh, okay. Should this be happening so early? She's not even two.

[enginee837]

Sounds like your enclosure set up is fine, I would go with BCR229. Just keep an eye on it's weight. As long as it is healthy I would not worry about it.

[bcr229]

Oh, okay. Should this be happening so early? She's not even two.

Oh yeah, some hit "the wall" earlier than that.