Ball python won't eat, resists assist feeding

[BonnieBallPython]

my ball python is a bit over 3 feet long. i'm not sure of her weight, but she is large enough to eat small frozen-thawed rats. she has not eaten in about two months, and she resists attempts at assist feeding. we tried multiple times, but she is at a size and weight now that it is difficult to hold her in place without hurting her, even with 2 people. we have been trying to feed her small rats for the past couple months, which she used to eat just fine. i am thinking about buying mice instead and assist feeding her those.

she does not appear dangerously skinny, but she seems to be getting thinner. obviously, i'm no expert.

what can i do? how much longer can she go without food? why might she not be eating in the first place?

[Eramyl]

You're stressing her out by assist feeding. You should really only do that with hatchlings that refuse to start eating. Ball pythons will go off feed from time to time. Females seem to hit "the wall" at about 1,000 grams where they quit eating for a while. Yours might be getting close to the wall.

It's normal for a ball to quit eating and lose a little weight. If your husbandry hasn't changed, no new cages and temp fluctuations, then just accept it for what it is, a fast. Reduce offering food to every other week and don't force anything.

However, if you're adamant that she feed, try to find a live small eat to feed her. Sometimes the live rat will trigger the feeding responce and get her back on track.

[Sunnieskys]

First get a scale and weigh her. They can go months without food depending on weight. Things that are a necessity with snakes is: a thermostat, a infrared heat gun, and a scale that reads up to 5000g.

Tell us us about your set up. All the little details and a picture as well would be awesome. Use the tapatalk app. So much easier.

[Craiga 01453]

You DEFINITELY do NOT want to assist feed that snake. You're causing WAY more harm than good. That poor snake is stressed to the max and definitely will not eat like that. Two months is nothing in snake time. Snakes can go much longer without food. Since the snake is already established as a good eater it is most likely just a simple fast, which is EXTREMELY common among snakes, BPs in particular.

Don't offer again for two weeks, and only offer every 2 weeks until she starts eating again.

Weigh the snake an keep track of her weight. If she loses more than 10-15% body weight then it might be time for a vet visit.

Lastly, I don't know who, if anybody, advised you to assist feed, but i wouldn't take advice from that person anymore. Think of it like this: you know how to eat on your own. Would you like a group of people holding you down and trying to literally force food down your throat when you aren't hungry??? Probably not. Neither does your snake. She knows how to eat and WILL when she's ready.
Assist feeding is for hatchlings who've never eaten and literally need to be taught how. Even then it's a last resort.

[Alter-Echo]

Just to put this in perspective. I have a female pastel ball python adult that has not eaten since the middle of November. She was around 1500 grams when she stopped, and since then has shed once and is about to shed again. I weighed her last week and she weighs 1420 grams....so after about 4 months with no food she lost only 80 grams.. . Most of that is probably just poop. So as long as your snake is healthy she can go a very long time without eat, and for many bps this is normal in the winter and early spring.just make sure her cage temps are within the correct limits and that she has plenty of water and a secure place to hide and she should start eating again.

[CALM Pythons]

I have no clue were people get the idea that Pythons need to be Force Fed. A healthy Ball python (not Hatchling) can go a year without eating and not have any problems what so ever.
If it really is a female she might have hit the 1000 gram wall... If its a male some start fasting as small as 350-500 grams and will fast every winter. Some wont...
Never try to assist feed a snake that isn't starving... Thats like someone trying to feed you when you don't need to eat & aren't hungry what so ever.


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[bcr229]

Double and then triple-check that your husbandry is correct and your snake's enclosure is clean.

Stop assist feeding. Ball pythons have evolved for survival, which means as adults they really only need to eat a few times each year, and in the wild they are a LOT more active because they have to hunt for their food and take what they can get; meals are not dropped in front of them at regular intervals.

[cchardwick]

I was going to say something but I think it's already covered above LOL. Welcome to the forum and feel free to poke around some more, there's tons of info here and you will learn a lot. I really didn't know what I was doing when I started out either, I learned a lot on this site as well as YouTube videos! Welcome!!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

You do not assist a healthy snake that knows how to eat, snakes are very efficient and can go a good while without eating however sometime the issue is not feeding itself but due to husbandry and some simple changes often temporary may help the animal resume feeding.

What is the animal's size (weight)?
How big is your enclosure?
What are your tems? WHat type of thermometer are you using? Where do you get your reading?
Are your hides tight like shells on a turtle's back?

If an animal is big enough to eat a small rat (your BP is not a baby anymore) but an animal that is at least 500 grams or over, if not you are using the wrong terminology when it comes to feeder so please get a weight on those feeders as well.

A 500 grams BP could go of feed for 6 months or longer.

The more details you will provide the better people will get an understanding of the situation and the better they will be able to tell you if it is something natural that need to be waited out or something that need to be fixed.

[Prognathodon]

My husband’s problem-feeder BP is 3-1/2 years old, and was only 375 grams in November. She just ate Friday, first time since July, and before that was last April. (Moved her to a smaller tub in a quiet room back in January, not sure if that helped or if she finally got hungry) She’s a little thinner than I’d prefer, but not terrible. She is, however, about the size of a juvenile, unlike our big (actually average-size girls) about the same age.

My 21-gram male sand boa hasn’t eaten since Halloween.

Patience, quit trying to assist-feed, and make sure your husbandry is perfect. 3 months is not that long.


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