Wont eat, need more advise?!?

[ChompsBP]

Well my male ball python hasnt eaten anthing scince the beggining of december. I fed him a small rat before we took the 6 hour trip home (kept his temps and humided correct), but he refuses to eat scince then. Ive cleaned his cage, changed his heat source (old one was getting to hot), hes shed once, and ive offered him several differnt sized rats and mice from differnt pet stores. What else can I do to get my BP to eat. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Freakie_frog]

how old is he??

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Well my male ball python hasnt eaten anthing scince the beggining of december. I fed him a small rat before we took the 6 hour trip home (kept his temps and humided correct), but he refuses to eat scince then. Ive cleaned his cage, changed his heat source (old one was getting to hot), hes shed once, and ive offered him several differnt sized rats and mice from differnt pet stores. What else can I do to get my BP to eat. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

What excatly are your humidity and temps and what type of thermometer/hydrometer do you use to measure them.

What is the size of your BP and the size of his enclosure?

Can you describe your hides?

[JLC]

If you give a more thorough description of your set-up, we might be able to spot specific stress issues that are causing him to not eat.


In the meantime...some things to consider as possibilities:

Cage is too big. An oversized glass aquarium will sometimes freak out a shy ball python. Try switching to a more appropriate size or a plastic tub.

Cage is too exposed. All that glass leaves some ball pythons feeling very exposed. Try covering 3 sides with something opaque. Move cage to a low-traffic part of the home.

Cage temps fluctuating too much. Even if at some point in the day you hit the correct gradient of low-90's to low-80's...if the temps are swinging 10 degrees or more throughout the day, it can cause the snake to not eat. Try placing cage in a small closet or someplace in the house where ambient temps are relatively stable. Use t-stats on all heat sources to achieve perfectly stable temps.

Feeding too often. If a food source is constantly being offered, it can stress the snake out, even if they are hungry. Try offering food once per week on the same day and at about the same time each week. ROUTINE is key to getting a snake to eat. Also try pre-scenting the room with the rodent for about 30 minutes before offering. This helps get the snake into hunting mode before its home is "invaded" by another creature.

Snake isn't feeling secure. They MUST feel secure in their environment in order to eat. Eating is a very vulnerable time for them when they are at the mercy of predators. Make sure the snake has at least two snug-fitting, solid "caves" to hide in. Try filling the cage to the top with loosely crumpled newspaper and leave it in there until the snake is eating regularly. (Gradually remove a clump or two after each successful feeding.) Do not handle or play with the snake at all until it is eating regularly. Keep the cage clean and the water fresh, but otherwise, leave him completely alone.

There are other issues to look into, of course...but those are some basic ones that you can go through and rule out or consider as potential reasons for your current circumstances.