off and on eater...advice?

so i got my pythons a few weeks back... the first time i offered food to my female, she refused (it was f/t), a week later i offered another f/t and refused it again, but soon after I dropped in a live small rat and she ate it right up. This week I decided to not even mess with the f/t and dropped a small rat in and she wouldn't eat. She hasn't pooped since the rat she ate so Im guessing she just hasnt fully digested or something but does anyone have any advice? shes kept in a tub with a hide and my heat tape is at 94. Would uping the tape to 94.5 help he digestion since its only a 4in flexwatt or should I downsize the rat or what? thanks!

also to add to this, the male that is the same size she is ate the same size rat almost instantly.

Try adding another hide. I don't think upping the temp will help.

It only takes them 2 days to digest food from their stomach. Security is probably the issue.

What size tub is the snake in? I second adding another hide for added security. Is the prey an appropriate size? It should be no bigger than the girth of the snake, hopefully a bit smaller. One of my snakes is very particular about the prey size, she doesn't like them nearly as big as the other two (in relation to their size). On the other hand, I've had prey refused because it was too small before as well.

Other tricks might include heating up the f/t prey hotter than normal (did the trick before), pre-scenting the area (leave the rat by the cage for a bit), or leaving a f/t in the cage over night while having the tub covered for added security. This really helped me with my finicky eater.

I'm going to have to disagree about raising the temperature. Raising it a degree or two was suggested by my vet, and it worked wonders.

Also, your snake won't poop between every meal, so I don't think she not digesting fully is the problem.

I wish you the best of luck! Picky feeders can be a real pain, especially when you were hoping to have them up to weight for the breeding season :rolleyes:


EDIT: Forgot to ask, do you feed in a separate enclosure? Keep us updated; if that doesn't work, there are other things. I've tried everything under the sun, haha.

How old are your snakes? Older snakes can not eat for months and no harm come to them. It is distressing for the owner, but some balls are very picky eaters.

Also, if you just got them a few weeks back, she may still be getting adjusted to her new enclosure or the feeding item. Did her previous owner feed her f/t? If not, you may want to stick to what he had been feeding her until she adjusts then try switching to f/t. Did the previous owner report any feeding issues?

Good luck and let us know when she eats.