should i be worried?

Hi guys,

I got my bp about 2 1/2 months ago at a reptile convention and she was eating like a charm. Ate once a week a small mouse (shes only 17-18 inches long and a big small mouse is about the size of her waist). She had a shed, and was eating just fine.

She stopped eating about a month ago and has rejected 5 mice (live). Humidity, temp have all been the same as when she was eating. I can't think of anything that has changed in her living conditions.. I took her out today and it looks like her belly is getting pink again so shes entering another shed..How long can she go without eating before i need to take drastic measures?

Well, first of all, what are your temps and humidity? I'm assuming they're fine, but just so we have something to work with.

Ball pythons can be extremely frustrating. Sometimes they stop eating for reasons that only make sense to them. I mean, you said she ate last time when she was in shed? Maybe something about this particular shed cycle she just doesn't feel like eating. Who knows :rolleyes: If your temps and humidity are fine and you haven't changed anything, then it's probably just her being a ball python. If she were older I would say it was the breeding season cycle, but only being 17in it's probably not likely.

Most ball pythons can go 3-4 months without eating with no ill effects, and some people have said theirs have gone longer, so a month really isn't that long of a time. The only time you should worry is if she starts losing a lot of weight. So even though it's aggravating, just keep offering her food every week, keep her temps correct, etc... and eventually she'll eat again :)

You can take her to a herp vet and get a check-up and fecal smear if you're worried. But not eating by itself isn't really abnormal, especially this time of year. I'm offering food every other week right now, just to keep my sanity.

Oh, and there's a good chance she'll eat again after she's shed. Shedding sometimes seems to signal a change in eating habits for my animals.

What is your setup like? Sometimes they can be fine with the setup for months, and then suddenly decide they don't like it anymore and stop eating.

Generally, ball pythons don't eat if they are very stressed, don't feel safe, or kept at the wrong temperatures.

Have you been handling her since she stopped eating?