First time going off feed...actively avoiding f/t rat...normal?

So my bp hasn't eaten in roughly a month and a half. She normally goes off feed about a week or so before shedding... But she just shed yesterday, and I offered her a f/t rat (which she normally eats) tonight and when I presented it to her, it seemed as if right when she realized that it was "food" she turned around and moved away from it like she was scared and trying to hide. Is this normal behavior for a ball going off feed for an extended period of time?

She also refused meals two consecutive weeks prior to shedding, and tonight I pre-scented the cage with a bit of mouse bedding from the pet store...she had her head poked out of her head as if she was eagerly awaiting a mean, but then completely threw me for a loop...

Any help/ideas?

No help? How often should I keep offering food to her? She is my only snake and i hate to have to throw out a rat every week if she is going to be off feed for the winter/an extended period of time.

I don't know much about the snakes going off food for a while but I know you could try to leave the rat in the cage for a while and she might eat it while you aren't looking.

I've tried leaving the rat in her cage over night a couple times now...no luck. Does going off feed correlate to breeding season?

check your husbandry if its good wait like 5 -7 days and try again if not spend the next 5 to 7 getting it up to speed then try.. a month to you is life threatening a month to your snake isnt a big deal at all especially if hes big enough to eat a rat..

and as far as it appearing afraid he may or may not be.. i know that when i feed mine if i get the prey too close to him he backs off sometimes just for a second sometimes for a couple days.. i dont think you need to worry yet

and yea alot of snakes go off feed during the breeding season.. its normal

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Originally Posted by jimbus

So my bp hasn't eaten in roughly a month and a half. She normally goes off feed about a week or so before shedding... But she just shed yesterday, and I offered her a f/t rat (which she normally eats) tonight and when I presented it to her, it seemed as if right when she realized that it was "food" she turned around and moved away from it like she was scared and trying to hide. Is this normal behavior for a ball going off feed for an extended period of time?

She also refused meals two consecutive weeks prior to shedding, and tonight I pre-scented the cage with a bit of mouse bedding from the pet store...she had her head poked out of her head as if she was eagerly awaiting a mean, but then completely threw me for a loop...

Any help/ideas?

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You can try placing the rat under a heat lamp for a min or two. My BP goes crazy :rolleye2: for them warm and not just room temp. However just make sure you don't get it too warm as it could burn your BP. :colbert:

I had a lesser female go off feed for three months. Just offer food like normal once a week, or ten days, whatever your schedule is. When your snake decides its gonna eat again, it will. Its kinda like flipping a switch with them. Welcome to the stressful part of loving BP's, lol.:D

Hi,

What weight is she up to now and how steady is her weight holding during the fast?


dr del

One of ours goes off for months every year... from about November til March. He's 13 now and he's done it every year that I can remember. It's frustrating, yes, but usually since I know he's going to do it I'll only offer him a meal every 2-3 weeks during that time so I'm wasting less.

Another thing you could try is giving her a live mouse to try to "jump start" her feeding.

Weight has stayed around 680 grams...guess ill just keep trying every week or so. thanks for all the advice

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

What weight is she up to now and how steady is her weight holding during the fast?


dr del

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