Female JCP won't eat.

I got my female JCP in February of this year. 4-5 feet long. She ate the week after I got her, and the following week. Both times F/T small rats. That was the last time she ate...early March. She has not eaten in 7 months. She's in a large Repti Rack cage, around 4x2x2 with a fluorescent light set on a timer for 12 hr on/12 hr off. She has a hide. Driftwood. Fake plants. Aspen substrate. UTH on a thermostat set to 90. I don't know what this snake's problem is. She's worse than any ball python I've had. When I first got her she had cypress mulch substrate and a small water bowl. That was IT. The only thing I've changed is the subrate because the cypress was getting moldy. I've tried live, F/T and prekilled rats and mice. During the day and at night. Left a F/T in overnight. No interest at all. The only thing I can think of to do is stick her in a tub. Maybe she's stressed from too much space? But the guy I got her from had her in the cage for months. She hasn't grown at all. I would say she's a little thin, but not emaciated looking. It just sucks because she was supposed to be my "display" snake. My BPs are in a rack. Could the substrate change cause it? Has anyone had this problem?

Try leaving the light off

Any idea what her eating habits were like before?

Does she act "shy", or confident and just not interested in food? The first can be dealt with, the latter I have generally just had to wait out a feeding strike.

For my one "shy" carpet python (still young and small), I quite literally feed in the dark with a headlamp on. A half hour after all lights go out, the snakes start cruising and it's prime feeding time for me.

my python has not ate 4 3 weeks i cant find any rats in town should i be worried yet bout that i got 2 ball pythons

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sixx

my python has not ate 4 3 weeks i cant find any rats in town should i be worried yet bout that i got 2 ball pythons

---

Don't hijack threads.... You'll get more help if you start a new thread with more detail. Where are you located? Are here any reptile shows near you? How old are your snakes? If they haven't eaten because you can't find rats, you need to find rats! Just remember that they rely on you soley to keep them alive. You need to do whatever you have to, to get them food.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BallChick

I got my female JCP in February of this year. 4-5 feet long. She ate the week after I got her, and the following week. Both times F/T small rats. That was the last time she ate...early March. She has not eaten in 7 months. She's in a large Repti Rack cage, around 4x2x2 with a fluorescent light set on a timer for 12 hr on/12 hr off. She has a hide. Driftwood. Fake plants. Aspen substrate. UTH on a thermostat set to 90. I don't know what this snake's problem is. She's worse than any ball python I've had. When I first got her she had cypress mulch substrate and a small water bowl. That was IT. The only thing I've changed is the subrate because the cypress was getting moldy. I've tried live, F/T and prekilled rats and mice. During the day and at night. Left a F/T in overnight. No interest at all. The only thing I can think of to do is stick her in a tub. Maybe she's stressed from too much space? But the guy I got her from had her in the cage for months. She hasn't grown at all. I would say she's a little thin, but not emaciated looking. It just sucks because she was supposed to be my "display" snake. My BPs are in a rack. Could the substrate change cause it? Has anyone had this problem?

---

Have you tried live? If not that's what I would do...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mainbutter

Try leaving the light off

Any idea what her eating habits were like before?

Does she act "shy", or confident and just not interested in food? The first can be dealt with, the latter I have generally just had to wait out a feeding strike.

For my one "shy" carpet python (still young and small), I quite literally feed in the dark with a headlamp on. A half hour after all lights go out, the snakes start cruising and it's prime feeding time for me.

---

No idea. The guy didn't tell me. He actually asked me a few weeks ago how she was doing, and when I said she hadn't eaten in 6+ months he didn't reply...
I think she's just not interested. She's almost always out during the day (she has two pvc pipe perches she is usually on, or her driftwood). I wait until her light is out to attempt feeding, which is just a cheap low quality fluorescent. Doesn't put off much light to begin with. She flat out ignores any food item I offer, live or dead. Rats or mice. Mice are always my last resort, and are usually too tempting for my snakes to refuse. Except her. She doesn't shy away like she's scared of them, she just sits there and does nothing. I've had several other carpets, and they always ate like clockwork.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, I have left her light off for the past 2 weeks, so I will be trying again tomorrow. I'm not very hopeful. My last resort will be putting her in a tub. :tears: