Male BP 9 months still hasn't eaten

I have had him since he was 3 months old. every winter he goes on a hunger strike for 3-6 months. he is 4 years old and this time he has gone 9 months. He recently pooped and shedded and is acting normal but I am sick with worry. I have been attempting to feed him every 2 to 3 weeks but he doesn't show interest. He hasn't been "hunting" at night this entire 9 months. I have tried everything to get him to eat. His lights are on a day and night cycle, I feed at night, his cage does not have see-through sides and he is kept in a quiet area of the house. He has a humid tank with a hot and cold side of his tank, a hide on each side and fresh water every day in the middle of his tank big enough for him to soak in if he wants and I clean his tank regularly. I want to take him to a vet but I don't know any good ones near Puyallup WA, hwever, he doesn't seem to have a resperatory infection or any other ailment. He is my first ball python, so I know that I am a noob, but I have been doing tons of research. I just really need any help that I can get. Will a ball python starve themselves to death? There was no rat-attack or anything that caused this. I have one male brownish rat and he is getting close to getting too big to be used to feeding attempts. I have tried brown male mice and gerbils, live and f/t he WILL NOT eat anything that isn't alive, however. He is a normal so me night've been wild caught but when I got him from a "breeder" as a baby, after his week to settle in, he started eating normally right off of the bat and really, he has always been a good eater despite his winter hunger fasts. I also am in search of a rat breeder in the Puyallup WA area as mine is done breeding rats. Ryuk is 4 feet long I don't have a scale to tell y'all how many g he is. Please help!!:(

Have you tried leaving the rat in his cage overnight?

It's worth getting a big scale to keep track of his weight, so you can know if he is actually getting skinnier/starving himself to death, or not losing much weight to worry. If his body is no longer a round shape and his spine is obvious, it's also indication that he's underweight.

You can post pictures of him to for people on the forum too, just to see if he is skinny or not.

I leave rats for an hour with supervision. The only things I leave in overnight are dead things and mice because they won't hurt him like rats might but if he doesn't eat right away he isn't going to is his personality.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by redshepherd

It's worth getting a big scale to keep track of his weight, so you can know if he is actually getting skinnier/starving himself to death, or not losing much weight to worry. If his body is no longer a round shape and his spine is obvious, it's also indication that he's underweight.

You can post pictures of him to for people on the forum too, just to see if he is skinny or not.

---

Thanks for the tip!

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...psizmwmiqh.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...psmrnb89rv.jpg

He has lived in a glass tank his whole life but I keep it wrapped in paper. I have always fed him in his tank. Feeding boxes don't work for him he doesn't like them. He has also never struck at me or ever shown aggression. He has never tried to bite me ever.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by deadeyelisha

He recently pooped and shedded and is acting normal

---

These are good signs. I second the idea of getting a scale. If he's not losing much weight, his husbandry is all in check, and he seems to be fine, I'm sure he's good to go.

I am having the same issue with my female. I don't want to hijack your thread, I think I'll go start my own.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by auraria

Have you tried leaving the rat in his cage overnight?

---

This is a very bad idea with a live rat.

Anything with the eyes open should NEVER be left in overnight if still breathing. (The following post is "I have never had anything bad happen" followed by "I don't know what happened")

Back to the OP, I don't see anything wrong with your photos. Weight monitoring is a great way to know if you may have other issues going on. Getting a scale now will help in the future but wont do anything now without any record for this animal.

For what its worth my male spider only eats 4 medium rats a year.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Annageckos

I am having the same issue with my female. I don't want to hijack your thread, I think I'll go start my own.

---

If the circumstances are the same then by all means let's collaborate