Ball Python Won't Eat Unless I Feed Him But I can't Live With Him Right Now... Help?

Hi I joined this forum specifically to ask this question since I couldn't find any info online... So sorry if I make mistakes on here or use it incorrectly... I'm new :^P

Onto my problem... I have a male ball python. I've had him for a little over 2 years and he's only refused to eat 2 or 3 times ever and always ate the next week. I feed him small frozen rats currently since those are he best size for him. He's never encountered a live rat or mouse and is content with frozen. He eats once a week or sometimes a week plus a few days. Last month I went to a camp for 2 weeks. He ate when I fed him before I left but when my parents tried to feed him he refused. They tried multiple times. When I got home I tried to feed him and he immediately ate. He 2 weeks in a row for me... But I'm not in the house anymore. I'm going to school and I'm in a dorm where I can't keep him. My parents are taking care of him. They know his care routine and everything. But I've been gone for 3 weeks and he's been refusing to eat again. I've never heard of a situation like this before. I've always heard snake's don't have the capacity for emotions beyond really just fear. Is there any way he's upset because I'm not the one feeding him? Is it a coincidence? I don't want him to starve. I know they can fast for a long time but he's never fasted for more than a week for me. He hasn't lost weight yet but if he keeps going like this... I'm worried about him. Does anyone have any advice? I'm going to be gone for 2 years. I'll be back on breaks and probably about once a month. I haven't visited home yet so I'll have to test it when I get to visit.

As for more info about him... I don't have much info about his background because he's a pet store snake (I'm sorry I know it's bad.) He's probably between 2 and 3 years old. He has a nice large tank (sorry don't know exact dimensions) and his set up is pretty nice. He has a warm side and a cold side with an identical hide on each. The cold side is also the wetter side with a cool mist humidifier sometimes turned on and a water bowl. His substrate is coconut fiber and he has a strange obsession with trying to dig tunnels so I have it decently built up (for some reason he isn't satisfies with only having one exit in his hides.) He has an uth as well as lights on the hot side (His tank actually is supposed to be a fish tank. it has good ground space it's very deep so I use the light to keep it warm enough throughout all the air) On the inside bottom of the tank under the substrate there's a terrarium liner so that if he burrows he won't touch the glass and burn. He has a few fake plants because he likes to climb as well as a safe piece of driftwood in the center of his tank. Nothing has been changed recently. He's been healthy the whole time I've had him. He's never had any sickness or mites or anything and he's always eaten well.

Thank you for your help! If you need any more info about him please ask! I really need advice

Are you sure that your parents are heating the rat correctly? It's possible they aren't making it warm enough. The rat should be at about 100 F. Also, is your UTH regulated by a thermostat? (not to be confused with a thermometer)

My parents are heating it correctly. They make sure it's all the way thawed and warm. My dad even watched me last time to make sure he can feed him exactly how I do. Also I know it's awful but I don't have a thermostat. My parents think it's a waste of money. I do have a terrarium liner across the entire bottom of the tank. I've tested it and he wouldn't be able to burn himself. I monitor the tank temperature closely with multiple thermometers. I know I should have a thermostat but I'm just a teen without a job so technically my parents are the only ones who can control that. When I'm able to take him back and move somewhere on my own I plan on getting him a better system.

A thermostat is literally one of the most important pieces of equipment for a ball python- it's absolutely not a waste of money! You can get this one for only $24:

https://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-Contro...art+thermostat

For now to be safe, I would unplug the UTH until you get a thermostat. Can your parents or friends loan you a bit of money for the thermostat? Also a temp gun will give you much more accurate readings than a thermometer. How's your humidity?


Could you post a pic of your setup? That might be able to help us identify if there's other husbandry problems. Usually when a ball python won't eat it is due to husbandry issues. Maybe there isn't enough clutter and your snake feels too exposed?

When you come home on break I would transition. Be in the room when feeding but have your parents actually do the feeding. Then get farther away each time. Then you can see how they are doing it and your snake learns to eat from other people.

You're taking a gamble keeping him without a thermostat. So far you've been lucky and getting all the high luck dice rolls but that doesn't mean your snake is safe. He will get burned, despite you being convinced you've tested and closely monitored, it's just a matter of when and worse, when you're not around. Show your parents what a burned snake looks like, and it's not impossible for a unregulated uth to melt through.


As for not eating, in addition to the questions already asked, have your parents been handling him? That could be another reason why he's refusing.

I don't know how to effectively reply to posts on here I'm not used to the site but.

@Kira - I know how important a thermostat is... I'm not a very experienced owner (this is my first snake) but I tried to become very educated before I got him. I'll try again to convince my parents to get one. They might since he's now not eating. Thanks for the link to a cheap one! I'm not going to lie, the humidity is probably kind of low. It's hard to keep his tank humid because it'v very deep + I have the lights. I do have a cool mist humidifier but it's not always on because it sometimes creates mold. I know it's not the most ideal set up. If it helps explain the situation I'm a high school student and I'm going to what's pretty much a boarding school for the next 2 years. I plan on getting him a whole new setup when I get my own place and a job. I want to get him a new tank and better heating system.
I can't get a pic of his set up because I'm away from home. I know usually a feeding problem has to do with husbandry but I can't notice anything that's changed other than me being gone. As for his setup I think he should feel secure enough. His hides are a little large for him but they're completely dark, solid domes with one opening. He also has the plants and stick in there. Between all that and the large water bowl there really isn't much open space except vertically.

@Sunnieskys - Thank you! I plan on trying that to see how he reacts. I'm going home in a week.

@MissterDog - As I've stated above the lack of a thermostat is really not my choice. I'm not really convinced that it's safe right now. Really the reason I've put a liner on top of the glass and tested it is because I'm very worried about it. He started burrowing a little within the last year and I freaked out and rearranged his whole tank to try to make it safer. I can't afford to get a better setup at the moment but I am working toward it. I don't want to seem irresponsible I really have done my research and I probably wouldn't have been as willing to get him in the first place if I knew I couldn't have a thermostat and ideal tank but my parents got me everything as a present one year. I know the risks and that's why I'm always worried. I plan on getting a better setup as soon as I can. There's no way I can get a better tank right now but I'm trying to get my parents to buy a thermostat. Right now I've made the tank as safe as I possibly can with what I have. I'm genuinely thankful for the concern, though.
Also I'm not actually sure if my parents have been handling him. I know they've been taking him out but I haven't checked to see if they're taking him out too close to feeding time. Thank you!

By lights do you mean heat lamps? How big is your enclosure? It probably only needs one lamp, a ceramic heat emitter (CHE). Ball pythons don't need actual light bulbs, bright lights can actually bother them. CHEs only emit heat and not light. What kind of substrate are you using? Reptibark and cocohusk help to hold humidity. It's important to have accurate humidity for the health of your snake and so it can shed properly. Well low humidity + no thermostat might be stressing him out. Over handling can also stress ball pythons out. I don't hold my ball python for 48 hours before and after meals.

After fixing these things I really think that your snake will start eating again. Just keep working on improving your husbandry and don't be afraid to ask questions if you have any doubts.

Is there a particular reason your parents are so opposed to getting a thermostat? Is it because they had a specific budget in mind for your ball python or because they don't believe you when you say a thermostat is important?

If it helps you could point out getting a thermostat will be cheaper than potential vet bills.

Have you shared your research with your parents are have they been pretty hands off? Either way good luck on convincing your parents! Maybe if they consider it as an early present for (insert upcoming occasion) they'd be okay with it?


Good luck!

What age did you get the snake at? Are you the only human it's interacted with since a very young age?

I suggest spending time with your parents and the snake at the same time. Having him rest on you for 10 mins, then on one of them for 10, then you, then the other of them, then you, then tank.
Your snake knows your scent specifically. They will react to your pheromones and the chemicals you put out when it's around. While you're with your parents and the snake make sure that you keep yourself in a mind over matter calm or you may spook him. Even the simplest emotions we have can be portrayed in those clouds we put out.

I'm really into snake therapy, and a lot of people might not get it, but... If you're interested I have some ideas (theories really, since we don't know exactly what goes on in their heads).
One way I have helped a snake bond with a human (if only for trust) is actually vocal training by singing to them. Snakes "hear" through vibrations in their skull and skin. Some people who are nervous would probably prefer to hum. During your 10 mins of personal time with each of you, while holding the snake (preferably around your neck unless you're not comfortable), hum or sing a gentle song or your favorite nursery rhyme. The snake might not understand the language, but they are rather smart and do notice patterns, Which music follows. I've noticed that snakes that learn their humans vocal chord vibrations adapt to being calmer around them rather quickly, because nothing else it interacts with does this strange thing.

It's harder to work on this now that you're already out of the house. I think that's why we're all kinda grasping at straws for advice.

Another idea... is if he has bonded to you and your scent and it's their scent that is throwing him off of eating because of lack of trust, the possibility of one of them wearing a shirt of yours with your smell on it while feeding him might help. Maybe a hoodie or something that doesn't get washed every time.

I wish you luck. :) if you'd like any more ideas feel free to ask.