A couple of questions.

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Originally Posted by steavelee2

I am a keeper and breeder of ball pythons. Ball pythons have a very slow metabolism, and don't seem to experience hunger the way we mammals do. As a result, if conditions aren't right for them, they can and WILL starve themselves to death. So it is important to get them feeding. Thankfully, because their metabolism IS slow, if you have an animal older than 1 year, you probably have plenty of time. Small hatchlings are much more delicate, and can be in trouble after a month of not eating.
The first step to check whenever you have a reptile that isn't feeding is its environment. Reptiles will not feed if conditions aren't right. Ball pythons need a cage with a 90F basking area, and it should be 80F on the other end. This allows them to adjust their body temperature by moving around. They need a small, dark hide cave JUST big enough for them to curl up inside, tightly. There should be one of these on each end of the cage. They should have a dish of water, and the humidity should be 60%. The day and night cycle should be 12 hours of light, 12 of dark.
Don't touch the snake. Don't pick it up, don't poke it, don't look under the hide, don't let anyone ELSE bother it. Leave it alone, completely, for at LEAST 5 DAYS. After 5 days of solitude, quiet, and perfect temperatures, wait about 1/2 hour after the lights go out, and then offer the snake a live mouse or rat that is about as big around as the thickest part of the snake. Sit down, quietly, and watch. If the rodent becomes aggressive toward the snake, remove the rodent immediately. If the snake does not stalk the rodent within 1/2 hour of your putting it in there, remove it.
Schedule a veterinary appointment. Take the snake to a vet. If you CAN, bring a fecal sample--of course, a snake that isn't eating may not produce one. Tell the vet the snake's history. The vet will look over the animal and check for infections and other signs of illness. Illness is the Number 2 cause of 'anorexia' in reptiles, right behind improper environment/stress. (Some would say it's Number 1--but environment is easy to check at home).
If the vet gives the snake a clean bill of health, take it home, put it back in its perfect cage, and wait another week--and try again. Monitor the snake's weight. The vet should be able to tell you if the snake is thin, or has good weight. If the snake is thin, and doesn't eat on the next try, you may wish to take it back to the vet to have it tube-fed a pureed mouse. Such a thing is VERY stressful for the animal, and should be avoided if at all possible. If this is done, at least within 4 or 5 days, you may get your fecal sample--pounce on it before it dries out, and put it in a plastic baggie. Refrigerate it until you can take it to your vet. He will check it for internal parasites--a VERY VERY common cause of failure to eat in ball pythons. If they are found, the ball python should be treated for parasites, and it will probably resume eating once the treatments are done.
If the snake's weight is good, then just keep trying every 5 days. Try a mouse. Try a rat. If you get desperate, try an African Soft-Furred Rat, or a Gerbil. Try a smaller rodent than usual, that occasionally attracts their interest. (Some won't take smaller prey, lol).
If it's winter, and you have an adult male, expect him to start feeding again in April or May. :) Many males stop eating for the entire winter. A few females do, too. They should not lose more than 2 ounces a month during this time. If weight loss is more than that, it's back to the vet again.

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Thank you.
I will be sure to do that.
I'm actually not planning on getting my ball until April anyway to give me enough time to save a good amount of money in case there is an emergency like that.
Now I just need to find a good breeder and get the cage set up and everything and just wait.