Ball python suddenly not eating, losing weight. Worried!

They are maturing and will start to compete for the "best" spot in the tank. As the sexually mature is where the problems begin.
I would give a week, no handling, just water changes and spot cleaning then try. I think the pup is a good idea.

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I wanted to give you guys an update about my non-eating ball python situation. I separated the two pythons but Narcissus has still not eaten. It has now been 34 days. I also moved all of the snakes into my extra bedroom so that they are not in the living room with people and dogs walking by constantly. I have not been able to acquire a scale that will accommodate his size, so I have no idea how much weight he has lost overall. I can tell by the way he feels when I pick him up that he has to have lost about 75-100 grams since December 20th. I have been waiting a week in between feedings. I have perfected the temperatures and the humidity in his enclosure by adding another heat source and another bowl of water directly underneath the heat source. I put everything on an automatic timer to try to regulate his nights and days better. I tend to be nocturnal so I thought maybe it was affecting his patterns. I realized that his daytime and nighttime temps were almost exactly the same so I fixed that with the extra heat source during the day.

It's so strange, he almost seems afraid of the mice/rats. When they touch him he flinches and half-assed tries to get away. It's like he's a different snake. He is still drinking and urinating regularly, but he seems to be dehydrated. His skin is even more saggy and when I pinch his sides it takes a couple of seconds to spring back to his body, but his skin is so loose that I don't know if that's just because he lost a lot of his mass or if he is dehydrated. His eyes are not dented which is always the first sign for me that he is dehydrated. His scales are still very shiny and smooth, he appears healthy other than the weight loss and the lack of appetite. UGHHH I don't know. I'm ready to scratch my eyes out from worry.

I am attaching a picture I took today and the original picture from Dec 30th to see if you guys can tell the difference in his weight yet. To me, it is so obvious, but it's hard to show in pictures.

Any other suggestions, other than just waiting until it isn't cold anymore, or taking him to the vet? Is he supposed to still be passing feces even though he hasn't eaten? If I take him to the vet, won't they have to have a fresh sample of his feces in order to diagnose whether he has internal parasites or not? I don't know what else to do. :(

Narcissus Dec 30th: http://i367.photobucket.com/albums/o...usfat12-20.jpg
Narcissus Jan 23rd: http://i367.photobucket.com/albums/o...d/100_0766.jpg

Update about the update lol. I bought a frozen rat for him to eat but randomly decided to try a live mouse one last time and what do ya know? He ate it! Hoorayyy! Just thought I should let you guys know. Thank you so much for all of your input. I'm really glad that your suggestions ended up working. =)

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Originally Posted by Mayhaps

Update about the update lol. I bought a frozen rat for him to eat but randomly decided to try a live mouse one last time and what do ya know? He ate it! Hoorayyy! Just thought I should let you guys know. Thank you so much for all of your input. I'm really glad that your suggestions ended up working. =)

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Always nice when the difficult ones eat for ya.

Just for future reference I would invest in a good set of digital scales, they are complete life savers. Some BP's can fast from November - April I have heard from breeders and during this time watching their weight can be quite important. Also, I have a yearling het albino who has lost 50g in a bowel movement; I mention this only so that you are aware that what can seem like a daunting amount of weight loss to us really probably isn't that much! The movement of urates during a fast is a good sign and also may affect weight negatively. Looking at the photos that you posted your boy looks to be in very good shape and looks healthy in both to me, I don't see any worrying weight loss. I know this isn't too important now as he is eating again but thought I would chime in.

As for cohabiting (I read you separated them so this is just my opinion)- Males, as has been mentioned, should not really be housed together. I think the issue being there are more cons than pro's to this situation. It can be difficult to know which snake has defecated/urinated etc and should one get sick the other is at much higher risk, amongst other cons such as fighting for dominance etc. Whilst it has been done, and done successfully, it is just something I think carries a higher level of risk than simply having them solitary. While snakes may look to be "cuddling" they are in fact just wanting the same spot in the tank. I am in no means having a go, I hope you don't think I am, just giving my opinion on what I have read and researched as well as numerous conversations with keeper's and breeders. :)

I am very surprised you cannot find a set of scales for his weight, a good set of digital kitchen scales should be able to weigh him. Perhaps someone can point you in the right direction for this?

Finally, congratulations on getting him to feed! It can be a nerve-wrecking experience when a snake won't eat and I understand the feeling of relief when they do!