Ball python hasnt eaten in year 1/2

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Originally Posted by dprballs

sorry i didnt mean to offend.....i dont know if im missing something here.....Jonas is using a thermostat to set his temperature with out verifying it with a thermometer. Fire storm suggested getting a decent digital thermometer. Jonas didnt seem to understand so i reiterated it. Its not a snarky comment about the vet. Im surprised the vet didnt check that Jonas was measuring his temperatures reliably. Whats the problem with that?? I mean the snake hasnt eaten for 18 months and well no one really knows what temperature its being kept at !! I should think until this is sorted its pointless doing anything else yet people are still talking about changing temps. Jonas needs to know where he(or she?) is at right now with regards to temperature!!

E2a Defensive strike could well mean the prey is under heated. I could dangle an ice cube in front of some my snakes and theyd strike defensively. They certainly dont think its food

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I obviously read a "tone" that wasn't intended, my apologies. :)

easily done on the internet. Its not what you say its how you say it. And i guess no one knows just how ur saying it on the internet lol :)

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Originally Posted by Jonas

Ok. I came on here for suggestions. If you feel im doing something wrong...tell me. I can take constructive criticism. What do you recommend i buy for her?

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Sorry, just saw this or I would have responded sooner. You just need a relatively inexpensive digital thermometer. The type of thermostat that you have is certainly better than nothing, but it isn't accurate enough to be trusted without using a thermometer to double check the temps. Even when we are using Herpstats (much more accurate), we still verify the temps with a thermometer. Here are some examples of the kind of thermometer I'm suggesting:

http://firestormreptiles.com/weblog/...rmometers.html

As far as problem feeders, here is what I do (assuming temps are correct) I use sort of deep cypress mulch for bedding and black out/cover the sides of the tub. I provide hides and clutter up the tub with crumpled paper. I also limit handling to the minimum required for water changes and other maintenance. Basically, the snake is left alone in the dark, in the hopes that this will eliminate stress. After a week or so of alone time, I offer live prey, but something smaller than normal, like a decent sized rat pup/ weanling for an adult. I just put the prey in, cover everything back up and go away for a bit. I offer no more often than every 7 days. This method has worked well for me in the past.

Also, I can't remember if this has already been mentioned, but you may want to treat her for internal parasites. Sometimes that will kick them back into eating.

Adding some thoughts/questions to the discussion:

If the snake isn't really losing any weight and is acting normally(aside from the scale issue??), could this be a feed strike? I remember seeing a thread about longest feed strikes and the longest in the list was 14-18 months. Obviously get the husbandry right and give the snake some time to settle to the changes and from the scale issue then play the waiting/patient game.

What was the scale issue? I didn't see it in the posts if there was an answer to that question earlier.


Good luck, hope she comes out of this soon for you. :)

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Originally Posted by FireStorm

Sorry, just saw this or I would have responded sooner. You just need a relatively inexpensive digital thermometer. The type of thermostat that you have is certainly better than nothing, but it isn't accurate enough to be trusted without using a thermometer to double check the temps. Even when we are using Herpstats (much more accurate), we still verify the temps with a thermometer. Here are some examples of the kind of thermometer I'm suggesting:

http://firestormreptiles.com/weblog/...rmometers.html

As far as problem feeders, here is what I do (assuming temps are correct) I use sort of deep cypress mulch for bedding and black out/cover the sides of the tub. I provide hides and clutter up the tub with crumpled paper. I also limit handling to the minimum required for water changes and other maintenance. Basically, the snake is left alone in the dark, in the hopes that this will eliminate stress. After a week or so of alone time, I offer live prey, but something smaller than normal, like a decent sized rat pup/ weanling for an adult. I just put the prey in, cover everything back up and go away for a bit. I offer no more often than every 7 days. This method has worked well for me in the past.

Also, I can't remember if this has already been mentioned, but you may want to treat her for internal parasites. Sometimes that will kick them back into eating.

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Would a temp gun work for a thermometer or is it better to have a thermometer. i have a temp gun :D. And thanks im gonna cover that thang up right now ;)

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Originally Posted by Pyrate81

Adding some thoughts/questions to the discussion:

If the snake isn't really losing any weight and is acting normally(aside from the scale issue??), could this be a feed strike? I remember seeing a thread about longest feed strikes and the longest in the list was 14-18 months. Obviously get the husbandry right and give the snake some time to settle to the changes and from the scale issue then play the waiting/patient game.

What was the scale issue? I didn't see it in the posts if there was an answer to that question earlier.


Good luck, hope she comes out of this soon for you. :)

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Ive forgotten the name of the scale issue. I am also taking her off the medicine because i had someone tell me this makes them stop eating. Thanks i hope so too.

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Originally Posted by Jonas

Would a temp gun work for a thermometer or is it better to have a thermometer. i have a temp gun :D. And thanks im gonna cover that thang up right now ;)

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do you mean an infra red thermometer? with the laser pointer? Thats perfectly acceptable if your checking your temps with that!! Its always nice to have 2 different thermometers imo in case one gives incorrect readings! id get a probe too just in case!!

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Originally Posted by Jonas

Ive forgotten the name of the scale issue. I am also taking her off the medicine because i had someone tell me this makes them stop eating. Thanks i hope so too.

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While antibiotics can decrease or kill appetite, I would continue with the full course recommended by the vet. Stopping early creates drug-resistant bacteria.

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Originally Posted by Jonas

Would a temp gun work for a thermometer or is it better to have a thermometer. i have a temp gun :D. And thanks im gonna cover that thang up right now ;)

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I like to have both the probe type thermometer so I can check temps without opening the tub (when I have the tub covered I put the probe on the hotspot and the display outside the cover) and the temp gun for spot checking.

If she's aggressive/defensively striking the food it sounds like she's probably stressing out with all the assist feeding / antibiotics to be honest! As a 1500g adult she isnt going to suffer from periods of not eating, so as long as temps and everything else are up to scratch imo your best bet is to stop the force feeding and only try a normal frozen/live/whatever you do every 7-10 days and hopefully she might chill out and start eating properly again. From my experience, the temptation to chase her round the tub with a dead rat every night tends to only make things worse!

Have had a 1000g female not eat for 10 months, tried everything and one day she just decided to eat again. She only lost about 100g in weight over that time. BPs are annoying as hell when it comes to eating, just dont let it frustrate you, hunger strikes are VERY common.