Louie being weird!BP eating habits are weird!!

So it's nothing we don't already know- BPs are NOTORIOUS for going off meals and having strange eating habits. Nothing new, nothing I'm worried about. BUT ANYWAYS- to fuss about it here, haha.

So he ate like a champ for the most part I've had him since May 2015. Then in December he ate 2 rats for the month and in January he ate only 1 rat. He is always offered food once a week anyways. So the last week and a half in February he has been prowling like crazy at night, acting like he's on the scope for a rat and even when I wake up at 6am to get ready for work, he's still out and about! So the next night I heat him up a rat for dinner and he doesn't eat it, oddly enough! Since he ate 2 in Dec and only 1 in Jan, I figure he must be up for another one soon but he just strikes, coils, then drops it. But his attitude suggests he wants to eat! So strange, lil fella.

He hasn't lost any weight thank goodness and is still very personable, likes to hang out and is gentle and friendly to human hands. It just surprises me that he gets all worked up for a rat and then won't eat it! I'm gonna try him again tonight. It just makes me feel better to see him take a meal and so I know he's full and happy and eating and growing!!!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way, haha, just feels good to vent. Thanks for listening guys :oops::P

How old is he? He may be looking for a girl.

Mine gets like that.....he will start roaming around the cage and he wants to push everything around. So I'll be like....let me take you out to hang. Nope...he wants to be left alone. They are weird and like to get off their normal routine. Mine likes to wreck the hotel room once in a while and act up. He may be getting ready to enter into the shedding process very soon. Check his temps and humidity, make sure that's all good. He will eat when he's ready.

Sometimes I think as pets...they may be eating more than they do in the wild. IDK....I'm no expert but he may still be good with what's already in him.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

How old is he? He may be looking for a girl.

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Louie is 11 months!

And, heh, well! The thing is, Louie biologically is a girl! Imagine that! When I got Louie from Petco last year, the handlers said that it was a male bp (probably 'cus I went into the store and said I specifically wanted a male so they said that just to sell it to me :P or they are just clueless which is more likely the case!) And so when I took Louie to my local herpguy, Carl, for a looksee, Carl was able to surprise me that "he" was a she!! Since Louie's name was already picked out and my bf and I had become acclimated to the male pronouns, it just stuck.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...fc&oe=573185C1

This is the frame of him over his house. It's 2016, Louie reps all genderfluid reptiles! Lol

They sometimes stop eating like November to April.....she could be acting like it's breeding season. As long as their weight is maintaining, adult ball pythons can, and often do, go several months without feeding.

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Originally Posted by tembii

So it's nothing we don't already know- BPs are NOTORIOUS for going off meals and having strange eating habits. Nothing new, nothing I'm worried about. BUT ANYWAYS- to fuss about it here, haha.

So he ate like a champ for the most part I've had him since May 2015. Then in December he ate 2 rats for the month and in January he ate only 1 rat. He is always offered food once a week anyways. So the last week and a half in February he has been prowling like crazy at night, acting like he's on the scope for a rat and even when I wake up at 6am to get ready for work, he's still out and about! So the next night I heat him up a rat for dinner and he doesn't eat it, oddly enough! Since he ate 2 in Dec and only 1 in Jan, I figure he must be up for another one soon but he just strikes, coils, then drops it. But his attitude suggests he wants to eat! So strange, lil fella.

He hasn't lost any weight thank goodness and is still very personable, likes to hang out and is gentle and friendly to human hands. It just surprises me that he gets all worked up for a rat and then won't eat it! I'm gonna try him again tonight. It just makes me feel better to see him take a meal and so I know he's full and happy and eating and growing!!!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way, haha, just feels good to vent. Thanks for listening guys :oops::P

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by tembii

Louie is 11 months!

And, heh, well! The thing is, Louie biologically is a girl! Imagine that! When I got Louie from Petco last year, the handlers said that it was a male bp (probably 'cus I went into the store and said I specifically wanted a male so they said that just to sell it to me :P or they are just clueless which is more likely the case!) And so when I took Louie to my local herpguy, Carl, for a looksee, Carl was able to surprise me that "he" was a she!! Since Louie's name was already picked out and my bf and I had become acclimated to the male pronouns, it just stuck.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...fc&oe=573185C1

This is the frame of him over his house. It's 2016, Louie reps all genderfluid reptiles! Lol

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i like the fact that Louie is a girl. she's a pretty princess. :)

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Originally Posted by Skeletor

Mine gets like that.....he will start roaming around the cage and he wants to push everything around. So I'll be like....let me take you out to hang. Nope...he wants to be left alone. They are weird and like to get off their normal routine. Mine likes to wreck the hotel room once in a while and act up. He may be getting ready to enter into the shedding process very soon. Check his temps and humidity, make sure that's all good. He will eat when he's ready.

Sometimes I think as pets...they may be eating more than they do in the wild. IDK....I'm no expert but he may still be good with what's already in him.

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Lol, "wreck the hotel room," that's a funny image. I hear about people's bps being messy, tipping things over, luckily Louie doesn't get into too much trouble! The one thing he does do that other's bps seem to do is stick to the smallest hide even if they outgrow it and they look like they're wearing the hide as a hat, haha. I just basically FINALLY got him to learn that he has other hides that are bigger and will still keep him tucked in and cozy and hidden lol.

So for his temps n humidity, I just changed out all his bedding last week with fresh Cypress mulch which gave his humidity some help so it sits an a steady 50-60, depending on how full his water dish is. I have his heating lamp positioned over a large water dish so when it gets low, I just fill it back up with fresh water and it makes it nice n humid for him. His temps are an ambient 80 and warm side of 92. He usually hangs out in his hide right in the middle of his house where its like, 87-90.

I like to chalk his fussy eating to the winter weather but at the same time its not like it gets actually that much colder since he's in a controlled house not the wild. But it super may be true what you say, that they eat more domesticated than in the wild! Thanks a lot for the reply tho, I'm super happy to hear I'm not the only one and that it's all natural!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skeletor

They sometimes stop eating like November to April.....she could be acting like it's breeding season. As long as their weight is maintaining, adult ball pythons can, and often do, go several months without feeding.

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I didn't consider the breeding aspect since Louie's a girl and 'cus of his age. I'll keep in mind, it means a lot, thank you!!!

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Originally Posted by Ax01

i like the fact that Louie is a girl. she's a pretty princess. :)

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Ain't he tho!! My handsome lil lady. I made the frame custom for me and my bf's photos but then I figured it suited Louie way better hahah.

My coworker who's met Louie plenty of times loves to tease me about it, since I'm used to the male pronouns and if I refer to Louie as "he," my coworker goes, "Louie's a giiiiirl!!!!" It's a good time though, I probably talk about Louie too much at work in the first place haha, my baby. I love Louie. (I literally don't care who calls Louie he or she, I feel like my vet though is weirded out by the fact tho, she's always like, "SHE," whenever we go to see her and I refer to Louie as "he," hahah)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ax01

i like the fact that Louie is a girl. she's a pretty princess. :)

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by tembii

Ain't he tho!! My handsome lil lady. I made the frame custom for me and my bf's photos but then I figured it suited Louie way better hahah.

My coworker who's met Louie plenty of times loves to tease me about it, since I'm used to the male pronouns and if I refer to Louie as "he," my coworker goes, "Louie's a giiiiirl!!!!" It's a good time though, I probably talk about Louie too much at work in the first place haha, my baby. I love Louie. (I literally don't care who calls Louie he or she, I feel like my vet though is weirded out by the fact tho, she's always like, "SHE," whenever we go to see her and I refer to Louie as "he," hahah)

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i would have a hard time renaming my BP too if i found out it was a different sex. u can call her Louisiana if u want and Louie for short. ;)

Poor confused vet. :giggle: Louie don't need no gender binary holdin' 'em back!