My Bp Is Fasting! (Questions)

My normal ball python started fasting on the begining of December & hasn't eated since... I offer her a small to medium rat every sunday... should I keep on offering her every sunday until she eats? I'm offering what she used to eat before she went off feeding... She is slowly dropping weight should I be concerned? The temps are right on...Hot spot 88-90*F & cold side on the low 80's...Humidity is good she just shed perfectly today for me... I got her on Feb. 18, 09 & she ate for me the next day...I'm wondering that she might resume feeding around february...

Hello any advice people

i wouldn't worry about it , balls normally do this, sometimes it's month's before they eat.. i would just wait it out and try only every week not multiple times, also bump up the heat a bit..... dont worry bout it it's nothing new...

how old? whats her weight?

she will lose some weight until empty. after that she should not lose very much. If you have live rodents it won't hurt to offer her food once a week. Don't leave it in too long and stress her out if she not going to eat. If you feed F/T then it won't hurt to go longer so your not using up your food supply for no reason. I had ball pythons go off feed for a few weeks and then it was off and on and I had some go off feed for months. Look her over, check for mites, watch her weight, but most likely she is just off feed. it's normal don't freak out.

if your really concerned, try offering her a nice fat mouse. just put the mouse in a container in the room for about thirty minutes to scent it, then put it in the cage and come back in thirty minutes to check on her/him. did that with mine today after he hadnt eaten for a month and a half and he ate!!!!

Sometimes it helps to bump up the temps a few degrees.

But I wouldn't worry too much. My girl is going on 3 months without a meal. Last year she went between 5 and 6 months without eating. And I know guys with snakes that have gone at least a year without eating. When I was worrying last year, I was told the same thing and it wasn't the most comforting advice. But, once you get through it, you'll realize that your snake probably knows what it's doing. Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by nixer

how old? whats her weight?

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she is 1 yr old this is her first winter with me... she is currently 736g she used to weight 814g before she went off feeding...

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Originally Posted by Christina

Sometimes it helps to bump up the temps a few degrees.

But I wouldn't worry too much. My girl is going on 3 months without a meal. Last year she went between 5 and 6 months without eating. And I know guys with snakes that have gone at least a year without eating. When I was worrying last year, I was told the same thing and it wasn't the most comforting advice. But, once you get through it, you'll realize that your snake probably knows what it's doing. Hope this helps.

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WoW 5-6 months without a meal I will go insane if my snakes didnt ate 4 that long

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Originally Posted by het.pied

if your really concerned, try offering her a nice fat mouse. just put the mouse in a container in the room for about thirty minutes to scent it, then put it in the cage and come back in thirty minutes to check on her/him. did that with mine today after he hadnt eaten for a month and a half and he ate!!!!

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She's an aggressive eater... I never had to scent the room... she would just go for it as soon as I dangled the prey in front of her... & she never never missed a feeding til now even when in shed she would eat!

My big girl Mona fasted from August-October without any ill effects, and lost around 100g during that time (which isn't much for a 2500g snake). She finally decided to eat again on her own, and now pounds anything I offer - so it was just a seasonal or random fast, which could be the case with yours. My other adult Nerissa hasn't eaten since I got her in October, and when I asked her breeder for advice, he said "Until she starts looking like a triangle, I wouldn't worry much about it." Funny way to put it, but I guess he's right! He also said she'd done this before, and started eating again after 2-3 months.

As long as they're not getting thin, you probably don't need to worry... just keep offering food every week, and plan accordingly for a refusal. You could also try mixing up the prey, by offering a small mouse - or if they're legal in your area (they aren't legal here), I've heard ASFs and gerbils can end a BP fast. Good luck!

Oh, I just noticed you're also in California... so forget the gerbils & ASFs! :rolleyes: Probably for the best, since people say BPs get stuck on them & refuse rats/mice from then on.

I have a 900 gram male who's hasn't eaten since late November, and a 600 gram female who's eaten exactly one small mouse in the last eight weeks. The female is in shed, and I'm hoping she'll regain a bit of her appetite when she's done with that, because she is starting to look a little triangular... but the male is still so fat, I can't be bothered to worried about him.

I think it's just normal? You can raise the temps a bit on the warm side, but if that doesn't work, I'd switch to only offering food every other week until March. Just to preserve your own sanity.

I am dealing with the same thing right now. but after looking around and talking to other members it seems that its no big deal. i wouldnt worry to much