At what point do I give her live?

I have a rescue 5-yr-old female ball python who I've easily (or so I thought) converted to frozen food in the summer. She used to eat for me weekly (for a few months), but hasn't for the past two months! I still offer her frozen every 7-10 days, but at this point I've wasted a lot of feeders on this girl....she's never even been breed or close to a male. I don't mind the wasted as much as the fact that she's already lost weight! I've tried all the tricks on this site, but I feel like I'm about to cave....I just don't want to get stuck in a rut of live-only. :(

I say dont offer for a month or so, just what I do

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Originally Posted by Calift

I have a rescue 5-yr-old female ball python who I've easily (or so I thought) converted to frozen food in the summer. She used to eat for me weekly (for a few months), but hasn't for the past two months! I still offer her frozen every 7-10 days, but at this point I've wasted a lot of feeders on this girl....she's never even been breed or close to a male. I don't mind the wasted as much as the fact that she's already lost weight! I've tried all the tricks on this site, but I feel like I'm about to cave....I just don't want to get stuck in a rut of live-only. :(

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I wouldnt bother her for awhile.Are your temps correct? Did you do anything differant to her enclosures?

2 months is not really that long. How much weight has she lost? Have you changed anything in her enclosure? What are your temps like? How are you measuring them? What kind of enclosure is she in?

Yup, temps haven't changed and I've done all the recommended basics short of switching her to a tub (her tank is a bigger size & I mist for humidity).

Her past owner (for 5 yrs) did only ever feed her live...but probably just because she didn't know any different.

I'll take a picture of her tomorrow and let you guys judge her weight. Skinny does not look good on a ball python....:snake::oops:

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Originally Posted by Calift

Yup, temps haven't changed and I've done all the recommended basics short of switching her to a tub (her tank is a bigger size & I mist for humidity).

Her past owner (for 5 yrs) did only ever feed her live...but probably just because she didn't know any different.

I'll take a picture of her tomorrow and let you guys judge her weight. Skinny does not look good on a ball python....:snake::oops:

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So her enclosure is bigger now? That could be the problem ;)

If you haven't tried moving her to a smaller enclosure I would give it a try. Or you could try filling the tank with crumpled news paper to give her more cover.

Most often ball pythons will go off feed if they don't feel secure. Even if they were fine for months they can suddenly change their minds :giggle: silly snakes.. :snake:

Her tank is actually smaller than it was before. Her old one was at least 4 feet long, but she always ate in it!

I don't think she's lost 100 grams yet, but I did notice she was now in her 900's whereas before she was over 1000. :(

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Originally Posted by Calift

Her tank is actually smaller than it was before. Her old one was at least 4 feet long, but she always ate in it!

I don't think she's lost 100 grams yet, but I did notice she was now in her 900's whereas before she was over 1000. :(

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I betting the enclosure size change is her issue then.Welcome to ball pythons can be honory 101 :P

I agree with joepythons, don't offer her anything for a good while. Just set up everything so she feels like she is always super hidden and secure, no matter what. Don't handle her, just let her be. Then try again in a few weeks to a month.

I wouldn't be worried at all, if her weight was good when she went into this.

I did some weight tracking last year, and discovered that 2 ounces per month is the average weight loss for a healthy ball python that isn't feeding.
Your snake is right on track with that--so, she's fasting 'normally'. Ball pythons can fast in this fashion for half a year. It is winter, and not all snakes want to eat over the breeding season. Some females go off feed as well.

You said she was 1000 grams. That's right in the range that many females will go off feed over the winter. It's extremely common for 'teenagers' like that to do this. Some of my 1-year-olds have done it as well. Yours is a bit different for being so old for her size, but the weight range is still the same.

The new enclosure doubtless had a role to play, but fixing that may not get her back on feed. You may have to simply wait until the season changes. Have a parasite check done, too, if you haven't yet. It's always a good idea, and with a rescue that came in small for its age, it's a REALLY good idea.

Unless you know the 1000 weight was an "empty" weight, the 100g of weight loss may just be due to waste elimination. So I definitely would not be worried yet.

Like the others have said, make sure her enclosure is good, and you can reduce how often you offer the food until she starts eating again.

Thank you all for the reassurance! I appreciate each and every response! I guess this girl is just going to have to stay hungry for a little while longer....:rolleyes::snake:

my girl has been off since Dec - and yes, it is driving me nuts but I have been given all the same advice that you have gotten - you just have to wait it out.

My girl has only lost 30 grams during her entire fast which is next to nothing so that eased my mind a bit. She is about 1,660 grams right now.

Good luck with your girl.

Nothing to worry about. It's just another story of a BP being a picky eater. It's all part of the breed.