Please can someone please give me some advice on my new Royal Python not feeding?

I have read many books, which say that not feeding is perfectly normal for a recently acquired snake and to be patient. Then they generally go on to give methods to encourage feeding, if you snake doesn’t start to feed. However they don’t tend to go into specifics as to how long I should be patient for, before trying alternatives! I have read books that say it could take weeks or even months to get them to feed, but it is not clear if I should wait months before trying other methods.

I purchased my female Royal Python just over 3-weeks ago and she is about a year old, weighing a total of 275grams. She was obtained through a reputable reptile dealer and was supplied with paperwork proving that she had been a good feeder on a weekly basis (one large mouse every 5-7 days). However in the three weeks I have had her, she has not feed. She is now housed with a male Royal of a similar age (he has always been an excellent feeder from day one, which may be leading me to panic a bit), with plenty of hides available. I have taken considerable efforts to ensure all heating, lighting and sizes of viv etc are all correct.

Lilith (the name I have given my Royal) still looks healthy and has shed once since I have owned her, but what I would really like to know is how long would be considered as expectable for a snake of her size to acclimatize to her new home and start to eat, before I should result to more drastic measures like false feeding?

In a word - stress. She should have her own housing. Unfortunately one of the side-effects of housing with another snake is stress, and refusal to eat.

Find out from the breeder how she was housed when he had her, including bedding, and what he offered her for food, and how he offered (in her enclosure or a separate feeding enclosure).

When you are having an issue with feeding and you house your BP with another BP you are pretty much always going to be told to separate the animals. Your female could be stressed by the presence of the male and that could be causing the refusals.

Feel a bit mislead by a close friend who works in a breeding room full of exotic pets, all manner of reptiles etc. I was told that Royal Pythons can be housed together happily without any issues! I have tried removing her and placing her in a separate enclosure over night, with a couple of mice, but the next morning the mice are still there!

Not a good idea to leave mice in with your snake overnight unless the mice are dead.

Give her time to settle in to her new environment. Stressed Balls don't eat. Also sometimes the harder you try the worse it gets. Just relax and take your time. Make sure the husbandry is spot on give her a good week and try again.

Be patient. Your snake is probably adjusting to her new habitat. You will probably end up housing your new snake in a separate enclosure.
I've had new arrivals not eat for a couple of months before. I bought an adult breeder female that went 80 days or so. I finally stuffed her enclosure with crumpled news paper and put in 5 line mice. I checked on her in about 20 minutes and 3 mice had been eaten. I took the other mice out and she started eating kinda regularly for me.
Try feeding once a week. And I know it can be tough, but, don't handle until your snake is settled in.
Best of luck and keep us informed!

Set her up PERMANATELY in a separate enclosure - give her a week to acclimate and THEN offer her food. Never leave live prey in with her more than 30 minutes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Markey two pythons

I purchased my female Royal Python just over 3-weeks ago and she is about a year old, weighing a total of 275grams.

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That's a low weight for being fed that often and being a year old...

I'd look at this thread and set her up in her own little tub, that way you don't have to buy another tank. There are ways to divide a tank and have two snakes live in there happily. You can put a piece of wood down the middle (what whatever you'd want to use as a divider) and then make "single" tanks on each side.

No the mice were pre killed frozen, then defrosted and heated up to normal body temperature (in warm water). After being dangled in front of the snake with no luck, I put Lilith in a separate contained with moss and a hide, then put the container back in the Viv overnight

Have been trying to feed her once a week from day one, so really perhaps I haven’t given her enough time to settle in, especially as she shed in her second week with me. Many books mention that exposing the brain of the mouse often works, but I was hoping not to have to resort to this revolting task just yet! Does anyone have experience of this practice actually working and if so should I attempt this on my next feed or wait a few weeks longer?

As others have said....

First, separate them. Put the female in her own enclosure and leave her there for a week with no interaction. Only change her water. Then offer her one live mouse. A year old female should not weigh only 200-something grams.

So that anyone with more experience than I can see if I have also been mislead about the age of my snake, I have added pictures of Lilith (and one of Monty) to my profile. I have entered one picture taken in good light, which shows that she still looks in pretty good condition, despite the lack of feeding. I have added a further picture of Lilith being held, so that her size can be gauged against the size of a hand.

Seperate them, permanently, (except for breeding later)
give her atleast a week to adjust to her seperate enclosure, try offering live prey, 5-10 min, then remove, try again in 4-5 days.
I have had luck by using loosely crumpled newspaper, packed in the snakes enclosure. The mouse will tunnel through it, the snake will usually follow the sent, this gives the snake a sense of hunting and will sometimes trigger a feeding response???
I have had new ones not begin to feed for a couple months! 3 or 4 weeks is not a long stretch to be overly concerned with! Keep a close eye on physical appearance, keep fresh water, good temps and humidity.
Keep us updated on how she does!!!
Best wishes!

Very pleased and relieved to report that Lilith took a defrosted desert mouse, heated up in warm water, last night. She had been offered two, but only accepted one, which is still a good start I suppose (she had only been fed one a week by the breeder I purchased her from).

I had, as you advised, set her up in her own separate enclosure. I am very grateful for all your advice. Regards Mark