Kinda diapointed

Well tonight was the first time my BP refused to eat for me. but i think i may have stressed her out to much earlier. I had her out for a little while this morning and i thought i heard her squeak a little. (not a wheeze but an actual squeak) not sure if it was her or not so i checked her for RI and she is all clear. But having her mouse opened manually is not something she is used to so it stressed her out a bit. I put her back and let her be. Tonight i went to feed her and she showed interest in the rat but never struck. Same routine all her husbandry has been good and she just shed not long ago. I did clean her cage a few days ago but everything was put back the same way it was. I don't think its anything to worry about yet but she hasn't given me a problem before. Should it be ok to try again on Wednesday or should I wait until next Sunday?

You could probably try again tomorrow.

It should be fine to try again on Wed. She's probably just a little stressed from today. FYI, they do sometimes go off feed for a while but at this point you have nothing to worry about.

My BP ALWAYS shows interest but never strikes. its so frustrating. I usually end up just setting it down and waiting for her to eat it the lazy way with no strike... :weirdface

i feed live so i stay put while "food" is in the enclosure

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Originally Posted by Maverick67

i feed live so i stay put while "food" is in the enclosure

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ahhh i see. thats probably a bit different then. :D

I dont like feeding live but yeah. What ever floats your boat.

Maybe shes just not hungry? Or you stressed her to much and shell eat in a day or two.

main thing is its not the end of the world, and this stuff happens all the time. (to me anyway...)

it happens, it comes with BP's. just keep offering on ur normal days or scheduled days and check ur husbandry and try not to stress her out. she will eat. mine go on and off, sometimes striking hard, or lazily eating, or i have to leave it in all night, or they dont take it at all. no need to worry yet

Oh I'm not to worried about it just wanted to know if it was because i stressed her out a bit today and we she would be ready to feed again. i will try again on Wednesday and see how it goes. normal feeding is 10 day Sundays and Wednesdays.

How big is she?

She is fully grown about 4 ft long not sure about weight. between 5-7 years old

What size rat were you offering? I've found that if I offer a smaller than usual sized meal, they usually take it without much hesitation. For instance, offering weanling rats instead of small/medium size rats. Smaller, and more frequent, meals seems to be working out well for a few of mine who would otherwise be skipping larger meals.

I wouldn't worry if she skips a meal or two here and there. It's all part and parcel of having a ball python. ;)

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Originally Posted by I<3Dreamsicles

My BP ALWAYS shows interest but never strikes. its so frustrating. I usually end up just setting it down and waiting for her to eat it the lazy way with no strike... :weirdface

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I had the same until I tried mice instead of rats and she suddenly showed a very agressive feeding response and does so since. Downside: She isn't having any rats anymore unless I put a dead one into her mouth just before the mouse goes down.

it is a small rat. she usually gets between a small and a medium every 10 days

I would just offer her another on her next feeding day. No biggie if this is her first time not taking food. We have a couple that you cannot hold on the day of feeding as they will refuse. This is pretty typical of a ball...they get pickey and persnickety sometimes. .lol:rolleyes:

alright 2nd attempt of feeding was successful. the rat didn't even last a minite. although if this is a frequent thing i may switch to a 2 week feeding schedual. i guess we will see how it plays out