Bradley still didn't eat. :(

I gave him a live small rat- what he ate before I got him. He really looked like he was interested, and then just didn't go for it for whatever reason. I watched him with it for about 20 minutes. Sniffed around at it, looked it over, and then just laid back down. Rrr... this really is frustrating. I killed the rat and put it in his tank, just in case he gets interested overnight.

Well at this point we can indeed confirm that you have a ball python... Unfornatually this diagnosis means that you may never get him to eat consistently.

I wouldn't get too worried, he won't starve himself.

Hahaha, thanks. I'm glad I've at least confirmed that point! To be totally honest, I'm not really so much worried as I just want to take him out. I've had him for three weeks now and haven't been able to handle him, it's making me nuts. I know there are a lot of factors at work- he's a male during breeding season, and he's still pretty new to his home. Although I do want him to be as happy as a snake can be...

My BP will allow the rat into the hide and then "Camp" over by her water dish.

I have learned to remove her hide during feeding time and return her hide after the rat has been eaten.

I am slowly learning that BP's have weird eating habits, I still tend to stress myself out needlessly by trying to get her to put on weight.

Harry

Sorry! I know how frustrating that can be. Hang in there. ;)

Hang in there :D My boys are back to eating as of last week. Knock on wood. My girl has not ate yet. Been a month for her :(

Baloo didn't eat for about 4 weeks when I first brought her home. I got really worried too but I soon discovered that my incesent hovering and frequent offers of food was freaking her out. Once I insulated the tank where she can only see me from one side and got the husbandry right she relaxed and eats like clock work now. As for handling... well I'm still trying to get the hang of that. lol

Yeah, that's the thing though. My husbandry is good, (just like Jackson's- but all BPs are different...) I have all 4 sides of the tank blacked out, I only ever open the tank to give him fresh water or change the paper if he messes it. I have only offered food once a week, and it was closer to two weeks 'cause the pet store was waiting on their feeder rat shipment.
I'm not actually worried about him, he's not losing any of his girth and he is showing healthy BP behavior, but it's still pretty frustrating. I am glad that I don't have to worry about him not eating, though.
Someone pointed out to me that he is a year and a half old male during breeding season, though. Does this still apply when there are no females around?

Thanks, enchantress, it does make me feel a little better that you had a similar experience and got yours to eat after a few weeks. I know he'll come around, I'm just getting a little pessimistic around feeding day. :rolleyes:

You know what we had luck with, with a younger bp we got, was to get the biggest rat pup you can that still has its eyes shut. Put it on the tank in front of his hide and leave it for a couple hours. We did that, covered up her tank, and left it. Then out of the blue while we were watching tv and heard the dying eeeep of a rat. We peeked and she had drug it in her hide and was eating. Maybe try that next feed day? Good luck. ;)

Oh yea! I forgot to tell you. I couldn't get Baloo to eat rats or hoppers so I broke down and tried a live fuzzy mouse. It took 2 feedings of live before she would except f/t but she got the hang of it and now eats a f/t small adult mouse once a week. Switching to rats is my next move but not until she's very comfortable here.

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Originally Posted by blueberrypancakes

Yeah, that's the thing though. My husbandry is good, (just like Jackson's- but all BPs are different...) I have all 4 sides of the tank blacked out, I only ever open the tank to give him fresh water or change the paper if he messes it. I have only offered food once a week, and it was closer to two weeks 'cause the pet store was waiting on their feeder rat shipment.
I'm not actually worried about him, he's not losing any of his girth and he is showing healthy BP behavior, but it's still pretty frustrating. I am glad that I don't have to worry about him not eating, though.
Someone pointed out to me that he is a year and a half old male during breeding season, though. Does this still apply when there are no females around?

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I wouldn't worry too much as long as he isn't losing weight. Please make sure you are monitoring that with an actual scale, rather than eye-balling girth. Depending on the snake, they can lose a pretty decent % of body weight before they seem really skinny, especially if you are looking at him every day (gradual loss isn't as noticeable as weighing every two weeks and comparing real numbers). Also, my male (although currently breeding) has slowed feeding down enough that he only takes it every two to three weeks, so you can probably offer every 10-14 days without harm until he starts eating for you - save yourself some trouble, as long as there isn't undue weight loss.