At a loss over my snake's eating habits!

I don't understand my snake. Last year he fasted for 5 months but when he started eating, he ate everything I offered. He did the same thing this year, fasted for 6 months, ate one dead gerbil and wants nothing to do with anything. He is healthy looking but on the thinner side. I don't know what to do anymore, I am at a loss. The enclosure temp is 79 and humidity 55% ... he has a hide with a low heater under it, a cool side, water, a tree (which he is in right now)... he cannot live off one gerbil in 7 months! WTF am I supposed to do? This guy almost always eats live but his last meal was fresh killed gerbil as he wouldn't eat any mice or rats... the last fresh killed gerbil he didn't want ... I have no access to fancy animals at this time... its mice, gerbils or rats! The worst part is, I have to move this week and will be on the road for a few weeks with him! So he surely wont eat. I have two small live rats right now but he is just not interested. HELP

just put a live young rat in there and he isn't even smelling (yes I am right here watching)... just sitting like king snake in the tree ... this move is stressful enough without this non-eating family member doing this to me!

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Originally Posted by Michelle85

I don't understand my snake. Last year he fasted for 5 months but when he started eating, he ate everything I offered. He did the same thing this year, fasted for 6 months, ate one dead gerbil and wants nothing to do with anything. He is healthy looking but on the thinner side. I don't know what to do anymore, I am at a loss. The enclosure temp is 79 and humidity 55% ... he has a hide with a low heater under it, a cool side, water, a tree (which he is in right now)... he cannot live off one gerbil in 7 months! WTF am I supposed to do? This guy almost always eats live but his last meal was fresh killed gerbil as he wouldn't eat any mice or rats... the last fresh killed gerbil he didn't want ... I have no access to fancy animals at this time... its mice, gerbils or rats! The worst part is, I have to move this week and will be on the road for a few weeks with him! So he surely wont eat. I have two small live rats right now but he is just not interested. HELP

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Try bumping up your temp.on the warm side to at least 90-93 and 80 on the cool side your humidity is fine sense he didn't eat today try again in a week.The temps I'm giving you is what I keep my BP's at and they eat every week.Also try feeding early evening or at night.

wow thats a bit warm but I will give it a shot I guess... I figured he was in his tree to keep cool ... things were going so well with this snake until he matured, he's 6 years old now

Please keep me updated so I now if he eats good luck.

Mine did the same thing a couple years ago once he hit 5years old. Went on a 7 month fast and then started taking large mice, then two mice, and then rats again. Did the same thing this year again but got him eating after 5 months, refused a few weeks, ate again, refused, ate. Just be patient and it will come around. Mine just refused the last two feedings in a row and then slammed a medium rat last night. Picky little guy but he's in great shape and never lost too much weight during his hunger strikes. Did get a tad on the slim side but he's packed on a couple hundred grams in the last few months. Super annoying and stressful at times but it will eat when it wants to! Hang in there!

will do... he is alert right now but no interest in the rodent

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

Mine did the same thing a couple years ago once he hit 5years old. Went on a 7 month fast and then started taking large mice, then two mice, and then rats again. Did the same thing this year again but got him eating after 5 months, refused a few weeks, ate again, refused, ate. Just be patient and it will come around. Mine just refused the last two feedings in a row and then slammed a medium rat last night. Picky little guy but he's in great shape and never lost too much weight during his hunger strikes. Did get a tad on the slim side but he's packed on a couple hundred grams in the last few months. Super annoying and stressful at times but it will eat when it wants to! Hang in there!

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It is stressful because all my other pets eat and I am one of those pet owners who make sure everyone has enough food, clean living space and cold clean water. He is a great snake, he is just damn picky! This is my first snake and I thought "oh just throw a dead rat in there every week or so" ... um NO, he likes to kill his food and colours matter at certain times, different species matter at certain times and sometimes nothing matters ... I have brought him to the vet a few times only to have the doctor play with him and charge me 80 bucks. He looks healthy, nice colour, clear eyes, decent girth but a bit on the boney side on the back. I will post pics a bit later.

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Originally Posted by Michelle85

wow thats a bit warm but I will give it a shot I guess... I figured he was in his tree to keep cool ... things were going so well with this snake until he matured, he's 6 years old now

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93 and 80 isn't too hot. What's the temperature of the warm side currently? If it's 79 that's WAY too cold.

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Originally Posted by Michelle85

It is stressful because all my other pets eat and I am one of those pet owners who make sure everyone has enough food, clean living space and cold clean water. He is a great snake, he is just damn picky! This is my first snake and I thought "oh just throw a dead rat in there every week or so" ... um NO, he likes to kill his food and colours matter at certain times, different species matter at certain times and sometimes nothing matters ... I have brought him to the vet a few times only to have the doctor play with him and charge me 80 bucks. He looks healthy, nice colour, clear eyes, decent girth but a bit on the boney side on the back. I will post pics a bit later.

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Yep! Ball Pythons can be super finicky like that. When mine is coming off of his winter hunger strike he will generally only take a much smaller meal (large mouse vs medium rat) and will only do so later in the evening. He's only fasted like that the last two years. In the 5 years previous I can only recall maybe once or twice that he refused food. Sometimes they just get up to a certain weight and their feeding habits change dramatically. The first time he fasted it was 7 months, and I was at my wits end. Gave his cage a full cleaning and he ate later that night. Tried the same thing during this years fast and he still refused. Just make notes of when and what you offer at feeding time and keep an eye on its weight. Hope it eats soon!

the 79 is in his area, that isn't under his hide, he has a heater under his hide set at 85. Right now he is in the care of the local pet store while I move, I dropped in today and he was ice cold, I asked for more heat. This is a horrible time for me and him right now... me moving, him living in a strange place, we will be on one place in 2.5 weeks .. I hope he is ok when I get him back. I wanted him to eat before I left him but no dice.

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Originally Posted by Dezoruba

93 and 80 isn't too hot. What's the temperature of the warm side currently? If it's 79 that's WAY too cold.

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Ok, well right now he is being taken care of at the pet store while I move. When I get him back in a few weeks I will bump up his temp. he does have a heater under his hide and when I take him out from under his hide he's warm, I don't know the exact temperature in there but its set at 85 and with the small space and lid on the hide it must be at least that if not more. The air in the enclosure is 79 but its probably much warmer in the hide... sometimes he comes out and hangs in his tree which is when I think he wants to cool off ... and sometimes he chills on the opposite side of his enclosure where his water is which is probably the coolest area. He has options. its just a really bad time right now with moving and such, i was hoping he would eat before all this happened but no dice. I worry about him constantly, my snake is family.

BTW the pet store has no way to put a heater under his hide, they said they can bump the temperature to 85 in his enclosure but is that adequate? I always thought a snake had to have a warming source underneath his body? He was ice cold when I picked him up today ... I was upset and they told me they were sorry they didnt realize the other bulb had burnt out. They are doing me a favour because I am moving. tomorrow they are going to try to feed him.

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Originally Posted by Michelle85

BTW the pet store has no way to put a heater under his hide, they said they can bump the temperature to 85 in his enclosure but is that adequate? I always thought a snake had to have a warming source underneath his body? He was ice cold when I picked him up today ... I was upset and they told me they were sorry they didnt realize the other bulb had burnt out. They are doing me a favour because I am moving. tomorrow they are going to try to feed him.

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I don't run heat mats under my tanks but like I said I keep my temp at 80 on the cool side and 90 - 93 on the warm side and my snakes eat every 7 days and poop just before their next feeding.

85 all over is fine.

I just want to point out that 85, even 90 degrees feels cold to us because we're warmer than that. So most of the time your snake will feel cool when you pick him up. If he feels warm to a human it's too hot for him.