I think my snake forgot how to eat.

Hello everyone,

I have a BP that will not eat. It eagerly strikes its target, constricts it but then drops it and leaves it. When I pick up the rat with my tongs and wiggle it he will attack again and constrict again then drop it. I have repeated this dance 4 times one session (rewarming) the rat but still no luck. its been 6 weeks with weekly attempts and He hasn't eaten is approx. 5 months now, not looking to thin yet, but I am getting worried. My larger Pastel male usually goes 3-4 months over the winter then goes right back to eating.

Things I have tried.

1) Different feeding times
2) Different size and colour of rats.
3) left food over night
4) Yes the temps and humidity are bang on, as well as his favorite hide.

I am trying to avoid force feeding at all costs. Any suggestions are welcome.

I have had Ball pythons for 10 - 11 years and currently have 4. I have never seen any of my others display this behaviour.

I have seen this. Mine have all resumed eating after a period of time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

I have seen this. Mine have all resumed eating after a period of time.

---

How long is a period of time? 5 months seems a little excessive to me...

I have a boy that has been off food for at least six months. I would not start to worry unless he begins to drop significant weight. I say this but I always worry when mine don't eat.

Things you can try that have worked at least once for me. If you are feeding F/T. When he constricts, continue to move the rat a little for about one minute in order to simulate death. He should constrict harder. For some reason this seems to make them want to eat.

Feed live rat.

Last resort... feed live mouse.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rukik

How long is a period of time? 5 months seems a little excessive to me...

---

As long as he's maintaining a decent body shape, I wouldn't break a sweat over a fasting male until they hit the 12 month mark. I've had males that'd consistently only eat a few months every year.

I am going through this now with my male ball python and I understand your stress... if he is otherwise healthy and not dropping weight, just keep trying, he will eat eventually. I did give mine a degu last year and he loved that, maybe try something different? ... I am finding these snakes can be really picky eaters.

Try a live rat pup with eyes closed about as big as an adult mouse, I bet he will eat that.

My Pied female did the same thing until I tried a live weaned rat and she has ate ever since. I tried I fresh kill after and she would not eat, so i went back to live.

Sent from my C6506 using Tapatalk

Sometimes one of mine has problems finding the head/where to start eating, if the rat is a little too big... And then gives up after 20 minutes, and I have to try again. :s But if I offer him a small rat, he seems to have an easier time eating it. So you can try with a smaller rat, one that he can even eat backwards if he chooses to, and see if that helps?

If he's not becoming very skinny though, I don't think you need to sweat it!

My healthy male BP just got over an 11-month-long hunger strike. In those two months, he lost about 200g. Yeah, it sucked wasting all those precious rats and having to constantly worry about when he's going to resume eating.

Surprisingly, I got him eating again about a week ago, and shortly after that, he shed in one-piece. I know you may have heard this a lot, but I think it helps reassure owners with a fasting BP: Don't worry! Just keep monitoring his temps, attempt feeding him every couple weeks or so, and stay persistent. He'll snap out of it eventually whenever he feels like it. That can be tomorrow, or hell, like my male, 11 months later ;)

When you say "lose significant weight" from not feeding, can you define what you feel is significant?

I've got a young adult.. 3 years or so male ball.. He was underfed when I took him in a year ago.

He was getting three frozen/thawed pinky's every week or so, and was not having his feeding advanced as he aged/grew.
He was about 600 grams and 32 inches or so when I took him in. I began feeding him every week or so, and appropriately sized live meals and he would take them eagerly. He did have some issues with "small" adult rats when dinner wasn't ready to go peacefully. If dinner gave him any real fight back, or bit at him, he'd pass on it. I got around this by feeding multiple crawlers to give him an appropriate meal size.. 10% of body weight per meal.

Over that year he went from 630 grams to 978 grams, and up to 43 inches...

Last significant meal he had was 90 grams worth of rats in February. Refused rat meals in march. In early April I offered a mouse and he took one. He took another adult mouse in late April. He's refused live crawler rats, live adult mice, F/T rats since then. I've taken the approach of buying a single live crawler rat, offering it to him first, and when he passes, offering it to my other snake in the next cage over.

Current weight is 890 grams.. so.. down 10%. He is active, is able to be handled, and doesn't appear ill. He comes out, sniffs live or F/T prey, and goes on about his business.

Regarding husbandry, we've had a change. I went from 55 gal long tank with lights, then CHE's and needing a mister to keep humidity up... to an AP enclosure with RHP's, no need for humidity supplements. No mites. No parasites. Keep it clean. All things I learned from here.

So.. No meal at all in over 3 months and only 2 adult mice in 5 months. Down 80 grams, which is just under 10%. Not worried, just asking at what point I should get worried.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SnakeCharm

In those two months, he lost about 200g.

---

Sorry, I meant to say, "In those 11 months". My bad :D