Female going off feed?

[ahunt037]

my big normal female is just under a year old and is not even close to 1000 grams yet and she normally eats very well. but ever since id say the start of august she has been really picky.. i know bps are very very very picky eaters but she has not fed on her normal schedule every 5-7 days my question is, is this just a normal bp doing wat all bps do or is she going off feed for the breeding season i have never bred mine before and this is my first winter having snakes and im not sure if shes just acting up cuz its that time or if she is just doing wat all bps do if any one could help it would be greatly appreciated thank you

[steveboos]

Calm Down, Take A deep breath, she is fine! Many females that size will go off feed every winter every year like clockwork. For some the temperatures just signal to them that its breeding time and they need to take a break on food. Don't worry about it, just double check all your temperatures and the average humidity and you'll be fine.

This is quite a normal thing with females and even males during the fall/winter months. If i were you though, i might cut back the feeding to every 10-14 days since she is over 1,000 grams.

Good luck!

Stephen.

[ahunt037]

Calm Down, Take A deep breath, she is fine! Many females that size will go off feed every winter every year like clockwork. For some the temperatures just signal to them that its breeding time and they need to take a break on food. Don't worry about it, just double check all your temperatures and the average humidity and you'll be fine.

This is quite a normal thing with females and even males during the fall/winter months. If i were you though, i might cut back the feeding to every 10-14 days since she is over 1,000 grams.

Good luck!

Stephen.

Im calm i just wasnt sure if it was her breeding instinct or her stuborness instinct lol and thank you for helping me but u read it wrong i said she is not even close to 1000 grams yet so should i keep feeding her the every 5-7 or should i slow down a bit on that

[Vypyrz]

Since she is off feed, you need to start weighing her each week and keep track of her weight. If your other BP's are still eating, continue to feed them on schedule, except offer the first one to Cleo. If she refuses, then go ahead and feed the others. If she eats, then just get another rat for the one who missed out...

[steveboos]

Oh sorry, my misunderstanding. If she is not even 1000 grams you can still feed every 5-7 days, but some people just switch over to every 10-14 days around that time also. Me personally i feed every 7 days until about 1000 grams, but it also depends on the snake.

If you have other snakes feed them regularly, but make sure to leave the rats in the room thawing or leave the live rats in the room for about 30 minutes before feeding so you "pre-scent" the room, this is going to get her in the mood.

Ball Pythons can go years without food, but most females will go off feed for 2-6 months regularly, so don't worry about her, just give her time.

[Kysenia]

Track her weight, if she does not lose weight more then likely due to what has been mentioned above. Check Husbandry, if all is well, weigh and go from there