Baby BP not eating for 6 weeks!

[oaktreehokie]

I bought my BP in February this year, so he is about 8-9 months old now. I kept him in a 10gallon tank and after about 6 months moved him into a 20 gallon. I know I had his husbandry all right. Hot side/cold side, optimal humidity and he had been eating F/T mice every 5-6 days. After i moved him to the 20gallon, he ate once and then went into shed.Since then he has not eaten. His last meal was 08/04 so that is over 5 weeks ago. I've tried everything, but he has just been refusing to eat. Its like he barely shows any interest in the mouse. And some days , when it looked like he was showing more interest, he just stopped and went to the other corner.

I tried atleast 4-5 F/T mice over the course of a month without luck. Maybe the 20gallon was too big still so I moved him back to his 10gallon home where he always ate, but still no luck. Now its been another week, and he just wont eat.

I just dont know what to do. He is dropping weight.. He was 300 grams to start with the last time he ate, and now he is down to 230grams!! He looks healthy to me though

[SamO]

He is still small, I'd put him back in the 10 gallon tank until he weights 1500 grams. He feels insecure in the big tank. It's something you'll have to play by ear, when your snake is big enough to feel secure in a bigger tank.

[oaktreehokie]

I have moved him back into the 10gallon about 10 days ago and havent had any luck still. I'm getting worried hes dropping weight, hes still really small .

[SamO]

Ok, no need to worry yet. What are his actual weights? Deborah has many posts on here about how to get a baby to eat. Those techniques could help you out. Security is the big issue, you want to make him feel secure. Search for her posts and see what you can apply in your situation. Add clutter to the tank, remember the clutter gives them more leverage against the lid of the tank, so it should be secure.

[PitOnTheProwl]

1500g in a 10 gallon tank???
There isnt enough floor space in there to suffice an animal that size not to mention husbandry.


Oaktree..... Back on topic. What is the weight of your snake? What was the weight before the strike? At 8 or 9 months old he should have some good size if he was eating regular.

[GitaBooks]

I'm not a genius about herp health, so please forgive me if I'm wrong, but I heard pretty common for Ball Pythons to go on a feeding strike nearing autumn.

[SamO]

1500g in a 10 gallon tank???

Yeah, I had typed 1000 but then upped it. I have never used a tank, just tubs and racks so sometimes it's hard to relate. My bad, thanks for catching it!

The point is, don't increase tank size to soon.

[oaktreehokie]

1500g in a 10 gallon tank???
There isnt enough floor space in there to suffice an animal that size not to mention husbandry.


Oaktree..... Back on topic. What is the weight of your snake? What was the weight before the strike? At 8 or 9 months old he should have some good size if he was eating regular.

He was about 290 grams when he stopped eating. He's always been a regular eater but I feel that weight is a little low for an 8month old? Why is he growing so slow?
He didn't eat for almost 6 weeks and last week when I checked he was now 250 grams.

The great news here is that he ate yesterday!! He showed minimal interest while I was dangling a F/T mouse so I left it in there overnight disappointed that he was gonna continue to not eat and drop weight. But, by morning it was gone. I am so relieved.

I'm hoping that since he is back in his old 10gallon tank home he is more relaxed and secure now and will continue to eat regularly.

[oaktreehokie]

So after eating on 9/12, I again tried a F/T mouse on 9/18 (he usually ate every days) but he didnt take it this time. I left it overnight and no luck..So I waited a few days and tried again on 9/23. He came out of his hide all ready to strike but he smelt it and moved on. Again i left it there overnight and this time by morning it was gone.

What my concerns here are:
1. He's rejecting food after 5-6 days something he never did.
2. BOTH times 9/12 and 9/23 even though he ate it by morning he NEVER struck the mouse. Just ate it since I left it there anyway. What could cause him to not be striking and shying away?

He has been in his old 10 gallon tank now for many days now.. almost 3 weeks. so he should be more secure and I know his temps are spot on.

[BCS]

Some snakes just don't strike. It's like they know its dead. That is definitely something not to be worried about as long as the snake is eating. Some snakes are actually afraid of anything that moves (I personally have one and she will only eat it if it is lying motionless in front of her. That is only one out of 21 snakes I own though so I doubt it is common).

Smell is very important to them. At a certain point was he fed something else. A hamster, ASF, gerbil?

When are you handling him? How often?

How do you thaw out the rat?

Does the tank have bright lights? Heating lamp, room lights, display lamps?

Is in a quiet bedroom or a high traffic area like a kitchen or living room?