Is my snake starving himself?!?

[Acurtis2190]

I'm so afraid I will get yelled at again but although I'm not a professional I do care for my pet and I'm willing to try anything to help him. I asked what I should do at the new pet store I've been buying rats at and they simply yelled at me for ever feeding him live rats and basically told me he probably got scratched by a rat and will now starve himself and there is nothing I can do. I was given Sebastian as a young ball python when I was 18 years old and I started feeding him live mice like the kid who gave him to me was doing before. I would feed him more and more mice as he grew and eventually upgraded him to live rats. Fast forward 7 years and he's been eating large rats for awhile now. About 6 months ago he started refusing to eat. I killed the rat and gave it back to him like I was instructed by a Google search. He refused that as well and I eventually had to toss it. Several times since I have tried frozen rats, smaller rats, making sure his humidity and temperate is correct, ect. Yesterday I finally got him to eat for the first time in what seems like forever!!! But it was a mouse. On the last trip to the store I desperately bought a mouse and a small rat hoping he would eat them because they're so small. This is a grown adult ball and I know one mouse has not filled him up but the small rat has been in his tank for about 24 hours now. The rat even runs up and touches noses with Sebastian and he recoils and acts scared. Suggestions?!? How do I get him to eat?!? He is the only snake I've ever owned and prior to that I have had zero experience with any reptiles.

[200xth]

A few things:

Take the rat out the enclosure. You shouldn't leave live food in the enclosure for that long. Don't leave them in there for more than 15 to 30 minutes. If the snake doesn't eat by then, they're most likely not going to.

Large rats are pretty big. I don't know exactly how big your's are (labels mean different things to different people), but almost all male BP's can do just fine on small rats (60g to 90g).

Fasts are very common for adult BP's. Are you tracking his weight? If so, how much weight has he lost during the six months? If he's not lost much weight, there's nothing to worry about. Some BP's fast for up to a year, and six months is not uncommon particularly for males.

[LittleTreeGuy]

First off, get the live rat out of the tank, unless you are sitting there watching it. Never leave live prey in the tank with your snake unsupervised... even for a few minutes. It can be deadly for the snake.

What is your tank setup like?
What are your temperatures and humidity levels?
When he was eating, how often was he eating?
What is his weight?
Has anything changed?

From the research I have done, it's not totally unheard of for a ball python to go off feed for a few months. If this is the case, and all of his husbandry is spot on, I would just re-offer him food every 5-7 days until he starts eating regular again.

[M.P.C]

Very simple you have your self a mouse loving ball python... It happens unfortunatly and really nothing you can do but stick with what he will actually eat... I had one with my ex that wouldnt even bat an eye at a rat but you toss a mouse in and its like she hasent eaten in forever... Just feed him multiple mice to give him a nice meal.. You dont have to feed them rats its just more economical to feed adult balls rats vs mice

[bcr229]

First, I would not return to that particular pet store if the employees yelled at you.

Second, don't ever leave a live feeder unsupervised with your snake, because if your snake isn't interested in eating the mouse or rat, eventually the feeder will start chewing on your snake.

Third, if your male ball python has made it to seven years old without fasting, congratulations. Mine usually start at around 18 months old when they get interested in girls.

I have an adult male that doesn't eat at all between Halloween and Easter, and the rest of the year he will only eat every 2-3 weeks. There's nothing wrong with him, he just doesn't need a lot of food. Many of my other males - and even females - will just stop eating for several months at a time (which is why I own boas, they eat what the picky ball pythons don't). Most snakes in captivity are way overfed.

Personally I would only attempt to feed every 2-3 weeks. If you don't want live feeders hanging about, you have an excuse to get another snake with a better food response.

So, double-check your husbandry, temperatures, humidity, etc. and keep an eye on your snake's weight. If everything is ok it's just a matter of waiting him out.

[Acurtis2190]

He's eaten rats for years though- is it normal for them to change and want mice all of a sudden even if they haven't fed on mice in five or six years?

[bcr229]

Sometimes offering a different type of feeder or a smaller feeder than normal will spark interest in eating. Usually you just have to wait for your snake to get hungry again.

[Mr. Misha]

Do you record the dates your BP eats or doesn't eat? If you don't, I suggest you start. Sometimes BPs go off feed for a while (one of my females went off of food for 5 months last year) which is complete normal. I use the iherp.com site. It's free and you can keep an accurate log. This comes into play if your BP goes off feed for a couple of months.

Additionally, invest in a scale so you can log your snake's empty weight (weight after they defecate). You can monitor their weight changes if they do go off feed.

In regards to the feedings, like everyone already said, monitor the live feedings and NEVER leave a live feeder in a terrarium with your BP. If you want to see what happens when hungry rats start chewing on BPs, just do a google search (not a pretty picture).

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[AllThatInThemGenes]

Mine usually start at around 18 months old when they get interested in girls.

^ made me smile.

put a litte more time inbetween offering prey (every 2-3 weeks like suggested). get a scale. and never go back to the pet store again. Normal for them to fast for periods and the fact that he took the mouse is good. Dont stress too much and good luck.

[Galaxygirl]

He's eaten rats for years though- is it normal for them to change and want mice all of a sudden even if they haven't fed on mice in five or six years?

Yep, totally normal. I have a few ball pythons that switch between rats and mice. If you want to get him back on rats, each feeding offer him a mouse and a small rat. The mouse gets him in feeding mode and hopefully increases the chances he'll take a rat. I have a large girl that was on mice. Each week I'd make sure to offer her a rat along with her usual mice, and she eventually started taking them. She might stop eating rats again, and I'll keep her on mice until she switches again.