Ball python won’t eat

[Cassidyalayna]

Hello! I’ve had my ball python for about 6 weeks and in those 6 weeks she only ate the first week after adopting her. I keep her hot spot at around 89-91. And her cool side is around 80. I never ever see her go on the hot spot side though. She only ever stays on the cool side except when she’s active at night and exploring her tank. The humidity stays at 55. She has a lot of hides. I have a bioactive tank so there are lots of plants she can hide under, logs with tunnels, cork wood flats that I built to be like a cave, and she has a skull hide. She hides all day like she should be and is active at night. Except for the last two days because I added new stuff to her cage so she had to check it all out. She loves climbing so there’s vines that she uses. I see her drink often so she’s staying hydrated. She has a 40 gallon tank and she’s a juvenile, so the tank is rather large for her but it is so extremely crowded that I feel like she should feel pretty secure. I only handle her once a week for a few minutes. So I don’t know why she refuses to eat. She’s not in shed. The first two weeks she refused her meal she hissed at it and struck at it defensively but would never eat it even when I left it over night. But every week after that she either just ignored it and moved past it, even when I dangled it in her face, or she acted scared of it. I feed her rats that are appropriately sized for her. There’s nothing I can think of that could be wrong for her not to eat. But I’m worried because she is so young. She really needs to eat. Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated. I’m taking her to the vet soon. I haven’t done it yet because I just got done spending hundreds of dollars on a sick bearded dragon I rescued so I’m a little strapped for cash. I’m hoping it’s just a husbandry issue that I can fix!

[Bogertophis]

I assume you've been offering f/t rats? You didn't say... What was she eating before you got her? mice & rats smell & taste different, & many BPs prefer mice, even
though rats are more convenient when they get to be adults & need larger prey (so they don't have to eat more than one item per meal, which many BPs are too fussy
to do). Anyway, with any new snake, for BEST results, feed them what they took previously...that means not only the same kind & size of rodent, but also live or f/t is
very important. New snakes are nervous & afraid in a new cage & new home, so the more things you can do that are familiar, the less stress they feel & the more likely
you are to succeed.

Speaking of stress, it's best not to handle any new snake until it's fed easily for you at least 3 times (& at normal intervals). Can't say for sure that's why she won't eat,
but handling is not helping, even though it's "only a few minutes". Snakes are not domestic animals...meaning they rely on their wild instincts to survive, and the only
thing that normally picks up a snake in the wild is a predator about to eat them. If you were a snake, do you think you'd feel like eating after that?

I do think the problem is most likely due to husbandry (fixable) issues, & taking a snake with such vague symptoms to a vet will only stress her further & not likely help.

How are you thawing her prey? How are you offering it? Are you warming it right before offering? BPs rely on their heat-sensing pits to know that their prey is alive &
suitable for eating. They also take food best at night, & often when they're peeking out of their hide box (not when they're cruising their cage)- remember they are
ambush-predators. They often respond best when their f/t prey is warm (lifelike), not too active (just a little wiggle from tongs) & it does not appear to approach them.
Hint, wild rodents don't volunteer to get eaten either, lol. So you want to make it appear to pass cluelessly by where the snake is hiding, a little distance away so
the snake picks up the scent & warmth, & then is inspired to chase a little to grab it. You also need to stay in the background as much as possible...offer in dim light &
don't move around much. I've fed many snakes that will grab food, only to drop it the minute I move...so I've learned to freeze in place while they swallow.

I do hope your snake is kept quarantined away from your bearded dragon, and also be vigilant for mites. She's not soaking in the water bowl is she? It would have been
best to keep your new snake in a very simple set-up & on white paper towels for a while, so the problems like mites or blood in the stool can be seen easier. In a bio-
active cage with lots of furnishings, mites could overwhelm a snake (causing death) if you aren't careful, there's just so many places they hide & leave eggs.

That's another thing: what kind of hides? It matters! Snakes want only one doorway, just big enough for them to fit thru (with a meal), & not overly-large inside. They
often like to feel "back pressure" (snug!) so hides shouldn't be too tall, & if they're too large you can stuff some crumpled paper towels inside to make it feel more cozy.
Those tree-bark tunnels sold in pet-stores are not suitable hides, they're way too open. A snake that doesn't have secure hides (both cool side & warm) may not feel
safe enough to take meals, especially with other things that may be lacking.

If you never see your snake on the warm side, it's probably a little too hot. Lower the temp. to 88* & make sure you're measuring the temps. accurately & where your snake is actually making contact. (don't rely on what a thermostat is set to, measure the temps. inside the cage)

[Stewart_Reptiles]

If the tank was truly making her secure, she would eat, the fact that a juvenile refuse food is the tell tell sign that your husbandry does not work for her, which means it's time to change the things you have been doing and do something else that will allow her to resume feeding.

[Cassidyalayna]

Thank you for the reply yes I offer her f/t rats. That’s what she was offered before I got her and I get her the same size rats that the breeder used for her. (I buy the rats from the same breeder I bought her from too.) I thaw it in hot water for about 30 minutes. And then I dump out the water and refill it with warm water again and let it sit in in for a few more minutes so that it is nice and warm. I have been feeding her at night but I did not know about the peeking out of hide thing! I always assumed it was best to feed her when she was awake and out and about. So next time I’ll try to make her ambush it! I always just dangled it in front of her face which probably stressed her out more than anything. So thank you for that bit of information . I will stop handling her too until she eats to see if that helps a bit. She is in a different room than my beardie! I haven’t seen any signs of mites and she has not been soaking in the water bowl (thank god). She has a tiny skull that she likes to hide in the most, I made her cave hides by digging the dirt to make an opening and covering it slightly with the cork wood flats (it’s hard to explain) and she likes laying in those. The tunnel is a really really small one that splits into two pathways so the center hole is the one she likes to stay in sense the middle of the other two holes on the other side provides her with a wall to put her back on. That’s the hide she often peeks out at night! Do you think it would be best to move her into a very simple container until she starts eating again and then move her back into her tank, or should I just keep trying in the tank once I change these things? Again, thank you so much for the thorough response

[Bogertophis]

Up to you if you want to try again while she's in this set-up...I think I would, because another "new cage" at this point may also add stress, as long as you're SURE
there's no mites hiding along with her, and especially because now you've identified some things that you've been doing wrong or that could be improved. But don't
wait too long...she really should be eating rather well at this stage. The way you've been offering is most likely a big part of the issue for her, good luck! For future
reference though, if you ever get another snake, don't rush into a set-up this "fancy"...for one thing, if she did come with mites, you'd have to throw most of it away!

When a BP is cruising the cage, it can mean hunger...(very likely!), or stress (looking for familiar territory when re-homed, or cage is unsuitable in some way such as
too warm), or wanting to breed (not in a young snake like this).

[EL-Ziggy]

Your husbandry sounds pretty dialed in to me as far as temps and humidity go, and you say she has plenty of hides and floor covering. I wouldn't change anything except maybe how often you're offering food. I'd offer every 2 weeks for the next few feedings and up to every 3-4 weeks until she catches catches on. She's had one meal in your care so she won't starve anytime soon. Snakes can go months without eating and BPs can be very sporadic feeders. I've had a couple of new snakes that took a few months before they started eating consistently. Double check your temps, stay patient, stick to a routine, and she'll eat eventually. If she's really stubborn and hits the 3-4 month mark without eating I'd consider offering a different prey item, like a mouse or asf, or perhaps a live prey item. Keep us posted on your progress.

[Zincubus]

This method WORKS if done properly ...
I wait until evening as they're nocturnal of course . I let the rodent thaw out in the reptile room so they get the smell ..
Then I warm up the mouse / rat with a hairdryer and offer with tongs IMMEDIATELY whilst still warm . If refused simply repeat the heating and offering as many times as needed. .
A couple of mine will only strike feed from within their hides so I dangle the warm rodent in front of the hide's entrance - usually works but if it fails simply reheat the rodent with a hairdryer and immediately offer again whilst it's still warm continue until it's grabbed ...


Incidentally , if it shows no interest at all not even a tongue flicker maybe it's best to leave for a week or so.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[ballpythonsrock2]

I thaw it in hot water for about 30 minutes. And then I dump out the water and refill it with warm water again and let it sit in in for a few more minutes so that it is nice and warm. I have been feeding her at night but I did not know about the peeking out of hide thing! I always assumed it was best to feed her when she was awake and out and about. So next time I’ll try to make her ambush it! I always just dangled it in front of her face which probably stressed her out more than anything....

I have found and some others on here that using hot water to thaw out feeders can often lead to over heating, even cooking it. I have seen belly's burst open in a sticky mush. No wonder a snake didn't want to eat it. If using water it is best to do as Bogertophis advises and that is use cool, room temp water. You can even put the rat right in the water and let it thaw like that (which is what I do.)

When it is thawed and soft bellied then you can heat it with a hair dryer. I have used a heat lamp light to heat it (belly down) but there again it is very easy to cook it using a heat lamp. So I really recommend the hair dry mostly on low from a little ways away. Slow heat it and dry the fur which is important to keep the substrate from sticking to the feeder.

You can air thaw it like Zincubus says too IMO but if you are worried about germs building up (as Bogertophis does) you can do as I do and combine both methods. I put my feeder above the enclosure for a half hour or until the snake comes out smelling (which ever happens first,) then I thaw it in cool water till it is very loose and soft bellied, and then I use the hair dryer to get the fur dry and fluffy and the feeder up to around a 100 or in the 90's at the very least. ( even above 100 sometimes but I let it cool down before sticking it in the enclosure)

A infrared thermometer comes in sooooo handy including measuring feeder temps. In fact I use it to measure the temp of the warmed up sweet oil I stick in my ears. And of course snake enclosure temps.
PS get one that has the light on it to read temps at night in the dark.

[Bogertophis]

Thanks ballpythonsrock2 for bringing this up...I was going to mention this as well, so just to clarify:

First, to minimize spoilage of rodents, use methods recommended for our own food: either thaw in refrigerator (too slow!) or thaw in cold water (fast!).
Any warmth applied makes for bacterial growth which makes for spoilage. It's MORE important for thawing snake food, since rodents are WHOLE animals with a gut-load of bacteria just waiting for adequate warmth to proliferate. Even if you grew up thawing meat on the counter-top, keep in mind that's very slow, and that we also do NOT eat the meat RAW as our snakes do...that cooking effectively kills the bacteria, & there's far less to start with since a steak or chicken leg does not contain the animal's guts.

FYI- I thaw in cool or cold tap water, changing the water a few times if it gets too cold (like in winter) to effectively thaw the rodents.

Check by hand -thawed rodents are soft thru-out. Using hot water to "speed" this process just results in spoilage which your snake can smell, & cause his refusal to eat.

The only heat you should apply to rodents is AFTER they are thawed: briefly submerge in very warm water (not boiling/hot) and-or use a blow-dryer to warm right before you offer it to the snake. Repeat if necessary...BPs are usually fussy about temperature, many other snakes are not, fyi.

When rodents are thawed in warm/hot water, it may seem faster but really you're causing spoilage that often may cause the rodent to "explode" (burst open) when the snake bites or constricts it, & often is so unappealing (sniff it yourself, you'll see it smells bad!) that the snake won't eat it...so you've just wasted your time & money, & still have a hungry snake.

[sur3fir3]

You can also thaw at room temp. I thaw out all my food, including my food either in the sink, or on the counter at room temp. When I thaw out for my snakes I usually put the rodents on top of their enclosure. This way I am 100% sure the snakes were able to small the rodents thawing out. If you put it in the fridge, or in a baggie with water the smell does not permeate the enclosures. The snakes are more into their prey when I thaw like this.