Food strike- anything I should be doing different?

[sufficio]

Hi there, long time no post. So this winter my adult male BP went on a food strike, which I was prepared to deal with eventually. Despite being a voracious eater in the past, it's been around 3 months since his last successful meal. Despite the weather warming up, however, he's adamant about his food strike it seems. I'm not extremely worried at this time, as I know bps are notorious for this, and going by visual weight guides, he's not even in the "slim" category yet. But I'd feel a lot better if he'd just take a dang meal!

His habitat has not changed since before the food strike(besides the addition of more fake foliage cover to help him feel less exposed) but I know stats are usually preferred on these threads:

Enclosure/Husbandry: He's in a secured plastic tub with an UTH(with thermostat) on one end, with a ceramic heat bulb on very low power above the center to help boost the ambient temp as I'm in Canada. The bulb is not touching any plastic elements as I replaced the center of the tub's lid with a metal/grated lid. The ambient temp is 77-80 with a basking area+hide at 90-94. Temps are monitored with a temp gun, and the humidity is 50% with a humid hide for when he sheds. Bedding is aspen, and there are plentiful hides across the enclosure with tons of plant cover and enrichment. I currently feed him small rats that are frozen/thawed.

Feeding attempts/info: I've been offering food around once every 1-2 weeks, and avoiding offering around any stressful timings(such as cleaning his tub). Before this hunger strike, I can't remember him refusing food at all, but now it seems to stress him out greatly. I've done everything I can to keep his stress levels low, so handling has been done minimally and there's a towel helping cover/hide the sides of his enclosure. I've tried my usual feeding methods as well as leaving the f/t rodent overnight, moving to a separate smaller enclosure and leaving him alone in a zero traffic area with the rodent for 45 minutes, and defrosting the rodent in a bag so the scent is stronger(combined with other methods).

Behavior: I'm not sure if it's helpful, but I'll describe his behavior when attempting to feed. Very little or no tongue flicking, seems to stay in a defensive/stressed position throughout the attempt. Completely freezes up, and if I bring the rodent closer to him, he'll try to avoid it and move to a different area. Shows (from my observation) very little interest in feeding, and just seems to be stressed throughout the attempt.

When I'm able, I'm going to see about getting some new frozen rodents from a pet shop in town, because my current stock has been in the deep freezer for a while and I'm wondering if they've gone "off". No visual issues or smell, but it's worth trying. If that doesn't work, I may attempt to brain one and see if that entices him, if that would be an advisable next step. I might also see if he's more enticed by smaller prey, or possibly mice.

If none of the food attempts work, I may try moving him to a different location. He's in a relatively low-trafficked area, and has eaten from this location without issue in the past, but I wonder if the proximity to something in here is causing him stress.

I'm also wondering if handling MORE could help, as the only times his enclosure is opened lately is cleaning or feeding attempts. But I'd like to hear more experienced thoughts before trying anything that could potentially make this worse for the little guy.

If anyone has other suggestions or ideas, I'd love to hear them. If any other info is needed please let me know! Thanks so much

[Zincubus]

I'll send you the details of hairdryer trick by PM ..

PS ... I'd never suggest anyone move a BP / Royal to a separate container to feed them .... they're just to sensitive for all that faffing around .


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[Cheesenugget]

94 is kind of hot. Can you lower it to 88-90F?

I don't think I catch what size and type of prey you are feeding.

I have a male too. He started fasting when he turned about 2 years old around winter time, on and off since then. So yea, I completely understand the frustration lol. But it is like most keepers say, they will eat when they want to and an average wait is usually around 6 months.

I would cut back to offer biweekly or every 3 weeks.

I usually don't change anything until the 4 or 6 month mark. You can try downsizing the tub, change hides into something more 'snuggly,' or try offering mice if you fed rats. Some swear by the mice trick, it worked for me once before then never again, so who knows. As a last resort, try offering live prey, ie offer a small, small rat instead of the usual bigger size, and supervise closely.

[Zincubus]

94 is kind of hot. Can you lower it to 88-90F?

I don't think I catch what size and type of prey you are feeding.

I have a male too. He started fasting when he turned about 2 years old around winter time, on and off since then. So yea, I completely understand the frustration lol. But it is like most keepers say, they will eat when they want to and an average wait is usually around 6 months.

I would cut back to offer biweekly or every 3 weeks.

I usually don't change anything until the 4 or 6 month mark. You can try downsizing the tub, change hides into something more 'snuggly,' or try offering mice if you fed rats. Some swear by the mice trick, it worked for me once before then never again, so who knows. As a last resort, try offering live prey, ie offer a small, small rat instead of the usual bigger size, and supervise closely.

Yeah I offer anywhere between 10 to 15 days .. I just observe them .. you can trim when they’re interested in food especially the Royals .. imho


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[noodle.obsessed]

I would recommend weighing him regularly, easily done with a bowl and kitchen scales, as some ball pythons can go off food for a long time and still be ok if they are no losing weight quickly or have an obvious change in behaviour (like having less energy).
I hope the best for you and your snake!

[sufficio]

I'll send you the details of hairdryer trick by PM ..

PS ... I'd never suggest anyone move a BP / Royal to a separate container to feed them .... they're just to sensitive for all that faffing around .


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Thanks, very much appreciate the tips! And it was definitely a last resort thing- he'd been fed as a baby in a separate enclosure to avoid any substrate swallowing(I was a little paranoid but he's always been a little "overenthusiastic" when eating and has even tried to swallow down paper towel ) so I tried it in case it was a more comfortable method for him, but I definitely agree, I think it just stressed him more.

94 is kind of hot. Can you lower it to 88-90F?

I don't think I catch what size and type of prey you are feeding.

I have a male too. He started fasting when he turned about 2 years old around winter time, on and off since then. So yea, I completely understand the frustration lol. But it is like most keepers say, they will eat when they want to and an average wait is usually around 6 months.

I would cut back to offer biweekly or every 3 weeks.

I usually don't change anything until the 4 or 6 month mark. You can try downsizing the tub, change hides into something more 'snuggly,' or try offering mice if you fed rats. Some swear by the mice trick, it worked for me once before then never again, so who knows. As a last resort, try offering live prey, ie offer a small, small rat instead of the usual bigger size, and supervise closely.

94 is the absolute hottest spot I could find under the substrate(only a small area of the fairly large warm hide where the heat from the bulb overlaps the edge of the UTH), but there's a thick aspen layer that keeps it down to the temps you listed! If it would be better I can definitely lower it, my usual concern is keeping things warm enough rather than too warm being in northern canada

He's on small rats right now! Has been on rats since he was large enough to manage them.

Wow, that's crazy similar timing haha! I guess I need to be more patient then. I've always been an over-worrier when it comes to my pets haha. Will definitely try downsizing if/when I reach that point. And I dearly hope I don't have to resort to live, but of course I'll do whatever is needed to keep my boy healthy. Thanks for the advice, appreciated!

I would recommend weighing him regularly, easily done with a bowl and kitchen scales, as some ball pythons can go off food for a long time and still be ok if they are no losing weight quickly or have an obvious change in behaviour (like having less energy).
I hope the best for you and your snake!

I'll order myself a scale then! I never bothered since I have no plans to breed and before this, he was an endless pit for food, but it would definitely be a good tool to have now. Thanks for the advice!

[sufficio]

Success!! Huge thank you to @zincubus for the tips, offering in the dark and doing my absolute best to not let him know I was there totally changed his mind and he gobbled up his rat. I hope he keeps eating consistently again now Thanks for all the advice!

[Zincubus]

Success!! Huge thank you to @zincubus for the tips, offering in the dark and doing my absolute best to not let him know I was there totally changed his mind and he gobbled up his rat. I hope he keeps eating consistently again now Thanks for all the advice!

Wonderful news !!!


It's so amazing when they finally eat ... plus you'll be so much more confident next time ... I'd leave it 10 days of so though .... and even if it misses next time now you've had success you'll cope better .


PS .... As regards weighing him regularly.... well I'd hold off that idea until he's eaten three or four consecutive times before I'd consider moving/ handling him ..

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[EL-Ziggy]

Congratulations! I'm glad your boy broke his fast. It's always a relief when they start eating again which they all do eventually. Hopefully he's back on track for a while. 🙂