Yet Another "Snake Won't Eat" (4 months)

[HugYourDucks]

Hey there,

I know this is a common issue but I feel like I've tried everything I've seen suggested online and nothing is working.

I have a 1+ year old ball python. He's in a 75 gallon tank, 88/90F on the hot side, 45-60% humidity on average when not shedding. In Kansas where it's quite dry - going through a heat spell at the moment. He gets a live rat every two weeks.

He skipped a feeding in late February, ate again three weeks later, but then went on a four month feeding strike. I finally got him to eat in late June, but now he's back to not eating (have tried two times this month).

Apart from refusing to eat frozen-thawed, he's never been picky. Eats any time of day, any color, doesn't mind being watched... Very eager and aggressive; I'd put a rat in and he would immediately cross the tank to get it. Now he gets excited, comes out in a strike position, but won't strike. The rat inevitably ends up bopping his nose and then he seems to act scared and retreats back to his hides.

I've tried changing rat colors, tried changing breeders, tried changing times of day, spiked the heat in the tank, tried holding the rat in the air by the tail, varied the length of time between offering him a rat... I know he's in good health. He didn't lose weight during his 4 month strike, no other signs of illness. His behavior is altogether unaltered - still very inquisitive when he's taken out, very relaxed. I just don't know. I live so far away from the breeder, it's costly to take the rat back every time he won't eat it and I just don't know what's going on or what I could try differently.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. I don't know if this is natural -

I was told by the breeder I got him from to take him to the vet if he got to five months without eating but as I said, he has no other signs of anything being wrong so I'm just so lost on what to do.

[Bogertophis]

One problem with feeding live is that many snakes get bitten in the process, & their owners aren't always aware of it. It might be only a bloodless pinch, but still even enough to cause your snake to hesitate (fear!) the live prey. If this is the case with yours, you might try feeding a younger rat (eyes closed) to see if that emboldens your snake. Using a live harmless* "appetizer" rodent is also one way to get a snake to learn to accept pre-killed rodents. Some snakes will get all pumped up eating a small live rodent, & as long as the 2 in combination aren't an excessively large meal, the snake may accept a pre-killed rodent immediately after taking (finishing) the small live one.

*When rats have eyes open, they fight back, & they can injure or even kill a snake that isn't interested in eating (for whatever reason, fear or illness, etc) so it's important to figure out what's going on- & yes, we highly recommend feeding pre-killed (fresh or f/t), but we also understand it can be very difficult, especially with BPs, because they rely on their heat sensing pits to recognize live rodents. When feeding f/t, are you aware of techniques to fool your snake into accepting a dead rodent? (heat & subtle motion) You have to get it just right, but maybe you just haven't tried hard enough to make it work.

Another possibility is that you're just feeding him too much & he's not hungry- this chart may help you assess the size & frequency of prey you're offering:

[Bogertophis]

Another thing that may be affecting his "confidence" is that he's housed in a 75 gal. tank- that is pretty huge for a young BP. Without seeing his set-up- there's no way to know if you have enough hiding places for him so he feels bolder, but the behavior as you've described it suggests to me that he lacks confidence- because he shows interest but cannot "close the deal" & backs off, especially if the rat "boops" his nose. What size is your BP & what size rat are you trying to feed him?

Another thing- when a snake refuses a meal, don't keep on re-offering, as that just stresses them out. If he refuses to eat, wait until it's time to feed again. Most feed young BPs weekly, but you're feeding every 2 weeks, so adjust accordingly, & if that keeps failing, go to longer intervals. And as I said, without seeing your snake, for all I know he might be over-fed or under-fed.

[Homebody]

I agree with Boger that fear caused by a rat bite or overfeeding are the most likely causes of this fast. I also agree that pics of your snake and your enclosure would help. Here's a thread on how to post pics: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures