How to raise ambient temperature in ball python's terrarium

[muktedir]

Hi all,


My ball python had a really good appetite, I was really impressed with her feeding response. After a while, when winter came to Turkey, everything goes in a bad way. Bp refused lots of meals, even though I tried various methods like cutting prey's skull etc.(it was kinda gross like a satanic ritual..). Even though all the circumstances are the same except ambient temperature and I think all the problems and fasting processes are because of improper ambient temperature. Now it goes well, she turned herself again and has a really good appetite, not refusing meals and instantly striking prey(frozen/thawed).


If I raise the ambient temp in the terrarium, is there any chance to skip winter fasting via manipulating the bp the winter never comes lol.


Here are some pictures of my terrarium, feel free to express all your opinions, in Turkey, there are not sufficient sources to acquire knowledge, and due to lack of knowledge, I really want help.


The terrarium is 90x60x60 in cm, half of it there is UHT (90x30) with well adjusted, hot spot(the leftmost one) is around 31-33 degrees in celsius, the middle one is around 29-30 and the rightmost one(cold spot) is around 27.5-28 degrees. The ambient temperature is around 24-26 depending on whether it's morning or night.

[Homebody]

If I raise the ambient temp in the terrarium, is there any chance to skip winter fasting via manipulating the bp the winter never comes lol.

Cooler temperatures can cause your ball python to fast. So, if you keep the temperatures consistently warm, you should improve your bp's feeding response. I'm not sure you can, or even if you should, eliminate winter fasting though. It's perfectly natural for most snakes. What were your winter ambient temps?

[Bogertophis]

Your temperature range sounds right- but some snakes figure out it's winter anyway- they instinctively fast because in "real life", those with undigested food in their GI tract when temperatures are too cool for them to digest will result in sickness & death from food rotting inside them. Those which have survived to reproduce are those which "know" (instinctively) NOT to eat in the winter.

Have you double-checked exactly what the temperatures ARE inside the enclosure? OR are you just relying on what your thermostats are set to? There can be a big difference- if enclosures lose warmth in winter because the ambient room air is chilly, you can find materials to insulate the outside of the enclosure. And you might need to adjust the thermostats for the season. By the way, that enclosure looks very nice- you obviously put some effort into it.

Another thing to think about is that the daylight is shorter in winter- you might try making a longer day-length by increasing the impression of daylight in the room (ie. leave a light on). It is thought that some snakes also respond to "length of day" (not just temperatures) to know when to refuse to eat.

Do be careful if raising temperatures much above 32* C, as they can cause neurological damage- and you always need to leave enough area with lower temperatures for their safety. It's a challenge no matter where you live to get this right for snakes like BPs- they're fairly demanding snakes, especially within the confines of an artificial habitat (enclosure).