I know. Typical problem, I have a BP that isn't eating XD

[Modson91]

This is my first time here. I know the issue i'm about to type out is common, but i guess maybe i need verification that i am not crazy Ok so backstory. i've owned BPs for 10 years. i have learned so much along the way and i am by no means perfect. i have 5 ball pythons and a western hognose (snake wise). They range from 10 years old to 3 years old and i have 3 females and 2 males. over the winter a few went off feed. nothing out of the ordinary. my oldest male (estimated 5 years i think. idk i got him from some friends who were downsizing their collection) didn't eat from december through feb and finally took a mouse.

i don't typically feed mice, these were just free from my vet tech college when the teacher couldn't find homes for them and offered them to me. every single snake i own ate them and loved them. i normally feed f/t and i typically don't have issues. anyway, here is some info i know will be asked: i have them in a rack system (i had WAY too many issues keeping up humidity in tanks and honestly since switching, all of my snakes ate so much better up until winter), warm side is upper 80's-90 degrees in all tubs, i measure temps with a heat gun and i have several types of hygrometers to check humidity in case one fails, i have females in a 42qt rack and the males in a 28qt rack, all of my snakes have a hide except one female due to an injury that is still healing but will offer once she is 100% healed, i just checked humidity last night and all are in the 60-70's, ambient room temp is 78 degrees, and cool side of the tub is anywhere between 75-80 degrees.

i document each time i check temps and humidity on paper so i can track if there are any issues. i have also began to track the barometric pressure, temp and what the weather was like outside the day i tried to feed my snakes just in case there is any correlation to when they feed and when they refuse. i also chart their weight which i weigh each snake once a month.

my main issue is my oldest girl. i love her dearly and she is just my big ol normal girl. at her heaviest she was 2,352 grams. that was back in november. she stopped eating which i didn't stress about because once she stopped eating for 8 months over the winter time a few years ago. well over the past few months she has slowly lost weight and is down to 1,972 grams. she still looks good but isn't super active right now. she ate on 2/18 (one of the mice) and has refused ever since. i know most say don't stress until they have lost 20% of their body weight, but could she just have been too chunky and is now slimming down and i don't need to stress that she is getting close to that 20% mark?

i don't handle my snakes that much (maybe twice a week and that isn't even every snake) and they are in a room that only i go in once a day to check on my leachie gecko and make sure the room temp is good. i have a feeling i may be overthinking this and i am just crazy and stressing myself out. i'm not so worried about one of my males and my female who is healing from an injury because i haven't had them even a year yet so this is their first winter with me, but its just my oldest girl. any tips?

i am at work right now so i cant provide any set up pics, but their tubs have a hide that is appropriate for their size, and a water dish. someone suggested i take her on a short car ride to get her out of her "stuck" cycle but i feel that would just stress her out more. i normally take her outside when it is warm every once in a while but i haven't taken her outside yet this year. any tips would be appreciated. tell me i am just crazy XD sorry for the long post. thank you for reading!

[Homebody]

my main issue is my oldest girl. i love her dearly and she is just my big ol normal girl. at her heaviest she was 2,352 grams. that was back in november. she stopped eating which i didn't stress about because once she stopped eating for 8 months over the winter time a few years ago. well over the past few months she has slowly lost weight and is down to 1,972 grams. she still looks good but isn't super active right now. she ate on 2/18 (one of the mice) and has refused ever since. i know most say don't stress until they have lost 20% of their body weight, but could she just have been too chunky and is now slimming down and i don't need to stress that she is getting close to that 20% mark?

I'd take her to a vet. The length of the fast wouldn't concern me, but the weight loss would. That's a lot of weight to lose in a short period of time.

[Bogertophis]

Welcome! It wasn't clear, but IF you've ever fed live rodents to this snake (or any of your snakes), it's possible that she (they) could have picked up intestinal parasites. When snakes involuntarily share their food with worms, that may cause weight loss & less than optimal health. If that were my snake, I'd be thinking about having a fresh stool sample tested if there's any output. (If not, a vet might still be able to check with a more 'invasive' method.)

We're also not seeing the snake in question, so yes, it's entirely possible that she is/was on the heavy* side & is just not needing to eat. Weight alone doesn't tell us much- it's how long the snake is in relation to their weight- so pics really would help. (*Something about the way you wrote "just my big ol' normal girl"? That, & the fact that none of us look at weight & body condition quite the same way, either for our pets or for ourselves.)

This might help: https://reptifiles.com/ball-python-c...ealth/obesity/

Or this:



Please note that I'm not saying you shouldn't see a vet for your concerns- that's your call- but oftentimes husbandry issues are best sorted out first, as most vets are there for medical & surgical interventions, & some are much better than others when it comes to the actual husbandry of snakes. It really helps if the vet in question is actually a snake keeper, as opposed to just seeing them in the clinic.