Ball python acts hungry but skipping meals

[Luvyna]

It's been a long time since I've posted here! The inevitable has happened... my BP Noodle has stopped eating regularly. I almost thought I might be able to get away without this happening since he never missed more than a single meal in a row (and this only happened maybe 1-2 times per year) before this and he is 5 years old.

As some background, there has been quite a bit of change for him recently - he moved homes twice over the past few months and there has also been a lot happening like members of our family going away on vacation multiple times over the summer and the house sometimes being more lively and sometimes more empty with someone he isn't familiar with taking care of him.

For the first time ever, he did not eat for 3 meals consecutively this year. I managed to get him to eat once after that (used the hairdryer trick but had to leave the rat in the enclosure overnight for him to eat it) but he just refused again.

Some changes I've noticed are:

- Starting around a year ago when I moved to live in a different place and my family was taking care of him, he stopped striking rats and had to be left alone to eat. I know you aren't supposed to do this, but for the first 4 years I had him, I would always watch him eat, and he never minded - in fact he would sometimes be looking at me to ask for seconds while still swallowing the rat.

- He is now much more timid and scared when eating - any fast movement will scare him back into hiding and he will never eat in front of anyone now.

- He always acts interested when we are thawing a rat - head out in an S-shape, tongue-flicking, head tracking any movement of our hands, but refuses to strike and then doesn't eat the rat.

Current set-up:
He is in the enclosure he was in as a baby (a 38" x 19" x 13" Sterilite tub) with a CHE over wire mesh on the lid and a UTH.
Ambient temperature: 27C (80.6F) - measured with digital thermometer
UTH temperature: 32C (89.6F) - measured with temperature gun
Humidity: 60%
He has not been handled since he started refusing rats.

What can I do to get him eating normally again and are there any good tricks to make rats more enticing?

[Bogertophis]

Sorry, I know how frustrating this is. When you say he's changed homes a few times, are you talking about his own enclosure, or the home his enclosure sits in? Either way, that's enough to freak out snakes, & for me, that explains why now he's nervous about being watched when he eats. Snakes know they're vulnerable when eating, & he's not sure he's safe now. Poor guy...

But other things might also be at work here- like maybe he's being over-fed? What size rats are you feeding, & how often? Have you tried lengthening the time between offering meals?
Have you tried offering smaller rats? Some snakes hesitate to eat larger meals this time of year, because instinctively they know colder temperatures are on the way & they might not have time to digest them.

Unless he's really underweight, skipping a few meals won't hurt anything- in fact, it's "what they do". Some kinds of snakes will eat all winter, others get fussy for several months. My rosy boa is one of those that does a lot of refusing now- but in the wild, this desert snake would be brumating, so it's quite normal that she listens to her instincts & not to me. I don't count...

Any change in the rats you're feeding? A different source, maybe? They can smell & taste different, if so.

At 5 years of age, it's not surprising for male BPs to fast, as I'm sure you know. But it also sounds like at the very least, his home "chaos" should be reigned in- a quieter location might help.

I'm quite sure that snakes do recognize us & feel safer when it's only their familiar human hanging around. Can you blame them? It's not wrong to watch your snake eat, IF they don't seem to mind. But apparently he's not sure who's watching now- he's learned that it's not always someone he knows well & obviously trusts- and remember that he's not identifying you by sight but by scent & touch too. Maybe even your heat signature, who knows?

I don't know of any ways to make rats "more enticing"- I have no recipes for "rat gravy" or "Rat Cordon Bleu". Mostly I think you just have to remain patient, & fix what you can.

[Luvyna]

For changing homes, it was a double whammy of both a new enclosure and a new location! He is now back in his original home (both in terms of enclosure and house). Yeah all the moving around + familiar people coming and going + unfamiliar people probably scared him, poor guy

I feed ~50g small rats every 14 days, I will say that I feel Noodle was a bit on the chunkier side before he started refusing rats, so maybe that's playing into the not eating as well (his natural weight loss program maybe?) I can increase the time frame to offering every ~20 days and will keep track of his weight. I haven't tried smaller rats yet but can give that a shot since I've heard it's helped for some people!

Also yes, the rat source did also change (as I'm writing this I'm realizing everything has been a perfect storm for him to stop eating) because the quality of the usual supplier dropped to a completely unacceptable level. However, he was taking the new supplier rats before he stopped eating and the one he took after refusing 3 times was from the new supplier.

Yes I hope now that things are calmer he will go back to eating normally! He actually has one more move in store for him to join me where I live now (he is currently in my family's home) but we're trying to wait until he eats 3 times in a row (or maybe I should just get the move over with so all the stress can be over for good).

I totally agree that snakes recognize and feel safe with specific people! Noodle acts completely differently around strangers vs familiar people. I've also actually moved with him a few times before and he never stopped eating, but maybe this time the combination of me not living with him for a while + his new primary caretaker going on vacation a few times + being looked after by strangers got to him.

Too bad there are no rat recipes! I think you're right that time and patience are the key here

[Bogertophis]

If you're not close to him eating 3 times in a row, I'd just move him now & get it over with. I don't think your family's home "agrees with him", also you're not there for the reassurance he needs.

I totally hope he turns around for you & soon- BPs can be so frustrating at times. Since they can't talk or point to what the problem is, we have to play "shrink". But it sounds like "all of the above" to me. Hang in there.

[Luvyna]

Thanks, I'll go ahead with the move, then! I hope he comes around soon, it makes me a little sad that he doesn't feel safe enough to eat when I'm around anymore. He definitely still recognizes me but I don't think he trusts me as much as he did before Hopefully that will change with time.

Yeah with animals the hardest thing is not knowing what they're really thinking and feeling! The best we can do is try to analyze and make the environment as ideal as possible.

[Bogertophis]

Thanks, I'll go ahead with the move, then! I hope he comes around soon, it makes me a little sad that he doesn't feel safe enough to eat when I'm around anymore. He definitely still recognizes me but I don't think he trusts me as much as he did before Hopefully that will change with time.

Yeah with animals the hardest thing is not knowing what they're really thinking and feeling! The best we can do is try to analyze and make the environment as ideal as possible.

I hope he settles down after this too- but he can't understand what's been going on. Some snakes seem to be way more sensitive than others, & this one's sure not a "social butterfly". In my opinion, from what you said, he wants a low-key household with few surprises. You'll have to be patient, this is not one of those fierce snakes in the movie legends.