600g-1000g Wall (My Ball Python Stopped Eating-Help Trouble shooting)

[dbassa]

Was browsing Reptile Report and came across a SnakeBytesTV episode that brought up this idea of a 600g to 1000g wall.The relevant portion starts around 3:40.



My BP is 766g and was a year old approx. May 2013.

Gender is unknown.

Husbandry:

She is in a 20 long-all sides have been covered with opaque film. The top is a custom wood cover with holes drilled for ventilation secured with velcro straps. Heated with a heat pad and controlled with a thermostat.

She has shed perfectly every time except for the first shed after I brought her home. Warm side ranges from 89-92. Cool side from 78 to 83. humidity ranges bet. 60 and 70%.

She has always been a strong feeder.

She does does not appear sick. She acts just like a normal ball python. Basically a pet rock until after about an hour after the lights go out; then she is out and about for a few hours. I handle two to three times a week. Sessions are usually 5-15 min. max.


Has anyone ever heard of this or experienced this 600g to 1000g wall? Any other ideas as to why my snake won't eat?

[Tigerhawk]

How long has it been since it last ate?

[dbassa]

How long has it been since it last ate?

Two weeks-7/26/2013. Not long for a BP I know, but I want to trouble shoot to make sure there is no other reasons.

[MarkS]

It's actually pretty common with ball pythons in that weight range. Mostly you just have to wait it out. As long as they're not losing weight they should be fine.

[Brokenangelr]

My girl hit "the wall" in January when she was about a year old. She was about 1500g when she stopped eating. She started eating again 5 and a half months later and is back to her usual appetite. I would wait it out, but keep an eye on the weight to make sure they don't get dangerously underweight. Kiva drove me nuts with her refusal to eat but it turned out OK in the end
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[dbassa]

It's actually pretty common with ball pythons in that weight range. Mostly you just have to wait it out. As long as they're not losing weight they should be fine.

She has not lost a gram in the last two weeks. Weighed 766g two weeks ago and weighed 766g Thursday night. Friday night is feeding night. I was going to wait two weeks to offer food but last night she was out and about and looked like she might be hunting and so I tried again.

How often would you suggest offering food until she starts feeding again?

[dbassa]

My girl hit "the wall" in January when she was about a year old. She was about 1500g when she stopped eating. She started eating again 5 and a half months later and is back to her usual appetite. I would wait it out, but keep an eye on the weight to make sure they don't get dangerously underweight. Kiva drove me nuts with her refusal to eat but it turned out OK in the end
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Well, I plan to continue to weigh her every week as I have been.

Since it does not seem to be stress related, would you recommend not handling? I don't handle her much as it is, and I would still handle for weighing and maintenance as needed.

[Brokenangelr]

Well, I plan to continue to weigh her every week as I have been.

Since it does not seem to be stress related, would you recommend not handling? I don't handle her much as it is, and I would still handle for weighing and maintenance as needed.

I still handled her on a regular basis. I dont think that played at all into her not eating.

I had to take her out almost every day as she was very fond of dumping her water out just about every night

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[MarkS]

She has not lost a gram in the last two weeks. Weighed 766g two weeks ago and weighed 766g Thursday night. Friday night is feeding night. I was going to wait two weeks to offer food but last night she was out and about and looked like she might be hunting and so I tried again.

How often would you suggest offering food until she starts feeding again?

Just keep weighing her, losing a little weight is fine but keep an eye out for rapid weight loss, and also keep an eye on it's muscle tone, it should still feel strong and muscular even if it's not eating. I'd probably attempt feeding every couple of weeks until she starts eating again then go back to your usual schedule. It can take many months before they decide to end their hunger strike. I've got a rescue ball python that hadn't eaten in 6 months, she's a large adult and I suspect she's an import. She finally took a live mouse for me last week. She actually lost quite a bit of weight but never felt weak or mushy.

[RetiredJedi]

My pinstripe male stopped eating for 8 months. Drove me nuts and I tried everything I could think of. Then someone suggested to change his substrate. So, that being one of the things I didn't think of, I gave it a shot. I waited two weeks for him to used to the new substrate. I tried feeding him and nothing happened again so I waited two more weeks. Then about two days before my next try, he shed. Feeding came, I presented the rat not expecting anything, when suddenly WHAM he hit thing like a freight train. Scared the crap out of when he did it too. Hope he eats again next week too. Point being, it takes patience.