Why do they fast?

[lunasjy]

So we all know that some ball pythons fast. I have never had a ball python fast longer then 6 weeks, but I know they do. Usually when I have a fasting ball python I will offer it food once a week and sometime offer them something different, just to make sure they are not just being picky.

I have a female who has been fasting now for 5 weeks. She has never fasted before but by no means am I worried. She is actually my strongest eater. She had never hesitated. Lately she just lays there as I dangle the rat in front of her. Today I decided to offer a live ASF, just to see if she would eat. She kept smelling it and they continued to bump faces but both the ball python and ASF did not seem interested in each other at all. I removed the ASF and that was that. She has only lost 8g in the last month so I am not worried at all.

But why do they fast? She is not even two years old yet, but she is over 1700g. She actually looks bigger then she actually is but she is very healthy. But nothing in her tub has changed at all. Some of my breeding females are still eating and I know breeding can be a reason but this particular younger female is not breeding of course. Too young. So besides breeding and enclosure changes, what would make a ball python fast for 1-6 months at a time?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

There are may reason why they go off feed

Seasonal

Breeding mode

Stress which is often husbandry related

Catching up which is due to the fact that BP and snake in general are overfed in captivity

And because BP are prone to this behavior more than other species

[PitOnTheProwl]

Catching up which is due to the fact that BP and snake in general are overfed in captivity etc

This right here

[Reinz]

This right here

I used to think that this was mostly it. ^^^^

However, my Ball (no breeder) usually only ate once a month. But this year changed up a bit. In August it was like she was going into a preemptive strike mode. 1 med/large rat was not enough. And she was going into a Super monster eating mode- very aggressive when I just walked into the room. She would eat 4 rats, one after the other. She begged and stayed in aggressive feed mode for 2 days. I had to ignore her and not feed her anymore in fear of killing her. Then in 2-3 weeks it was Super feed mode again instead of the usual 4 weeks.

As a side note, her defecates did not nearly add up to the intake. In other words, the eliminations were not 4 times the normal amount, maybe twice as much or less. Thus, I think more of the food was stored as fat for the upcoming strike.

Then like a clock Elvira went on strike as she usually does in October.

I think Deborah hit on other valid reasons as well.





Here ¥¥¥ Elvira tracked me with every move I made as I walked around the room. ¥¥¥