bp not eating

[mangolia1234]

Hi guys my ball python didnt eat for the last 3 weeks after how long should i force feed?

i've had the bp for 1 and a half year it happened once he didnt eat for a week but he did the next week , first time he's been on 3 weeks without eating and i'm kinda getting worried , everything in the cage is normal the temps are fine he's acting normal too nothing changed but for some odd reason he doesnt want to eat :\

thanks for your answers

[missi182]

You should not even be CONSIDERING force feeding unless your snake is losing a significant amount of weight (which it would not be after 3 weeks)

The seasons are changing and its getting colder so have patience, leave him be, and make sure his husbandry is correct.

Attempt feeding once a week and leave him alone the rest of the time. Force feeding is a LAST resort and is VERY stressful for your snake. Assist feeding is a little different but even that is not needed at this point.

Bp's can go for months without eating, in fact I know a irresponsible owner that only feeds his 4 year old bp once every 3 or 4 months (despicable, I know). Bp's will go on fasts for months at a time and there are records of non-feeders with minimal weight loss of over 8 months.

[Nate]

Ball Pythons have been known to know for months without eating and 0 negative affects. So, don't worry.

Are you feeding weekly? how much are you feeding? Do you have a weight of the snake and the weight of the rat/mouse you're feeding it? They could go on a hunger strike for various reasons - over feeding being one of those reasons.

[mangolia1234]

okay thank you guys for your answers just wanted to make sure everything is fine , i dont have a scale but he didnt lose weight yet ( not that i notice ) and i always feed him once a week

[Purrrfect9]

Also, since he's a male, the colder months start BP's breeding season. So he can just be going off feed for that. This may take males 1 week- 2 months before they can go back on feed again, depending on the individual. But he should be perfectly fine. In the wild these animals are doing good if they eat 12 times per year.

[mangolia1234]

ok well this is reassuring ! just wanted to make sure i will keep trying every week ty very much

[ohyeahnow]

Don't worry everyone has filled you in. Mine had been eating regular after a long attempt to switch to f/t. Last two feeds no luck. I have stopped handling him, moved him to a less a traveled area made sure temps, and humidity are correct. Once the cold weather set in I insulated his cage. Hoping he will will eat, but not worried at this time for reasons mentioned above. Good luck!

[mangolia1234]

this is another thing realy off topic but i'd like some advice for this , for all the time ive had him i tried every once in a while to switch him to f/t rats but he just doesnt want em it would be realy good for me if i could make the switch sense the pet store near me is 20 mins away but for the life of me i just can't get him to even look at a f/t

[Purrrfect9]

depending on how long he's been on live, he may have imprinted on it. you can feed him two of the smaller sized rats, like rat pups to get him conditioned to taking two prey items per feeding. then offer the first live, then the second pre killed. after 3 or 4 feedings, offer 2 pre-killed rat pups. after 3-4 feedings, offer 1 pre-killed, and one frozen, then repeat the same process until you get him eating on 2 frozen weekly, then you can bump up your prey size.

But first I suggest that before you even start thinking about switching him over to f/t, get your BP eating live on a regular basis.

Hope this helps

[starmom]

I have a hypo female who will not switch over to rat of any kind. She's a mouser and she's made up her mind that she's a mouser.

I get several mice at a time (females; they don't really smell) and keep them in a little mouse cage. This way, my trips to the store are minimized and I can fatten up the buggers!!