Winter time in Ontario Canada.. feeding my female bp

[ElwoodG]

Ok guys so i have some questions bout feeding my female bp. she is a normal and uptill bout christmas she was eating great. after christmas winter really set in and it got cold out and less daylight etc. so now she has no interest in eating. the last time she ate was jan 4/2010. now i know that ball pythons go through a burmation if im using the right word and don't eat much during the winter months, but i just wanted some opinions. shes been her normal self, going from hot to cold end when it suits her, and like to come out and explore now and then. she is about 5-6months old and weighs 290g and hasn't really lost any weight since her last feed at beginning of jan. she looks great and everything. set up and temps are good. she just has no interest in eating. so im not worried bout it. but was wondering do i still offer food once a week and see if she takes it or should i cut back to offering every 2-3 weeks cause its winter time? not sure of what to do. like i said she is in great health, been having great sheds until she stopped eating, and hasn't shed since. but i don't want to do something stupid and have her get sick or die on me. this is my first ball python and first winter with her. so i know the basics and stuff, but i wanted more experienced opinions. thanks for the help guys.

Elwood

[seeya205]

My 6 month old male is about 502 grams and has not stopped eating. Is the prey large enough? Some will not eat if they feel the prey is not worth the effort! Also is your ambient(air) temp at least 75? You may have great cool/hot temps but your ambient may be down. I use a infered lamp during the winter months because most houses are not 75! I would continue to offer every week regardless!

[MissAnne2u]

My BP stopped eating too .. for almost 8 weeks .. then all of a sudden he started eating again. From what I understand, they slow down in the winter time. Just make sure your temps and everything are good and don't worry. Keep offering food every 10 days or so, she will start eating when she is ready.

Good Luck !

[MustBeSatan]

Has the temp in her tank changed? If your house has gotten colder (now that we actually got a winter, jeez...) you might think about a space heater for the room she's in if ambient temps are a problem (that's what I did, way better than trying to keep the temp in the whole house up!)
In any case, make sure the rest of your husbandry is good and she'll be back on feed in no time I'm sure.

[kc261]

I suspect your air temps have gone down, or possibly some other change is making her stop eating.

BPs don't brumate. They do tend to go off feed during the winter months, but that is due to breeding season, and a 290g female is too small to be thinking about breeding.

If I thought it was a winter/breeding season fast, I'd suggest dropping back to offering food only every 2 weeks until she started eating again. However, with a little one, you don't want her to go too long without food. Find the issue, fix it, and continue to offer once a week.

[ElwoodG]

Thanks for the responses guys. i've checked everything. our house is always atleast 75deg or warmer, i often have to fiddle with the infared heat lamp because the house is so warm and it will go over 92deg if i don't watch it. humidity goes no lower than 55% and that is usually over night, and during the day it is running somewhere between 60 -70%. i have a natural looking setup that is easy to clean and not overly elaborate. it has three different hiding spots, a humid hide made of an old margarine container with the lid in cool end. a hollow plastic log in hot end, and inbetween the two there is a rock that a piece of driftwood leans against to make a little hidey hole in the middle. and she uses all three when it suits her. now as to prey size i feed her juvi mice, p/k. lacey is bout 27in long and 290g, so the juvi mice are on avg around the thickness of her middle or just a bit smaller and she used to eat them with great enthusiasm. so i can try uping the size to an adult mouse or small rat or something and see what happens. i also thought of maybe trying a live pinkie mouse and tossing it in there with her, thinking that maybe seeing it squirming helplessly might get her to eat. thanks again for the help everyone, ill keep trying her and eventually she'll eat again. feel free to add any thoughts to this newest post and tell me what you think.

[seeya205]

If she is on mice, I would give her an adult mouse! When my ball was a hatchling, he wouldn't even look at a pinkie so I had to get a mouse with hair! I don't think she will have an interest in a pinkie! Wish you all the best! Where abouts are you in Ontario? There is a show on Feb. 28th in Mississauga! Here is the website if you are interested: http://www.reptileexpo.ca/mississauga/dates.html

[ElwoodG]

ya im going to the expo this month, im close enough too it. and you are probably right bout not wanting the pinkie, it was just a thought. i had her eat a small rat once, i made sure it was p/k but after that one she wouldn't touch rats and just turned up her nose at them. so i could try rats again, and ill try the bigger prey size cause maybe the juvi mice are too small and she cant be bothered to eat something that small. thanks again everyone, ill try some stuff over the next week or two and update everyone with the results good or bad and go from there.

[seeya205]

Good luck!

[ElwoodG]

Well everyone i feed my girl a stunned mouse yesterday and she took it out of my hand no prob and made quick work of it so im happy to see her eat again. also to clarify when i say took out of hand i stun the mouse and dangle it by its tail in front of her. and she usually just comes up and gently latches on to it and starts eating it while im still holding it by its tail. its a kool experience actually. thanks again for all the help guys.