off feed...

[tumy]

is it normal for female bp(600+g) to go off fed for 5 months? a friend advice me to give it a bath and wash its cage with dishwasher to remove the scent of breeding season,has anyone tried this? what's the longest off feed you guys experienced? thanks in advance

[LGL]

I had a female go off feed when she was between 600g-700g for a little over 14 months. Yes, she'd take the occasional rat, but very rarely. She stayed between 600g-700g the entire time. Just try different things and really pay and read the snake's body language. It turns out this particular female is shy and prefers to eat pre-killed instead of having a moving prey. Once I started offering P/K rats, she's been eating like a champ and has been gaining lots of weight.

Also, some females go off feed as they approach 1,000g. I have a female right now in the 900g range who is fasting.

[llovelace]

I got a female last July, was off feed til April, I tried everything, then one day she ate and hasn't stopped

[JenEric Reptiles]

I've had a female around that size go off feed for 8 months and I tried every size color and rat,asf and mouse live,Ft,pk untill I find what it may be sometimes it's wierd and a little tuna can juice works,change of enclosure, hides,a little flucuation in temps crumpled newspaper.
Bps are known to be picky eaters and go on fasts... But sometimes a little adjustment can make all the difference.

[het.pied]

had a male just go back to eating two weeks ago after a 7 month stretch. i was giving up hope, and then one day he just freaking ate a small mouse. and has eaten every time ive offered.

[tumy]

thanks for the info guys, i'll just wait for my bp to eat

[JenEric Reptiles]

try offering different types of rodents sizes try a asf etc

[tumy]

hi jeneric, asf is not available here in philippines, mice and rats only,maybe i'll try different sizes of rats,thanks

[stevepoppers]

I think he means just try a bunch of stuff. Maybe you'll find something that'll get him eating again. But, they just do this. Unless he's looking skinny, it may be easiest and less stressful for you to stay the course. Maybe double-check all your husbandry, just in case? Temps, lighting, traffic, etc...

[WingedWolfPsion]

Usually the female is between 800 and 1200 grams, but 600 sounds reasonable too...

For unknown reasons, females in this size range will frequently go off feed during the breeding season. They're too small to be bred, however.
I don't know why your friend would suggest removing the scent of breeding from a female that hasn't been bred.

They usually start eating again around the same time the breeders do. My yearlings did this to me this past season, and they're back on feed now.