Do non-sexually mature BP's refuse food due to winter/breeding season?

[Superpop]

The reason I ask this is because our young BP ate a hopper 2 weeks ago after her last shed and then ate another 1 week ago but tonight she was not interested at all.(and now it is "officially" winter even though here in the twin cities we already had 4 feet of snow before "winter" began!)

Her temps and humidity are normal and have been at the same range as her last 2 feedings. She has refused food before but it was only because she was shedding at the time.(I read "some" BP's will eat during a shed so we kept trying but won't anymore when she sheds)

This is the first time she has turned down food when everything is ideal and we can't figure out why she refused her hopper tonight. The only thing I can think of is that it is now winter/breeding season.

Any thoughts on the matter?

[ed4281]

In my experience which isn't very much, juvinial and young snakes don't refuse during the breeding season. Have you recently moved up in tub size or has there been any changes in the environment? Sometimes they just refuse for no apparent reason. If the refusal continues bring a stool sample to the vet, parasites are a common reason for refusal and it's a very easy fix.

[SlitherinSisters]

Hmm, I don't have a lot of snakes, but my nonbreeding girls don't really refuse. I have one girl that would refuse almost every 3 weeks exactly. I fed her a little extra when she would eat, so she grew just like the other girls, but it was a real headache! Other than that, the only juveniles I've had stop eating during breeding season was a 6 month old male that stopped eating for three months. I'd say just keep trying once a week, I'm thinking this week was a fluke.

About eating in shed, basically all of mine eat in shed. The only ones who give me grief are hatchlings and a couple juveniles. They seem to all grow out of it in my experience at least, and some hatchlings couldn't care less from the start.

[Superpop]

In my experience which isn't very much, juvinial and young snakes don't refuse during the breeding season. Have you recently moved up in tub size or has there been any changes in the environment? Sometimes they just refuse for no apparent reason. If the refusal continues bring a stool sample to the vet, parasites are a common reason for refusal and it's a very easy fix.

Her environment is the same. We will bring her to the vet if it continues.(but it's only been one week so not yet) I just doubt it's parasites at this point.

Also of note....she doesn't get fed in her enclosure. She gets fed in a separate enclosure. I know there is mixed feelings on that subject.

[SlitherinSisters]

Also of note....she doesn't get fed in her enclosure. She gets fed in a separate enclosure. I know there is mixed feelings on that subject.

Ball pythons are not aggressive so they cannot be "trained" to be aggressive by feeding them in their enclosure. If the only reason you open their tank/tub is to feed them, yes they are going to be to eat and prepared to strike anything warm...what do you expect? But that's still not aggression, that's a feeding response.

[Superpop]

Hmm, I don't have a lot of snakes, but my nonbreeding girls don't really refuse. I have one girl that would refuse almost every 3 weeks exactly. I fed her a little extra when she would eat, so she grew just like the other girls, but it was a real headache! Other than that, the only juveniles I've had stop eating during breeding season was a 6 month old male that stopped eating for three months. I'd say just keep trying once a week, I'm thinking this week was a fluke.

About eating in shed, basically all of mine eat in shed. The only ones who give me grief are hatchlings and a couple juveniles. They seem to all grow out of it in my experience at least, and some hatchlings couldn't care less from the start.

First off I know I refer to my BP as a "she" but in all reality I don't know. I read they can get injured during the "sexing" process so I don't want to have it done. It's our only snake and we have no plans on breeding anyway so I don't think it's necessary for us to get it done.

Also "she"(it's just easier to write that because we refer to our BP as a "she") is probably about 6 months old right about now. But that isn't sexually mature is it?

[Superpop]

Ball pythons are not aggressive so they cannot be "trained" to be aggressive by feeding them in their enclosure. If the only reason you open their tank/tub is to feed them, yes they are going to expect to be fed and ready to strike anything warm...what do you expect? But that's still not aggression, that's a feeding response.

It's not "aggression" we are worried about...

We don't want her swallowing her aspen substrate.

[SlitherinSisters]

First off I know I refer to my BP as a "she" but in all reality I don't know. I read they can get injured during the "sexing" process so I don't want to have it done. It's our only snake and we have no plans on breeding anyway so I don't think it's necessary for us to get it done.

Also "she"(it's just easier to write that because we refer to our BP as a "she") is probably about 6 months old right about now. But that isn't sexually mature is it?

Ah I see. At 6 months, male, it's unlikely they are sexually mature, female, definitely not. My male shouldn't have been sexually mature at 6 months, and he wasn't around any breeding age females, or males for that matter.

[SlitherinSisters]

It's not "aggression" we are worried about...

We don't want her swallowing her aspen substrate.

Oh ok, that's a totally different story. I would definitely feed out of the tank, or at least put down paper towels. I assumed you were talking about aggression since you said it was a controversial subject.

[Superpop]

Oh ok, that's a totally different story. I would definitely feed out of the tank, or at least put down paper towels. I assumed you were talking about aggression since you said it was a controversial subject.

We would actually prefer to feed her inside her enclosure with a frozen/thawed hopper lying down in the middle of a paper towel on top of her substrate.

I just worry she would "maneuver" the hopper for too long and then push it off of the paper towel before eating it.

I would rather she ate inside her enclosure but I am totally scared about her swallowing her substrate and I know if she eats in a different enclosure that it won't happen.

I am "torn" over this issue.