question!?

[dereklondon24]

hey i have a 2 year old ball python that has decided again that he doesnt want to eat and i know that this is normal but does anyone have any tips that might help me to convince hime to try?

[Xotik]

Pretty normal for this time of year. Breeding season, so he probably just wants to get some Tail.

How long has it been since he last ate? What did he eat (frozen/thawed, or live, and mouse/rat?) and how much does he weigh?

[dereklondon24]

Pretty normal for this time of year. Breeding season, so he probably just wants to get some Tail.

How long has it been since he last ate? What did he eat (frozen/thawed, or live, and mouse/rat?) and how much does he weigh?

its been a little over 3 months since he ate, he was eating live rats medium to large, and honestly not positive on how much he weighs.

[Homegrownscales]

Change your food size. I keep all my balls on small weaned rats. The big girls will get 2-3 of them if necessary. Boys get 1 slightly larger than weaned a week. Keep them on smaller more frequent meals and you'll see a difference.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[Xotik]

Not unusual. I've had one male that hasn't eaten since I bought him in October. Totally uninterested.

Does yours look like he has lost any weight at all? I would invest in a cheap food scale (mine was 10$ at walmart) so you can keep tabs on his weight. If he doesn't lose much, I wouldn't be worried. If he does start losing a lot of weight, that's when it turns into worry time, and possible force-feeding.

[dereklondon24]

Not unusual. I've had one male that hasn't eaten since I bought him in October. Totally uninterested.

Does yours look like he has lost any weight at all? I would invest in a cheap food scale (mine was 10$ at walmart) so you can keep tabs on his weight. If he doesn't lose much, I wouldn't be worried. If he does start losing a lot of weight, that's when it turns into worry time, and possible force-feeding.

ok thanks ill def do that and ill keep tabs on him and i appreciate the help.

[dereklondon24]

Change your food size. I keep all my balls on small weaned rats. The big girls will get 2-3 of them if necessary. Boys get 1 slightly larger than weaned a week. Keep them on smaller more frequent meals and you'll see a difference.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

ill try that. i did get him a small rat the last time and he still didnt eat it, he actually was not interested at all but ill keep trying with the small rats and im sure he will eat eventually.

[luvmyballs]

A couple of tricks I have used you could try changing his food. Sometimes switching there food does the trick. Try a mouse or African soft fur rats maybe even a gerbil. Something else you can try is scenting your food I have used tuna juice and rubbing mice on the rat to change the scent a bit. Nothing is more frustrating than watching the sit there and sniff it and not eat it. Also make sure your tanks conditions are optimal. Some times even a slight temp drop can sometimes put them on strike. But realistically probably just time of year. Good luck my pastel male has not eaten in almost three months to.

[Salamander Rising]

Pretty normal for this time of year. Breeding season, so he probably just wants to get some Tail.