How long without eating?

[foreverwithoutyou]

Yeah, stupid question, but how long can my ball go without eating before I should start worrying? He recently had a bad shed, and I'm still attempting to help him get the last of it off his neck (which I generally can't get near because of the general dislike of having the head touched). He last ate, well, somewhere in the time between christmas and New Years, so I'm getting nervous (he's my first snake and April will be my first year of having him).

Any help is much appreciated, and I'm hoping to get some nice photos of him once I get those last shed bits.

[The Serpent Merchant]

They can go a months with out eating. Just make sure that your husbandry is right, and lett him settle down. He will start eating for you eventually. Do you have a scale? If not you should get one. Major weight loss is a sign that it has been too long.

[Kinra]

How big is he? Do you have a scale? Generally they can go a while without eating if it is something they choose to do, but sometimes they lose weight. I had one of my BPs go on a 2.5 month hunger strike and come out of it 3 grams lighter than when she started. If he's not losing weight you don't need to worry too much, just keep offering food.

[MazAnth]

I've had both males and female go off feed anywhere from 9 to 13 months with little weight loss.

Welcome to the wonderful world of ball pythons

[yeroc1982]

I wouldn't worry unless they are losing a lot of weight. My female bp just went off feed 3 weeks ago and I'm gonna say she will be off till spring. Last winter in February, she did the same thing, and started eating in spring. Balls are like that, and that's why I will only own 1 ball python. All my other snakes(dumeril boa,carpet python) eat all the time, throughout the year. I hate having to waste rats. She was my first snake Iv ever owned so I can't get rid of her, she's a cutie.

[foreverwithoutyou]

No, I unfortunetly do not have a scale. He's a year (he was hatched in january) and about two and ahalf feet. I'm not positive on gender, so I just call it a 'he'. he's my first snake, so i get a little antsy if he doesn't eat or ahs bad sheds. I do handle him a lot (despite him being skittish and kind anippy) and from what i can tell, he hasn't lost anything significant. My husbandry is pretty good- he's in a glass tank but I keep the humidity up with misting several times a day, his temperatures ar ein the appropriate range, etc, etc. I actually just gave him a soak in the tub to try and get that last stubborn shed off his neck. No dice.

Thank you all for the reassurances~ I feel a lot less worried.

[Crazy4Herps]

With adults, I don't start worrying until they've been off food for well over six months. With babies and juvies, I get a little worried after four months. I'm sure yours will eat, just give him some time. I know fasts can be stressful, but you'll get used to it.