Potential buyer question...

[stuka1166]

Been snake shopping for the last month or so, and have pretty much decided on a BP. I got the equipment for the enclosure, and will be setting it up soon.

It seems on the different places that I have read...BP's can go on hunger strikes or "off-feeding."

Being a newbie to BP's...This kinda concerns me...How do you know if this behavior is detrimental to the snake's health, and how do you rectify this issue ?

Thanks !!

[Rob]

Bps have been known to go off food for as long as a year. As long as the snake isn't losing a concerning amount of weight, drinking and peeing there is nothing to worry about.

[stuka1166]

Thanks...Anyone else ??

[rabernet]

It's my belief that other than sexually mature adults during breeding season (males more than females), most ball python fasts are directly related to husbandry issues.


I don't sell hatchlings before they have reliably fed three times in a row for me at a minimum. I have made an exception for an experienced breeder friend, but for most buyers, I have to know that they WILL eat, so that if they don't eat in their new home, we can address what's different about their set up and what might be putting the animal off of feeding.

In our caresheet, there's a check list of items to check off if your snake doesn't feed for you called "Why won't my snake eat?"

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

[Skittles1101]

Buy a food scale as well. Hunger strikes aren't as bad when you weigh then and see they haven't lost weight. It's only a concern to me if they lose a significant amount of weight.

[Evenstar]

You really can't "rectify" it (other than correcting husbandry errors - see below). If your BP goes off feed, make sure your husbandry is correct, but if so, then you'll just have to be patient until it feeds again. If it goes too long (like 3-4 months) and you see that he's loosing weight, it's best to take him to a qualified herp vet to make sure there's no underlying issue causing him to not eat. Your vet may help you assist feed at this point. Assist feeding would be a last resort though. But if he just goes on a hunger strike for a few weeks (especially during breeding season), there's really no cause for concern.

BUT you can take a few steps to help prevent hunger strikes from happening in the first place:

1) Get your BP from a reliable source. If this is your first, I highly recommend you stay away from petstores and craigslist. Go with a reputable breeder and/or rescue group. Someone who will give you a healthy baby, acurate and up-to-date history on the animal, and continued support after the sale.

2) Make sure your set up is appropriate for your BP before you bring him home. Read the Caresheet carefully and make sure temps and humidity is right, you have 2 secure hides, and that your BP's enclosure is not too large. Security is key for these shy snakes.

3) When you do bring your snake home, leave him completely alone for a week so he can settle in and relax. Offer him food after 1 week. If he eats, wait another 48hrs for him to digest his meal, then you can try handling him gently for a few minutes a day for the next week until you feed him again. Ideally, he should eat 3-4 times before you start handling him longer and more frequently.

Even if you follow these tips to the letter, there's no garuantee he won't at some point go off feed. But if he does, and you have followed this advice, chances are his hunger strike is normal at this point and you can relax and just wait for him to eat again. If your snake is healthy to begin with, he shouldn't drop weight if he stikes for a few weeks.

And I totally agree with Robin that almost all BP fasts are directly related to husbandry issues. That's why I stressed getting this right before bringing him home in an attempt to prevent him going off feed in the first place.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

How do you know if this behavior is detrimental to the snake's health

By monitoring the overall health of the snake, weight loss, by making sure the animal remains well hydrated etc

How do you rectify this issue ?

By addressing the underlying cause such as husbandry/stress issue which is often the number 1# cause among new owners.

Also keep in mind that even with a optimal setup sooner or later BP do go off feed especially when reaching sexual maturity.

Large individuals going off feed for extended period of time is not abnormal nor anything to be concerned about in most cases just something that can be very frustrating for a new owner, a way to eliminate that frustration is to understand how efficient those animals how when it comes to their metabolism.

[Slim]

I'm a collector, and not a breeder. As such, I only keep males. With no females in my racks for the boys to smell, my guys never really go off feed for more than the odd week or two.