Ball Python Off Feed

[Druzy]

My ball python has been off feed since the middle of March. I have been trying to give him food weekly, but he is refusing every single meal. I am starting to get worried that he may be ill. I know that ball pythons can be finicky eaters, and can go forever without eating.

[Andybill]

As long as he hasnt lossed weight and he still feels real strong and dense you dont need to freak out, but do keep an eye on him for other signs if illness is what you suspect. Have you tried feeding live? Do you handle him a lot? These could be reasons he wont feed. I had to feed a live mouse to my 1200g male pastel to get him going again.

[SlitherinSisters]

Does he look skinny, or does he still look alright? I had a male that only ate twice in 6 months. His body weight wasn't too bad, but I finally got him eating again with a live mouse. That's the only thing he eats now unfortunately.

[PitOnTheProwl]

As asked, what is his weight loss?
My male spider hasent eaten since he got his first piece
That was september 2011

[gsarchie]

I'll make a third post about how I too have had the same issue. My girls have been great feeders from day one but my male has been hit or miss since three months after I got him (never refused before that). One good thing already mentioned was to monitor for other signs of illness. Something else that I would recommend doing is picking up a scale so that you can monitor his weight. My 4 year old male pastel lost over 100 grams between October of last year and March of this year and fed maybe three times in that same period. He has gone over three months without eating in the past with no ill effects and minimal wieght loss. I never change up what I offer him for prey and he always eventually eats again.

Hunger strikes can be a pain in the butt and it is always a great feeling when they eat again, but at this point with my male I don't even stress becuase he has done it so many times. As long as your husbandry is on point and you aren't noticing any other health issues arise then you should be good to go. I would suggest only offering food every two weeks, as that is what I usually do. It can save you some money and I like to think that if I go a full two weeks that he will be more likely to eat the next time food is offered as he has had more time to build up an appetite. Good luck!

[Redneck_Crow]

Mine are all very sporadic feeders right now because they have love on their minds.

Well, not so much love as sex, actually.

[L.West]

I'm going thru the same thing - all 6 of my bps are fasting right now. I used to get all worried when they would do this but I've learned to just accept it as typical bp behavior.

My boa and milk never miss a meal.

[Blubb]

Two of my ball pythons have been off food for a good 4 months now. They should start eating again eventually, just give it some more time. I have learned to not worry so much about it as long they not start to lose much weight.

[WingedWolfPsion]

I would caution folks, though to look for a reason. Ball pythons do not, contrary to common belief, stop eating for no reason at all.

They will stop eating for the following reasons:
Males may stop eating if a female is receptive, and they can detect the pheromones.
They may stop eating if temperatures are incorrect.
They may stop eating if they are moved--to a new enclosure, or if their enclosure is moved, or things are changed dramatically around them.
They may stop eating if they have outgrown their enclosure or their hide, something was added to it that they don't like, or they have become uncomfortable in it (no hide and increased activity around them, etc).
They may stop eating if they are gravid (for females), or around 800 to 1500 grams (for young females--they do this for up to 6 months), or have laid eggs which they are brooding (or think they are brooding).
They may stop eating if they have an infection.
They may stop eating if they have internal parasites.
They may stop eating if they have another health problem.

If I have a snake that has stopped eating for longer than a few weeks, I start trouble-shooting. Something caused it. If I cannot find a non-medical cause from the above list, then the snake goes to the vet for a checkup and a fecal exam. At least 3/4 of the time, this has turned up a medical reason.
The percentage of balls that go off feed without any reason being found is VERY small.

If you can't find the reason, look again--there is probably something. Don't hesitate to do parasite checks. For a pet snake that eats live, this should be done yearly as part of routine care. Parasites can live in a snake for years and cause no problems, until some minor addition of stress allows them to gain the upper hand and multiply out of control, so just because you've had the animal for years and fed it FT, doesn't mean parasites aren't the cause of an illness. Live rodents can bring in parasites, and even freezing doesn't always kill all of them.

[Tom Pecanic]

Gerbils! Find em on Craigslist... Expensive, but will iron them out. Trust me.... Report back..