Frustrated with long time non-feeder

[travis11]

I would consider taking her to the vet for a check up also. Sometimes things like internal parasites or fungal infections can go unnoticed for a LONG time. Those things could disable her from the urge to eat or want to eat. Unwell snakes usually start to act really skiddish when they are physically disabled in some way. That is 100% my expirience.

[Ben.L]

Thanks again. How small rat are we talking? How many small feeds did it take to get him eating normally again?

[Ben.L]

I will look into the vets if the problem doesn't resolve soon, though I'm not sure how much reptile expertise vets have in London :-/

[Druzy]

I myself am going through the same thing right now. My male ball python is currently off feed. He hasn't ate one single meal since March, and as you know its really frustrating! Actually it has me a little worried to be honest (first snake). I hope your snake starts to eat soon!

[WarriorPrincess90]

My mouser male has been on and off food his whole life. (2 years) He was hanging around 400g until about 5 months ago. Then he started pounding his mice. Two a week. The best he's ever eaten. Then, all of a sudden, he decided to stop again a month and a half ago. I got him up to 750g before he stopped eating again. Dang him. We were making progress.

[piedplus]

Mine aren't feeding well now either. I'm hoping warmer weather will make the difference soon.

In the past I had a shy BP that hid under the paper liner and wouldn't eat. I put hides on the edges so he couldn't go under, and I started holding him more, even though he doesn't like it much. He ate fter a couple of weeks, but he's still a poor feeder.

If your cages are the same, but you've moved to a different house, there may be something wrong with your room. I have a wall furnace that makes hot spots in the room. I installed a ceiling fan and a new thermostat to even out the heat. Then I moved their cages to a different wall that's not right in front of the furnace.

Don't know if any of this will help. Hope it does. Good Luck!

[hungba]

I had recently gotten a few snakes off hunger strike. They did not respond to a lot of conventional methods. At one point I tried to scent with mice. They did not eat. So after a couple weeks of that I got frustrated and I tossed the mice and the rat into the tub of one of them and left it. About 30 minutes later she ate the mouse and left the rat.

I then fed the other off feed ones mice too and they ate it. Then I offered scented rats of the SAME SIZE as the mouse, and they ate it for a couple weeks. Then I gave them UNSCENTED rats of the SAME SIZE as the mouse and they ate it. I did try to give bigger scented rats but they did not. I found that size is an issue in getting a non feeding snake to eat again. I will now gradually move the rat size up each week to see if that gets them to eat bigger meals again. I find gradual change works.

[AdamF]

I myself am going through the same thing right now. My male ball python is currently off feed. He hasn't ate one single meal since March, and as you know its really frustrating! Actually it has me a little worried to be honest (first snake). I hope your snake starts to eat soon!

March is not that long, even if he was a great eater before then. Both my male (850g) and female (1500g) have gone through it. If temps, humids, hides, sheds, etc all ok, then either vet visit, or extreme patience may be the answer.

BTW, sometime a call to the reptile house of a local zoo can get you some vet help.

I too am reluctant to do the gerbil/hamster thing, as once you go this way, there may be no turning back!