What is "the wall"?

[Capray]

Or the "1000g wall"? Is it when they have a fast at 1000 grams or something elde? Does it happen to all ball pythons? Only females? Does it ALWAYS happen?

[satomi325]

Most balls go off feed once they hit 1000 g. Both males and females can experience it.

Im not sure why, but it could be from their internal breeding clock ticking.

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[Tfpets]

Hmmmm? This is the first time I've heard of this! Apparently my BPs haven't either!

[Mike41793]

A really good movie!

It was Roger Waters birthday a few days ago!

[LLLReptile]

"The wall" is the period of time where a yearling to two year old ball python suddenly decides it doesn't need to eat, and is just fine at the weight it is currently. This can happen between 600 and 1000 grams, but my experience is that it typically hits right around 800 grams (well, for me anyway).

Some snakes don't go through it - my bumblebee at home is cheerfully skipping right over it, but the rest of my holdbacks from 2011 are all in the middle of it right now. Nothing to worry about, just monitor their weights and give them time. It can take 1 month or 6 but they eventually snap out of it.

Hope that helps!

-Jen

[Andybill]

Yeah I am afraid my pastel pos het pied lady who I want to try proving out later this season has reached this wall at about 1100g... Hasnt fed for me in 3 weeks darn it! I hope she starts feeding for me again soon! Bah! Humbug!

[JackSprat]

this is good to know! my 2011 spider just hit the wall at 1000g. i wasnt to worried because he has never refused a meal and is plenty wide. i have since inherited a pet rat, however. been leaving him water and dog food(hope this is ok)... i plan on giving him to a friend who could use him. my only worry is that mr snuggles (my spider) is very active at night, so i keep thinking he is hungry. is he just looking for some action or what?? thanks for any advice

jacky

[DavidMundy]

Its a female ball python's way of telling us "you are NOT breeding me this season"

[loonunit]

Justin Kobylka in one of his videos mentioned it as 500-800 grams, which is generally where mine go off feed. Maybe that's because I'm growing them a little slower, so that's just how big they are when they hit that 2nd winter and their hormones turn on.... Generally by the time mine get to 1000 grams, they're home free.

It's definitely not all/only females. Mr. Nibbles, my het pied male, didn't eat ANYTHING for 5 months when he hit the wall. (He also stopped biting me. THANK GOD.) My 2010 enchi female never hit the wall at all, so now she's 1300 grams and ready to go this fall.

... but then there's my 2010 super mojave girl, who skated by on one tiny mouse a month from November-May. She's two years old and a slender little 700 grams, and she's only just started taking full sized rats again every week. Very frustrating, I definitely won't be able breed her until next year. So it's not only females, or all females. But I think it's more aggravating in females, because size is so much more important for breeding girls.

And I don't know of any way to avoid it that's really reliable. Some yearlings do it, some yearlings don't. I just offer food to those animals every other week, and I try not to go completely crazy.

[h00blah]

My albino male went off feed right at 1000 grams in Oct of 2011. He started eating again in may. He weighs 1200 grams now, and just refused last night ..

My enchi gal just hit barely over 1000 grams empty, and she stopped eating.

My clown gal refused a rat last night, and she's hovering around 1000 grams.

I have a pinstripe female who has been eating nonstop and is now 1700 grams. My normal female I've had from the beginning hasn't refused a meal since she had stuck eye caps back in 09! She's 1900 grams !

I'm lucky to own 2 large garbage disposals (snakes that eat any time and anywhere).