Ball Python trouble.....

[Baller_]

Hi, new here and unfortunately am posting to ask about a problem I have with my 16 month old female BP. I am not an experienced snake owner, this was my first snake which I got when she was 3 months old.

-She lives in a glass (I know may not be the best) ecoterra terrarium, 36"x18"x24" tall I believe.
-humidity....I struggle to keep this consistent and it tends to be low around 20% but I lightly mist twice a day to get it to 40%
-cool side is kept around 80 degrees but I admit I do see it drop to 76ish sometimes
-warm side is always at 90-91 degrees with an under tank heater controlled by a thermostat
-no heat lamps
-water is changed every two days
-two hides, one on each side of tank


In July, right around the time she turned a year old, she stopped eating regularly. Up until this time she ate regularly and was growing quite fast. I admit I do not feed based on weight, I feed mice or rats the size of the thickest part of her body once a week. She was eating mice for the first 11 months of her life until I could not find mice big enough anymore so I switched her to rats. She accepted rats right away and ate them for about a month or month and a half until one day she refused her first meal ever. No big deal...

After refusing to eat for 3 weeks I was worried but she was still active at night and was not loosing weight. People said she was young for this and it was the wrong time of year (summer) but could be wanting to breed. For so many reasons this didn't make sense to me.

After a month of not eating I thought I would try a mouse, pretty small mouse at that and she ate it. Next week I tried a mouse again and wouldn't eat. It's been hit or miss like this for a few months now. She eats the odd mouse here and there but she is loosing a little weight now. Nothing serious but I can notice. She is still active most of the night like she has always been.

Here is my big concern now...I have been so busy with work lately and I may not have noticed a big detail until today! I feel terrible about it. I do not think she has "gone the bathroom" for a while...possibly a 3-4 weeks. I know she has "peed" because she lives on paper towel and I have had to clean it weekly (i see her drink from time to time at night). She would have eaten at least one small mouse in this time so I am worried she may be constipated...is this common?

I also believe she has missed a shed. It feels like it has been way too long...again I feel like a horrible keeper for not remembering but work has consumed me lately.

The only other thing I have noticed is that she rarely if ever goes into her warm hide. Back when she was eating she used to seldom use that hide anyways but now I don't think she does at all.

Not sure what else to add, please ask me anything and I will be as honest as I can. I care a lot about this girl and hate to see her not eating. I am by no means panicking, she is still healthy looking just a little slim (can't see her spine or ribs) and seems to be acting as she always has in the past (she was always quite active for a BP).

Thanks in advance!

[Wizard]

At 20%, the humidity is a problem, which may contribute to her shedding issues. Paper towels, while a common substrate in tubs is a poor matrix for holding moisture.
You may try adding a larger water dish, that will help with the humidity and may help to facilitate her to defecate as well. Some damp sphagnum moss or a moist hand towel in the enclosure may also be a benefit to the humidity.

Going off feed is a normal yet frustrating habit of BP's. But from what you are describing, it dosnt seem like anything to be concerned about yet. Just keep a close eye on her weight and check for dehydration.

Good luck, please keep us informed.

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

Interesting cause my ball pooped first day I had him,think from stress and haven't since then . Then again yesterday for the first time I think it was cause he was nervous.. cause I had him out of the tank and my cats were hanging near me,so I think it was nerves..once he started pooping I put him in the tank cause I felt bad.. but irk he don't seem to go in his own..I did one time find something in the tank and may have been dried up poo,irk..other words he seems healthy

[Crazymonkee]

If hes not eating much there's not much waste therefore will not defecate often.
Also if not eating he's not growing much therefore not shedding

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[bcr229]

You can cover the top of your tank with a damp towel or Glad Press n Seal to help keep the humidity inside.

[NH93]

I agree with Crazymonkee!

No food = no poop, no need for warm spot to digest, no growth, and no shed
(obviously still a NEED for the warm side, but just that your snake isn't using it as you said).
I think all of those changes are consistent with your snake refusing food.

I struggle with the humidity for mine as well. We have a mini humidifer that we got from Wal-Mart for about $20-$40 situation beside the glass tank for the winter, when it gets really dry. You can always switch to different substrate to hold humidity better (sorry, I forget which is best for this, as I use aspen right now - and should also switch). I mist a few times a day as well. You can also have a shed box filled with damp sphagnum moss, as said above. I really like that because the moss is cheap and expands like 5-10 times its original size, and lasts a long time!!

Good luck and just keep trying with the food!

[Baller_]

At 20%, the humidity is a problem, which may contribute to her shedding issues. Paper towels, while a common substrate in tubs is a poor matrix for holding moisture.
You may try adding a larger water dish, that will help with the humidity and may help to facilitate her to defecate as well. Some damp sphagnum moss or a moist hand towel in the enclosure may also be a benefit to the humidity.

Going off feed is a normal yet frustrating habit of BP's. But from what you are describing, it dosnt seem like anything to be concerned about yet. Just keep a close eye on her weight and check for dehydration.

Good luck, please keep us informed.

Hey thanks for the reply! Ok good to know about paper towels. She actually grew up in a tub and therefore I was used to using paper towels. Selfishly I made her more of a display snake and wanted a "nicer" terrarium.

I might go back to a tub for her. I have done my best to keep the conditions the same as when she was in a tub but humidity is an issue.

I should mention that for the first few months of being in the glass terrarium she did eat. So I never really attributed the fasting to the new home although it could be I guess...

I have no weighed her often but the last time I did was when she was right at a year old (just before she stopped eating actually) and she was 960 grams. I should weigh her again now. I don't see much weight loss but maybe it was so gradual that I'm not seeing it. I have however seen very thin BP's and she is not like them.

[Baller_]

You can cover the top of your tank with a damp towel or Glad Press n Seal to help keep the humidity inside.

Good idea. Actually I used to have tin foil over part of the top and I'm not sure why I removed it now. I had forgotten about this and will try your ideas! Thanks.

[Baller_]

I agree with Crazymonkee!

No food = no poop, no need for warm spot to digest, no growth, and no shed
(obviously still a NEED for the warm side, but just that your snake isn't using it as you said).
I think all of those changes are consistent with your snake refusing food.

I struggle with the humidity for mine as well. We have a mini humidifer that we got from Wal-Mart for about $20-$40 situation beside the glass tank for the winter, when it gets really dry. You can always switch to different substrate to hold humidity better (sorry, I forget which is best for this, as I use aspen right now - and should also switch). I mist a few times a day as well. You can also have a shed box filled with damp sphagnum moss, as said above. I really like that because the moss is cheap and expands like 5-10 times its original size, and lasts a long time!!

Good luck and just keep trying with the food!

Thanks for the reply! Good point about not eating and not pooping

Ironically, as soon as I wrote about how she doesn't use her warm hide anymore, I went back to look at her and she was in her warm side hide!

I think I am going to try and moss, I like this idea and I use it for one of my other reptiles so I already have it.

Thanks!

[Pythonfriend]

glass tanks can work, if the top is closed and airflow is reduced.

ive seen many good glass terrariums, these have glass on all 6 sides and sliding or hinged doors at the front. these can keep the humidity quite well. if you have essentially an aquarium with no top and glass on 5 sides, i guess you just need some sort of top for it.

also, too big is not really a problem as long as you put in enough fake plants and hides. sometimes snakes feel unsecure in large open spaces, but if you add enough fake plants and hides and maybe cover up the sides, that should solve the problem.