Feeding problems

[KahleenB]

Hello all! I've done a lot of reading on this topic but I haven't had any luck.

Fluffy (1.5 year old genetic stripe ball python) is refusing to eat. He hasn't eaten in about 3 months now. His last meal was a little large for him so we weren't concerned when he refused his first meal. But he's been refusing since. Last night we tried to fed him a small rat and he seemed a little more interested but still didn't take it even after we left it over night. We are getting a little worried because he's so young. He doesn't look like he's lost any weight but due to some of the posts I've read I'll be buying a scale to monitor his weight.

His personality is exactly the same. He stays in his hot side most of the time. When he gets taken out he is active and happy. The temperatures in the tank have been pretty solid only thing that may have changed is the fact that the heats off and on in the house but his tank temperatures are pretty consistent. 91 degrees at hottest point. 80 degrees coldest point. He's acting completely normal but we are a little concerened at this point.

He eats frozen. His last meal was a small rat (it was a little on the fat side) before that he was eating African soft furs. We thaw them in warm water for about an hour before we feed then reheat the water right before feeding so it's warm. He's always been fed frozen.

Should we be worried and seeing a vet at this point? I have read that sometimes ball pythons fast when the season changes. Thanks for any help or advice!

[Zincubus]

I can only speak from my experience . I think you only have to be concerned IF it starts to lose weight or gets dehydrated ( looks dull and wrinkly looking ) .

I had an Albino Royal that fasted for over 8 months .. she didn't lose any weight and was as active in the evenings as usual . Then one day she just started eating normally again .

I read somewhere that Royal /Ball pythons hold the record for going without food - 21 months .

My mate had one that went 4 months without eating and one day he moved it into a much smaller viv and it are the very next day ...

It will be interesting to see what the others say.

[SRMD]

My BP went without a meal for around 10/11 Months, so I wouldn't worry unless they are loosing quite a bit of weight. The first time I ever fed my BP a larger meal.. he went off feed for quite a while. Just offer a Rat every 14days.

The method I used to break my BPs fast was cracking the skull of the F/T Rat, which is where you stick a cocktail stick into the brain to expose blood.

You mentioned you was previously feeding American Soft Furs? have you tried offering an ASF? as they can usually sometimes imprint on one type of rodent.

Try pre-scenting the room, with a hairdryer.. maybe an hour/half hour before feeding. Also right before feeding you could blast the skull of the rodent to around 100f with a hairdryer then offer, see if your BP accepts, Good luck.. don't stress! we have all been through this!