So we all know that some ball pythons fast. I have never had a ball python fast longer then 6 weeks, but I know they do. Usually when I have a fasting ball python I will offer it food once a week and sometime offer them something different, just to make sure they are not just being picky.

I have a female who has been fasting now for 5 weeks. She has never fasted before but by no means am I worried. She is actually my strongest eater. She had never hesitated. Lately she just lays there as I dangle the rat in front of her. Today I decided to offer a live ASF, just to see if she would eat. She kept smelling it and they continued to bump faces but both the ball python and ASF did not seem interested in each other at all. I removed the ASF and that was that. She has only lost 8g in the last month so I am not worried at all.

But why do they fast? She is not even two years old yet, but she is over 1700g. She actually looks bigger then she actually is but she is very healthy. But nothing in her tub has changed at all. Some of my breeding females are still eating and I know breeding can be a reason but this particular younger female is not breeding of course. Too young. So besides breeding and enclosure changes, what would make a ball python fast for 1-6 months at a time?