Ball python wont eat

[ianswiedler]

There have probably been numerous threads created about this problem since ball pythons can be a bit stubborn about eating, but i am starting to really worry and i cant seem to find a thread or answer to my question specifically. Most of what i have read about picky eaters pertains to younger snakes or snakes that are being used for breeding. I have a ball python, I do not know her exact age, she is somewhere between 15-25 years of age, I'm sorry in advance that i can not be more specific.

I have owned her for nearly 14 years and she has always been an easy to deal with eater. She has unusual fasting habits and has gone as long as 6 months without eating, but when she does start eating again she eats a lot and she eats consistently. When she fasts/hibernates she barely moves and does not lose weight, i always monitor her living conditions to make sure that her unusual habits are not a result of something negative in her environment and are not of detriment to her health. This spring, she has not some out of her fasting period. It is now late may, and this is the latest in the year she has ever gone without eating. I have gone through and made sure her enclosure is warm enough, has the correct humidity, is large enough, and has enough "shed rocks". Despite all of this, she refuses to eat. I have offered her a live rat (her standard one-a-week meal for the past 13 years) ,multiple times, once per week, for several weeks, and she does not appear to be interested. Most recently i have tried a thawed out frozen rat dipped in chicken broth and she also did not eat that.

If she simply wasn't eating and wasn't responding to food, i would not mind continuing to try and just waiting, but her behavior is unusual. Whenever there is a live rat in the cage, she seems completely oblivious to it until i am in the room. When i am in the room, it seems as though all of a sudden she has regained her sense of smell, and looks straight at the rat. When she locates the rat ( which takes a while because she is old) she coils up into a striking position, and then simply stares at it indefinitely. She doesn't seem to see it when i am not in the room, then when she does see it, she seems as if she is frozen in place staring at it. When i dangled a frozen rat in front of her she exhibited similar behavior. She located it, moved into a position to strike at it, and then stared at it without moving.

I'm really starting to worry and become upset, I was wondering if anybody has had experience with a snake who was able to find/locate prey, but did not seem to strike or kill the prey.

I am sorry if there is a thread somewhere in this forum that contains an answer to this question, but i could not find one and i am becoming desperate.

[Alexio]

What are your warm and cool side temperatures?

You say you've had her for 14 years, how big was she when you got her?
If she really is approaching 25 year's that would be fairly old for a pb?

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[cchardwick]

Well there's a few things you can try, first I'd try a smaller rat and see if that works. Then try a mouse and if you can I'd try an African soft fur rat, maybe a medium sized one or a smaller mouse sized one. As she ages she may be seeking smaller meals and perhaps the rats you are offering are a bit too big for an old girl. You could also try a rat that doesn't have it's eyes open yet and leave it in the tub overnight, or try a fresh kill and leave it in the tub for a few hours. How much does she weigh? Have you been tracking her weight, has she lost a lot of weight? It would be nice to see a photo of your setup. I have an Arizona mountain king snake that went off food for months and wouldn't take frozen thawed mice. Then I had a litter of ASFs and one was killed by the parent, I put the dead half eaten ASF in front of my king snake and she ate it! If you can find one I'd try an ASF for sure.

[PitOnTheProwl]

I have owned her for nearly 14 years

This one statement says A LOT and its probably nothing to do with husbandry.

I wouldn't try to feed her for a couple weeks to try and break up the routine.
There could be an underlying issue with her age and the change in her usual annual routine so I would keep an extra close eye on her.
My male spider only eats a couple rats a year like clockwork so I know how you feel.