BP Not eaten in 4 weeks

[FeathersRuff]

Alright, I just crudely put up some of the spare craft paper around the two ends of her tank. Hopefully thatll help.

I mean, shes gotta get used to her tank at some point right? She's not just gonna starve herself.

[Zincubus]

Do you offer the rat cold or is it warmed up ??


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[BluuWolf]

For one you're using a daylight bulb for her enclosure in the day right? I would go and replace that with a nighttime bulb, the ones with the blue/purple light and just leave it on 24/7. Bright light on them like that for extended periods of time is stressful and the nighttime temp drop just isn't necessary. Also you could for sure use some more clutter in there. Ball Pythons don't like big open spaces, they like to hide and feel secure so they need to be able to feel hidden when going from one end of the tank to the other and going to their water bowl and such.

And no she won't just get used to it if something is wrong. Ball Pythons are picky and if they feel stressed or not secure enough then they won't eat. Your problems are easy fixes though, just change the bulb and add a little clutter. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, it can be as simple as a few paper towel tubes and some wadded up paper. Also I do t know if it was just the proportions were off but it looked to me like your hides would fit in the old tank, so that may still be an option.

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[FeathersRuff]

Do you offer the rat cold or is it warmed up ??


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I warm it up first, same as I always have.

For one you're using a daylight bulb for her enclosure in the day right? I would go and replace that with a nighttime bulb, the ones with the blue/purple light and just leave it on 24/7. Bright light on them like that for extended periods of time is stressful and the nighttime temp drop just isn't necessary. Also you could for sure use some more clutter in there. Ball Pythons don't like big open spaces, they like to hide and feel secure so they need to be able to feel hidden when going from one end of the tank to the other and going to their water bowl and such.

And no she won't just get used to it if something is wrong. Ball Pythons are picky and if they feel stressed or not secure enough then they won't eat. Your problems are easy fixes though, just change the bulb and add a little clutter. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, it can be as simple as a few paper towel tubes and some wadded up paper. Also I do t know if it was just the proportions were off but it looked to me like your hides would fit in the old tank, so that may still be an option.

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Well she has a nighttime bulb too that I leave on 24/7. I just turn on the daylight one during the day for extra heat and light because her new tank is in an area of the room that didnt get as much light as her old one.
I guess i could find some stuff to put in there. Theres not a lot of area left in her tank but I can fit a few more things. Her old hide could fit in her old tank but shes way too big for it. Her new hide is too big for her old tank but she fits in it perfectly.

[Coluber42]

Another thought - how old and how big is she? A lot of people report that their snakes go on fasts around the 1000-gram mark. And 4 weeks isn't really a long time (even if you're annoyed at wasting four rats).
I would not be surprised if at least some of the fasts people see in snakes that are just approaching adulthood happen because while the snake is young and growing quickly, it has a big appetite and gets fed every week. As it grows up, its growth rate slows and it really doesn't need to eat as often. But keepers still keep offering every week, like clockwork. So at a certain point, the appetite drops basically because the snake just doesn't need as frequent meals as when it was a baby.

Obviously I don't know for sure that that's the reason, but given how often very similar posts come up, I think it's at least plausible.

Also, if she's been in shed for a lot of the time she's been in the new enclosure, she actually hasn't as much time to get used to it as you think - since while in shed, she's probably been mostly just holed up and not coming out to look around. If as you say there are plenty of hiding places and clutter and stuff, and temperatures and humidity are good, you could just leave her alone for awhile longer and offer her another rat in a couple of weeks. Maybe even put her old hide(s) into the new cage in addition to everything else, but otherwise let her be for awhile. If things are really wrong, it's true - she won't just get used to it. But if you keep changing things around constantly, she won't get used to that either.

I'm making assumptions about her size/age based on the fact that you felt the need to upgrade her enclosure, so correct me if I'm wrong. But if she's healthy and has some size on her, a month or two is really not a long time for a ball python to fast. Just wait longer before offering again, so that you don't waste as many rats.

[cchardwick]

For a 1000 gram and over ball python fasting for a month is no big deal. Some of my ball pythons have fasted for as long as six months, didn't even lose any weight hardly at all. I wouldn't sweat it, just keep offering weekly. If you are worried about wasted rats you can get another snake that will always eat, like a dwarf retic. That's what actually got me in to the dwarf retics LOL. If I change the ambient temp in my room I'll have a few ball pythons go into a fast, doesn't matter if it's hotter or colder. I'd say after 2-3 months of not eating you could offer a fresh killed adult mouse, or a small live rat, that usually does the trick.

[FeathersRuff]

Another thought - how old and how big is she? A lot of people report that their snakes go on fasts around the 1000-gram mark. And 4 weeks isn't really a long time (even if you're annoyed at wasting four rats).
I would not be surprised if at least some of the fasts people see in snakes that are just approaching adulthood happen because while the snake is young and growing quickly, it has a big appetite and gets fed every week. As it grows up, its growth rate slows and it really doesn't need to eat as often. But keepers still keep offering every week, like clockwork. So at a certain point, the appetite drops basically because the snake just doesn't need as frequent meals as when it was a baby.

Obviously I don't know for sure that that's the reason, but given how often very similar posts come up, I think it's at least plausible.

Also, if she's been in shed for a lot of the time she's been in the new enclosure, she actually hasn't as much time to get used to it as you think - since while in shed, she's probably been mostly just holed up and not coming out to look around. If as you say there are plenty of hiding places and clutter and stuff, and temperatures and humidity are good, you could just leave her alone for awhile longer and offer her another rat in a couple of weeks. Maybe even put her old hide(s) into the new cage in addition to everything else, but otherwise let her be for awhile. If things are really wrong, it's true - she won't just get used to it. But if you keep changing things around constantly, she won't get used to that either.

I'm making assumptions about her size/age based on the fact that you felt the need to upgrade her enclosure, so correct me if I'm wrong. But if she's healthy and has some size on her, a month or two is really not a long time for a ball python to fast. Just wait longer before offering again, so that you don't waste as many rats.

Shes around maybe 2 and a half years old, maybe even 3. And about just over a foot long, maybe 2. Her tank pretty much stays the same, I mean it might change if Im gonna add another hide or some plants, but I dont see how that would bother her. She got used to her old tank when it was new I dont know why she wouldnt get used to this one.

For a 1000 gram and over ball python fasting for a month is no big deal. Some of my ball pythons have fasted for as long as six months, didn't even lose any weight hardly at all. I wouldn't sweat it, just keep offering weekly. If you are worried about wasted rats you can get another snake that will always eat, like a dwarf retic. That's what actually got me in to the dwarf retics LOL. If I change the ambient temp in my room I'll have a few ball pythons go into a fast, doesn't matter if it's hotter or colder. I'd say after 2-3 months of not eating you could offer a fresh killed adult mouse, or a small live rat, that usually does the trick.

If shes fasting then I guess thats not a problem. I just always assumed at some point she'll get hungry enough and take the food no matter what, like just animal instincts. I can't get another snake unforunately, one is enough.

[Sunnieskys]

You could get a TON more into her tank. It's pretty bare right now. Beeps don't eat when stressed and they absolutely will starve themselves.

[Coluber42]

Can you weigh her? If she does go on a fast, that's good to know so that if she does start losing weight, you can at least tell. A postage scale or kitchen scale isn't expensive and will tell you.

Are you sure about her size? 1-2 feet is a pretty big range, and also pretty small for a 2-3 year old ball python; 12" is like hatchling size. Length isn't necessarily that useful of a number, but if you want to find out you can try www.serpwidgets.com to measure. You take a photo of the snake next to a ruler and then follow the instructions.

[FeathersRuff]

Alright well what I can do is get some more things for her tank and then post the results here if that'll help anyone.

Ill try measuring her sometime, thank you.