Beans is being stubborn, or just picky.

[FollowTheSun]

I'm coming in very late on this thread, but I just wanted to chime in and say that no healthy snake will allow itself to starve to death. They have very slow metabolisms, and they are not as active as snakes in the wild. When they reach adulthood and stop growing fast, they really don't need to eat as often as people think. Add in shedding, too. Sometimes they are entering a shed but we don't see it yet.

I have two BPs who are 3 and 5 years old and it's normal for them to eat only once a month . . . if that. The female went 5 months without eating during wintertime a couple of years ago .This year they both went 3 months.

After stressing out, trying all the tricks for heating them up perfectly, etc. I now just am patient. I have learned to watch for hunger cues like having their heads out of the hides all day long, being more alert to movements around the enclosures and moving when they see my hand in front of the enclosure, more active at night crawling all over the place, and then I wait a few days beyond those signs to offer them food frozen thawed, warmed in the sink). Sometimes they still don't take it. I wait another week and try again, and usually they will take it that time. They are both healthy snakes of a healthy weight. Not too fat like you see a lot of them here, not too thin which would indicate poor health. They have good sheds, are active when removed and held, and I just enjoy them rather than stressing out over their eating. As I said, a healthy snake will not allow itself to starve.