Fasting isn't an automatic with ball pythons. Most of the time it's the result of a husbandry issue that can be prevented or corrected. Winters tend to make peoples homes much cooler and drier than the rest of the year. Even with the proper heating in your snakes enclosure, they can sense the difference in the air that is circulating into their enclosure. Instinctively, they respond to this cooler dryer air by naturally slowing their metabolisms in preparation for the "dry" season they think is ahead where normally food is scarce. A fast will follow until the cool/dry conditions in your home start to return to the more favorable conditions of spring, summer, and fall. (You don't hear much about healthy ball pythons fasting in the summer.)Originally Posted by Dawn84
By working to keep your snakes cage a little warmer than the rest of the year and making sure the humidity stays high 24 hours a day, there is almost no reason why your animal has to fast if it is captive bred.
In my shop, I keep all of the rooms climatically controlled and all of my non-breeding ball pythons eat all year long.
-adam