going off feed...

[ADEE]

I have two larger (800+ & 1100+g) girls who came here about 3wks ago.. both of them were supposedly feeding well before i got them. they would eat two weeks in a row then a week off. I got them both on the week off so technically they havnt eaten for two feedings. husbandry is spot on and one of them just had an amazing shed recently (i know that could be why she hadnt eaten prior but its been about 5dys since she shed and still isnt eating)

they havnt lost much weight, a few grams is all and both of them have gone the bathroom since coming here but part of me is still concerned with them not eating.. how long should they go "off feed" before i should get worried? how long is a typical "off feed" term for? Should I take them to the breeder and see if he can get them to eat? (That would be opening a can of worms i would say) we have tried giving them prescented ASF mice with no luck.. I suppose they will eat when they get hungry.. we have just continued offering once a week

[2kdime]

My 1100 gram girl I just got ate for me once. Then refused this last feeding.
If your husbandry is spot on. Just keep prescenting and trying. Even though you may have everything just right. The older snakes can sense the atmospheric pressure differences of the winter/breeding time.

That's what I read somewhere.

I guess there's no real time frame for them to be off feed. They'll just eat when they're ready. Which is a scary thought.

Just keep trying. That's what I'm doing. Good luck to you!

[ADEE]

My 1100 gram girl I just got ate for me once. Then refused this last feeding.
If your husbandry is spot on. Just keep prescenting and trying. Even though you may have everything just right. The older snakes can sense the atmospheric pressure differences of the winter/breeding time.

That's what I read somewhere.

I guess there's no real time frame for them to be off feed. They'll just eat when they're ready. Which is a scary thought.

Just keep trying. That's what I'm doing. Good luck to you!

thanks for your response.. im right there with ya lol. good luck to you also! Im sure with them being close to breeding size plays a part in it also.

[Dvas_Romeo]

Just keep trying on the regular feeding schedule and so long as your balls aren't losing a lot of weight and/or at an alarming rate...there's nothing to worry about.

My 1 yr 3 month old ball is a great eater...but had fasted for a month or so last winter and this winter. He ate for me (after an approx. 1 month fast) last weekend...but again refused this weekend just past though I believe it has to do with the fact he was just about to go into shed.

[littleindiangirl]

I have two larger (800+ & 1100+g) girls who came here about 3wks ago.. both of them were supposedly feeding well before i got them. they would eat two weeks in a row then a week off. I got them both on the week off so technically they havnt eaten for two feedings. husbandry is spot on and one of them just had an amazing shed recently (i know that could be why she hadnt eaten prior but its been about 5dys since she shed and still isnt eating)

they havnt lost much weight, a few grams is all and both of them have gone the bathroom since coming here but part of me is still concerned with them not eating.. how long should they go "off feed" before i should get worried? how long is a typical "off feed" term for? Should I take them to the breeder and see if he can get them to eat? (That would be opening a can of worms i would say) we have tried giving them prescented ASF mice with no luck.. I suppose they will eat when they get hungry.. we have just continued offering once a week

The breeder said they would eat 2 weeks in a row and then refuse? Or he just wouldnt feed them? I suspect he was feeding to large of meals. Were they on mice? or African soft furred rats?

2 missed meals really isn't a drop in the bucket. Especially if one just shed. Keep offering once every 7 days, or rather if you'd like, once every 2 weeks. No handling at all and stay positive. They will eat!

[elevatethis]

You're dealing with a double whammy of sorts here...I dealt with a similar situation with a 100% het albino girl I bought that came in around 900 grams.

First of all, shipping a ball python to a new place with new sights, smells, sounds, keeper routines, etc, is stressfull enough for a ball python to lose interest in feeding while they settle in.

Second, those snakes are entering the "terrible teens" where they aren't babies anymore but aren't quite adults either...a LOT of people observe that ball pythons get flaky with feeding around this time...not all the time...but enough that it's worth mentioning that it is a possibility. I find that I can get hatchlings up to 1000 grams in a year, but at that point, they start slowing down and it isn't until they reach around 1500 grams that they start slamming food again.

Just give them some time, be patient, go easy on the handling sessions, make sure they have secure hides, and just don't mess with them too much. They'll come around eventually.

Hope that helps.

[ADEE]

The breeder said they would eat 2 weeks in a row and then refuse? Or he just wouldnt feed them? I suspect he was feeding to large of meals. Were they on mice? or African soft furred rats?

2 missed meals really isn't a drop in the bucket. Especially if one just shed. Keep offering once every 7 days, or rather if you'd like, once every 2 weeks. No handling at all and stay positive. They will eat!

he was feeding her two weeks in a row then not giving on the third week, the bigger female was on small rats while the smaller female was strictly mice.

You're dealing with a double whammy of sorts here...I dealt with a similar situation with a 100% het albino girl I bought that came in around 900 grams.

First of all, shipping a ball python to a new place with new sights, smells, sounds, keeper routines, etc, is stressfull enough for a ball python to lose interest in feeding while they settle in.

Second, those snakes are entering the "terrible teens" where they aren't babies anymore but aren't quite adults either...a LOT of people observe that ball pythons get flaky with feeding around this time...not all the time...but enough that it's worth mentioning that it is a possibility. I find that I can get hatchlings up to 1000 grams in a year, but at that point, they start slowing down and it isn't until they reach around 1500 grams that they start slamming food again.

Just give them some time, be patient, go easy on the handling sessions, make sure they have secure hides, and just don't mess with them too much. They'll come around eventually.

Hope that helps.

they werent shipped.. we went and picked them up directly from the breeder but i do know its stressful to have a big change. we dont hold either of them but maybe once a week, when cleaning but we will cut that out too until they feed if need be. thanks for the comments everyone, they really did help!

[elevatethis]

they werent shipped.. we went and picked them up directly from the breeder but i do know its stressful to have a big change. we dont hold either of them but maybe once a week, when cleaning but we will cut that out too until they feed if need be. thanks for the comments everyone, they really did help!

Picking them up in person and transporting them to a new location is basically the same thing The point is that they are in a new place. Good luck and hang in there, they'll come around eventually.

[TheMissingLink]

Take a look

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60804

They can drive you nuts

[West Coast Jungle]

Sounds like you need to settle them in and get them back on a shcedule, the combination of winter, relocation and possible larger meals/fat storage can make a girl go off feed. I have also witnessed some snakes that hit the 900 gram mark and go through a finicky period, like Brad said, not all but some, I have a pastel girl that is doing that now so I am feeding her smaller than normal meals and she is responding better. Have patience, they should be fine if husbandry is correct.