[grant123]

Ok, i so I have searched a bit on this forum and got a few ideas on why it is my appx 1 year old BP wont eat.

Hhe shys away from it, or will go right to it and almost threw it like it isnt there. Either that or shy away. I have tried light/dark places and white/black male/f mice I think it could be because its getting colder, but I have a 2nd BP in same enviroment and he will eat till he cant any more.

It's been close to 3 months now. Any inputs?

[caudalis_sa]

well if you have checked other threads then I am sure you have your temps and other conditions correct. but as always it helps if you give us specs of the cage(temps etc.)

One trick that has worked for me is to offer a pinky or rat pup..really small food for the python but if it takes it, just place a thawed rat in the mouth after the pink...the snake will just continue to swallow the whole rat!! After that they usually eat normally...all BP are a bit different

[BlackJack]

I've found that one of our pythons will fast while others are eating like pigs. Try to be patient and remember it is NOT normal for snakes to eat regularly. Their digestive systems are set up for large meals (when they can get them) and times of fasting. If the snake looks healthy and is acting normally, don't worry! He'll eat when he's ready.
If, however, he's lethargic or losing lots of weight, he could have parasites or otherwise be ill... then he should be taken to a vet.

One of our "boys" just broke a 5 month fast and now he's eating like a pig! Whenever you feed the other snake, offer a rat/mouse to the fasting BP. If he doesn't take it, just try again the following week.
My BP hasn't eaten since November, but I'll try again tonight. At some point, he'll surprise me and take it!
Relax and know you are destined to be a slave to BP fasting madness!

[caudalis_sa]

oh and on that point....remember to keep a record of your snakes weight

at times like these it can really help with the stress to see your snake is not losing weight

[nicole]

ball pythons,,ughhh,,, they make me crazy. I think the longest fast period I had was about 4 months. Keep offering food and one day he will shock you and eat it, lol. I would try the one that was fasting first and if he didnt take it, then I would give it to one that I knew would always eat, so I didnt waste the rats. I am lucky right now. All of them that I have in at the moment eat like pigs.lol

[grant123]

thanks for the advice guys, its really frusterating.... i wont be content until he eats. the other one always eats his right when it gets put in the box, no hesitation bam strike. when the one that is fasting would eat, he would take his time about it, and even shy away if it came up on him to fast, but the last few feeds each time he refused it after a couple hours togethor in the box, i feed the mouse to the other bp. he is getting noticably bigger because hes been eating 2x mice a week now for about 2 months. i think its not eating because of the temp. there house avg temp is about 70, with 50-60%humidity. they have a heat pad stuck up under the tank on one side. so it could either be there habitat is too cold, or its just coming into winter so its fasting.

but I would think they would both react similar in either situation, weather it be the avg temp too low, or the change in temp with winter coming.

only time will tell.

grant

[nicole]

the warm end should be around 90 and the cooler end between 75-80. You should also have some slight drop in temps at night. I thinl that it may be too cold,, I would definately get on adjusting those temps.

[Merlin]

Do you have a thermometer in the tank itself?
If the room is 70 degrees the Under Tank Heater may not be enough.

[smallgrayfox]

Originally Posted by grant123

and even shy away if it came up on him to fast,

This part makes me wonder if you're feeding live food? Or is it frozen/thawed? I've known snakes who were terrified of live food and wouldn't go near it, but they'd eat frozen/thawed just fine. Another advantage is that frozen/thawed can't hurt your snake...

[BlackJack]

Do you know the sex of your snakes? I find that females rarely fast while males fast much more often and for longer periods. The female will also grow more quickly and get bigger than a male. (So be careful about comparing the growth rates if you are unsure of the sex.)
Juliane made a good point, it is MUCH safer for your snake (especially finicky BPs) to be fed freshly-killed or frozen/thawed food! The mouse "dinner" can soon become the "diner" and you have a chewed up snake. (The snake will not defend itself from a mouse attack.)
You should have a good digital thermometer/hygrometer INSIDE the tank (I use the one with a probe that can measure to cool side and the warm side.) Some snakes will eat if the temperature is a bit too cool, but others won't. It's VERY important that they have warm temperatures for digesting. Warm temps speed up the snake's metabolism and digesting a whole mouse is a race against time -- the mouse starts to rot inside the snake and if the temps are too low, the snake is likely to regurgitate or vomit (not a pretty sight or smell and not healthy for the snake!) or he just will not take food in the first place.
(PS -- my BP refused the rat again last night... it's that time of the year for male BPs!)