ball python - is this normal?

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Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 2, 2009
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Toronto, Canada
The ball python that I got a couple of months ago had a pretty bad shed so I increased the humidity with a heat lamp (50W) over the water bowl (4"x3"x2") on for 8 hours a day (10AM to 6PM) in a 20G long with a heat pad.
I have noticed a few extra sheds fall off and he's looking better.

However, as of 2 weeks ago he's refused his food.
I'm up in Canada and it's started to get cold here.

1.Could this be brumation? If so, how long can I expect this to last?
He's still fat and out and about at night. FYI he's a CB 2010.

2. He's made a few strikes at my hand after I take him out of the feeding bin (he didn't eat). He only posed it didn't actually. Is this normal?

Sharing information is always appreciated.
 
have you noticed mites at all? how long have you had him? Is he a baby or adult? have you changed anything lately with the tank?

mr.reef24
 
the above questions are good once but never over react to a ball python not eating...they are famous for it...
If everything else is as it should be and he is not losing any weight and other wise healthy then there is nothing to worry about.
Ball pythons are known for going off feed for no reason at all. Some may refuse food for 8 months or more... most of them don't usually go that long but they CAN and do sometimes.
 
Sylvias;4579336; said:
the above questions are good once but never over react to a ball python not eating...they are famous for it...
If everything else is as it should be and he is not losing any weight and other wise healthy then there is nothing to worry about.
Ball pythons are known for going off feed for no reason at all. Some may refuse food for 8 months or more... most of them don't usually go that long but they CAN and do sometimes.
Click to expand...

Yeah I hear that all the time.. Just not so good when it's happening to mine I guess. He is still very healthy and fat, so I'm not so worried but just curious.

I just wonder whether it's brumation given the time of the year or just the snake being finicky..
 
I would start weighing him (I weigh mine about once a week) If he starts losing weight that's when I would start worrying. I once had a ball python that went for 11 months without eating but he didn't loose weight. Then one day he just started pounding food down again.
 
here in wi i hear from people all the time that tell me their ball hasnt eatn from october to february/march. its the temp changes. even a few degrees off from normal in your tank and they will stop eating. even if you have the same setup all summer your house now is getting cooler so your tank is getting cooler. check your temps! also, do you like drinking warm water? i'm sure your ball doesnt either. use damp moss under one of your hides to help with shedding. also, try covering part of the tank up to trap humidity (and heat). what are you using for a substrate? cypress mulch works great and holds moisture. when you see him going into a shed mist him daily. remember, warm side day time temps mid to upper 80's with spot right under the bulb up to 90. cool side 75-82. at night the whole tank can be dropped to 75. you have a heat pad so you should be all right if air temps are a couple degrees cooler then that cause he can sit on the heat pad. what kind of thermometer are you using? go with a good digital one.
 
Hey

For a hide I only have one. I know it's good to have two in the enclosure, but I am using a natural cork bark (a huge piece) that takes up about 40% of the tank. The other side has a medium sized water bowl.

Using eco-earth for substrate, this stuff is pretty good.

I have been misting pretty regularly to help him with the bad shed.

I do not know the temperature in the enclosure though,
the room temperature is 24 Celsius.. at the moment.
 
24 degrees celsius is 75 degrees Fahrenheit and way to cool!!!! thats fine for night time temps, but way to cold for daytime temps. get a digital thermometer! until it eats i would stop handling it. increase the temps, and wait about a week b4 you try feeding it once the temps are correct. the eco earth can be quite dusty, i'm not convinced that its the best substrate.

remember, mid to upper 80s on the warm side during the day. right under heat bulb 88-90. 75-82 on cool side during the day
75 for all around tank temp at night
 
The 24 Celsius is at night time (10PM here) without the heat lamp on.
During the day the room temperature goes up with a 50W heat lamp on for 8 hours. I've been told this is perfect for increasing humidity and temperature.

The snake is always out and about from the evening, I'm going to thaw out a mice and leave it out inside a mug in his enclosure tonight..

Hopefully it'll be gone by tomorrow morning!
 
What do you use on top of the tank, screen top?
I recently acquired two bp's- a spider male and a pastel female- and am going through some of the same things that you're going through. First the female wouldn't eat, then the male. Then the bad sheds; neither shed in one piece.
I'm a fish guy so I guess I'm naturally more inclined to go with a glass tank but, in anticipation of the cold winter ahead, I've been considering a shoebox rack enclosure.
That might solve the humidity problem right there.
 
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