Ball python not eating...

[Conner]

Hey all. My female 32-34" ball python has not eaten for a month now. I know that's not really a long time, but this girl has eaten like clockwork, every 10-14 days since I got her.

A month ago, I got her a smallish medium rat, which was a little smaller than her usual meal. I am currently feeding live (I KNOW, OK?), and the rat ran around in her enclosure for about 15 minutes, and then I removed it, because it just seemed to be freaking her out. I figured I'd give her a couple of days to see if she just wasn't hungry yet.

Two days later, when I went to take the rat out to feed her, it was dead . I don't know what happened to it, but it was stiff as a board. I bagged it up and stuck it in my freezer, because I didn't know if it was still safe to feed.

About 10 days later (I've been super busy working overtime at work and with the holiday coming up), I went to my LRS, and the guy gave me a replacement rat for free, about the same size. I brought it home, and tried to feed the snake again. The same thing, she was completely uninterested, and any time the rat touched her, she twitched like she was freaked out.

So I gave her 4 more days, and tried to feed her tonight. Still the same result. I decided to stun the rat, to see if she'd take it if it was still alive but not moving, but no dice. At that point, I figured I'd kill it so I could leave it a little longer without risk to the snake.

Its now been in the tank for almost an hour, and she keeps sniffing and nosing it, but more just out of curiosity, not hunger.

Now, it is winter here, and the temps have dropped. It is a little cooler in the house, but her cage temp is still reading the same as usual. Do you think she's stopped eating because its winter, or is she just not hungry, or is there maybe something wrong? She acts completely normal, other than not wanting to eat.

Sorry for the essay, its just got me a little worried at the moment . Thanks in advance guys.

 

[i pee in the sea]

I'm no expert on ball pythons but I do have one and I've a fair amount of research.

I think it's normal for them to go without feed in the winter time.
As long as she's not losing weight, I wouldn't worry.

The documents I've read to try feeding again in a week (some say 2 weeks) when it refuses. When she is hungry, she will eat.
Don't worry

 

[crayfishguy]

 

[Miguel]

have you checked its health? Any chance of mites?

I would not get nervous....

 

[A. gigas]

ball pythons often go off feed in the wintertime, it's nothing to worry about

 

[Bottomfeeder]

Especially if it's wild caught. Mine just ate yesterday but every animal is different.

 

[Conner]

have you checked its health? Any chance of mites?

I would not get nervous....

I check her regularly when I get her out for activity (once to twice a week), and never had any signs of mites or illness.

ball pythons often go off feed in the wintertime, it's nothing to worry about

I figured it might be something like that, but I wanted to make sure.

Especially if it's wild caught. Mine just ate yesterday but every animal is different.

She's captive bred, but I don't know from where. I haven't had her over a winter before, so I didn't know if this was normal behavior for her or not.

 

[Sylvias]

Ball pythons often go off feed just cause they feel like it, winter rarely has anything to do with it with some of em lol
It just comes with the animal.
As long as everything else is fine and she's not loosing weight don't stress. They can go off feed for close to a year sometimes.
In this case it is most likely because of winter and you may not even bother trying to feed her for another month or so.
My king snakes go off feed every winter and they are much smaller than a ball, never have a problem... currently on day 110 of no food for them and they wont start eating again till april probably... if it stays as cold as it did last year might even wait till may

 

[ivgonmad]

I would try leaving the rat in a closed box with holes (you can put food and water in there) and then put that inside the snake's enclosure. After an hour, if the snake looks interested and sniffing around the box, open the box so the snake can get in and eat. If its not interested, take the box out and try again another day.

You can also try at night time

 

[ExoticEctotherms]

Everybody pretty much said it already....but you have nothing to worry about. One of my BP's went off feed for 4 months and didn't lose a single gram. Just get your self a good digital scale that measures in grams and weigh your BP every 10-14 days or so. Keep offering food every 7-10 days and eventually it will go back on feed.