Ball Python Refusing Food

[8leggedfriends]

I've dangled that mouse around for 30 minutes, and I did the same thing the past 2 weeks. She hasn't been even interested in food. She doesn't even look at it. Her cage is heated properly and everything, she isn't shedding. It's getting on my nerves. Any suggestions?

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Congratulations, you've got a ball python.

It's winter, my boy had a couple fasts for no apparent reason also. However, sometimes I've found he just takes a REAL good while to decide to eat. I put him in his old ten-gallon tank with a hide, and put the dead mouse on a tupperware lid over the heater. The mouse gets extra warmed up that way, to better get the attention of his heat senses sometimes.

I've seen him take up to three hours before he finally jumps on it and eats like he's starving to death. They're weird snakes.

 

[siucfi]

I've had my Ball Python for about 2.5 years and she went 13 weeks without eating! She never lost an ounce of weight and was happier than a lark. Now she eats all the time, so try once a week and when she is ready she will eat.

 

[finman31]

Balls are notorious for fasting,...it holds the record One in I believe was the cincinatti zoo went for 16 months with no food...it had water and that was it...its in the guiness book of records..

 

[Raqua]

My Ball Python once refused to eat for 7 months. Lost no weight and was fine afterwards:

 

[pitbulllady]

"Refusing food" is almost synnonymous with "Ball Python" or "Chilean Rosehaired Tarantula", as both are famous for fasting over long periods of time. This is the breeding season for Ball Pythons, and adults are known to fast during that time, though they will go without food at any time of year, for no apparent reason. I had one go nearly a year without eating before, so I don't worry about it at all. This is normal, and typical, for Ball Pythons.

pitbulllady

 

[dirtborder4life]

My ball

My ball also hasnt eaten in 5 1/2 weeks.This is very weird or him.He usually eats every week and a half,but here recently,he has no interest in eating.I just switched him from live mice to f/t rats a couple months ago,So he's still apprehensive every time he eats,but does eventually if i leave him in the feeding tub long enough.The bad thing is that he IS losing weight.I'd say that he's lost about 1/4 of his girth,maybe a little more.I was thinking it's just a winter fast,but they usually dont lose any weight when they fast like that.I've seriously been thinking about buying a couple live mice,because i KNOW he will eat them no matter what,just has something to do with the rats.This would destroy all the hard work i did to get him to take rats though.A couple more weeks and im going to HAVE to do something.

 

[ScorpDude]

As others have said this is pretty usual in royals. Just make sure the temps are fine and try offering a food item every 2 weeks, then its just case of waiting. Here are some things that might help

- Braining the mouse (exposing the brain)
- Making sure the mouse is really warm
- Offering the food to the snake while its still in its hide (so wiggling it at the entrance
- Leaving th snake alone with the mouse at the entrance to its hide.

This is pretty normal or winter, I just got mine feeding again a few weeks ago, back to strike feeding now

 

[dirtborder4life]

Fasting

I know that fasting is a common thing in balls,but losing weight during the fast is not

 

[Twysted]

yes.. they do do that.. its nothing to worry about..

 

[MizM]

Mine does it too. And he also has to have his prey running around in his enclosure for 4 to 5 hours. He will eat when HE is darn good and ready, and not before! IMHO, he likes to make the prey sweat a little!