Ball python question...

[KJE]

This is the first winter that my male BP is large enough to breed. Well, I don't have any females so that's not going to happen. Of course, he has decided to not eat for about 2 months now, which I understand can be common during the winter months.

He is housed in my snake rack with belly heat. Warm temp is 90 cool temp is 82. Humidity is fine. He is captive bred from a guy in Columbus, OH. He was eating f/t small rats until his fast.

Well, he shed last night even though he hasn't eaten anything at all since his last shed. Is that normal?

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Every bit of that is normal.

 

[KJE]

Thank you! I was just surprised by the shed since he hasn't eaten.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Yeah, it can seem a little odd, especially if you keep tarantulas (I have no idea if you do) which only go through the molting process when they've stored up enough food/fat to do so.

Think of this more like human hair or eyelashes or dead skin. Our bodies constantly renew and replace those things, reptiles just do it more dramatically.

 

[DrJ]

I had a snake that shed three times during a fast. Ball pythons are notorious fasters. Especially the males. To break them of this, soft-fur rats have been used with success. They are an african rat that is their natural food in the wild. Many ball python breeders also breed these rats in captivity and may be willing to sell you a pair if you are interested. Some people have started specializing with them and you are now starting to see them in the frozen market with mice and normal rats.

But, so long as your ball isn't losing weight, you should be okay.

 

[arachnocat]

My male BP stopped eating for 3 months last year. Then all of the sudden he wanted to eat again. Can't explain it really, except that I moved him into a new tank during that time and I thought maybe it just took him a while to feel comfortable in it.