Ball python feeding issue

[hago13]

I have a 1 yr old male BP and for the past 4 months he has been on 2 mice a week.  About four weeks ago I moved him up too a small rat and he took it with no problems.  Since then he hasn't even tried to eat.  He has had a bowel movement and just finished shedding yesterday.  I was told that it might take time to adjust to the large food, but it seems that he should be ready to eat since he has gone to the bathroom and shed.  Any and all advice and tips are welcome and wanted.   

[smilts]

Hiya welcome to the darkside first off.  Ball pythons are finicky eaters which is about all I know about them.   Are you feeding live, frozen thawed or pre killed?  Also what is your setup for him cage, temps, humidity,  everything husbandry wise will help everyone to advice you better.

[Donnie_K]

As steve said, we'll need all of that information to help you figure out what's going on. Ball pythons are picky eaters, and need to be switched to rats as early as possible. the longer you wait, the harder it is to get them to switch. There's no need to worry about him not eating unti he starts losing weight, it's not uncommon for balls to go off feed up to 6 months at a time. this is the main reason I tell people that ball pythons are not the great beginner snakes the pet stores tell you they are.

[hago13]

Well Zeus's cage is a 40 gallon glass terrarium with aspen bedding, temps usually kept at 90-95 on the warm side and 78-85 on the cool side.  Humidity I try and keep at 40-50 but sometimes it gets down to about 30-35.  I have a completely enclosed hide box for him and then on the other side of the cage I have a half log that goes in the corner.  I do feed live and have always.  I did take him to the vet about 2 weeks ago and had him check out and sexed.  He weighted 1.5 lbs and was go to go from what the vet said.  I do know that ball's are pickey eaters and can go a long period of time with out eating, but it just seems like after his bowel movement and shedding he would be hungry.  Again, I switched him over to small rats from two mice once a week,  4 weeks ago.  he took down the rat with no problems, but now he just runs away from them.  Also I don't and never have fed him in the same cage he lives in.  Zeus gets feed in his old 20 gallon tank.  There is nothing in there but a green mat.  Thanks for the quick respones.  As soon as I figure out how to post pics I will post some of Zeus.

[1softkiss]

Welcome To Dark Side Reptiles!!!!
It's nice to have a new member and especially one that likes Ball Pythons as I've always had them and raised them.
They can be very persistent about being fussy with their eating habits and there are many things that have an effect on their overall behavior.
Their immediate environment for one and any changes going on around the snake as well as changing the feeder size the snake is probably taking a little longer to digest a larger meal.
They do store nutrients and my two adult Ball Pythons go for sometimes six months each winter without taking food and they are still big and healthy.
You may also consider that with weather changes comes barometric changes and this is what signals snakes as to the time of the year it is and determines a lot of their actions.
Mice really don't furnish the calcium that a growing snake needs to mature properly and for bone development. I would really stay with feeding rats.

[hago13]

thanks Softkiss.  Zeus has become a fan of only white mice could the something be true for rats.  Also should I continue to try and feed him every weekend when he normally eats.  I appreciate the warm welcome from everyone and all the advice and info.

[Donnie_K]

You may also consider that with weather changes comes barometric changes and this is what signals snakes as to the time of the year it is and determines a lot of their actions.

This is also something that has crossed my mind due to all the wierd weather we've been having, and the number of people in the past few weeks who have mentioned their snakes not eating.

I know you've seen me say it before, but I really believe glass tanks are a bad idea. Especially if lights are used as a heat source.

95 hot side and 85 cool side are a bit on the high end, especially the cool side. Try to keep that in the high 70's, and the basking spot about 90. Now these need to be surface temps where the animal actually is, not air temps.

moving him to another enclosure to feed may be a factor too. While I know it used to be common practice back in the 80's (which leads me to believe you've been doing this awhile), and I understand the ideals behind it. It's not really healthy for a snake to be moved right after eating, and it also causes stress which occasionally (but obviously not in the past with this animal) can cause them to not eat.

another factor to consider is the switch to a larger food item may very well have induced an early shed cycle (not at all a bad thing) and he may simply wait til after his next shed.

Again like stated before, if he's been on mice for a year, he may resist a change in food items and only want mice. You can not give into this, or he will always continue to be that way.

also, with the barometric pressure changes so late in the year, it could make him think it's breeding season. Male ball pythons have bred as small as 500 grams (1.5 lbs is 680 grams), and often go off feed for up to 6 months when they think it's time to find a mate.

I really wouldn't worry too much about it unless there's significant weight loss, or other signs of problems. keep an eye on him and keep us posted.

[Peter_Steele]

Hi and welcome to the forum. 40 gal for a 1 year old BP is a bit big. It is most likely stressing him out. I have a 50 gal that houses two full grown ball pythons for breeding comfortably. Moving the snake to another enclosure will also cause stress as well. I dont agree with donnie that by moving them that people have been owning snakes forever. Alot of people on the internet still advise it because they owned snakes way back when and this info hasnt been fully phased out yet. I am ot saying that you maybe havent owned snakes for a long time I am just pointing it out that it is still widely believed in by older snake handlers that they then pass on to newer people. I used to move my snakes untill i found out you werent supposed to and I was only born in 1990 so i couldnt have picked up the habit from any earlier. I am just using me as an example to try and explain what I mean. Anyways just give your snake some time. He will eventually come around and eat. He sounds like he is pretty healthy so the weather could just be messing with him. Also some snakes are gender specific with certain food. my solomon island ground boa only ate female white mice and would not take anything else. If i offered a dif colored mouse or a male forget it.

[Donnie_K]

Hi and welcome to the forum. 40 gal for a 1 year old BP is a bit big. It is most likely stressing him out. I have a 50 gal that houses two full grown ball pythons for breeding comfortably. Moving the snake to another enclosure will also cause stress as well. I dont agree with donnie that by moving them that people have been owning snakes forever. Alot of people on the internet still advise it because they owned snakes way back when and this info hasnt been fully phased out yet. I am ot saying that you maybe havent owned snakes for a long time I am just pointing it out that it is still widely believed in by older snake handlers that they then pass on to newer people. I used to move my snakes untill i found out you werent supposed to and I was only born in 1990 so i couldnt have picked up the habit from any earlier. I am just using me as an example to try and explain what I mean. Anyways just give your snake some time. He will eventually come around and eat. He sounds like he is pretty healthy so the weather could just be messing with him. Also some snakes are gender specific with certain food. my solomon island ground boa only ate female white mice and would not take anything else. If i offered a dif colored mouse or a male forget it.

hey asshole, I was just giving the guy the benefit of the doubt  . obviously old school either way.

[Southern_Boa_Gurl]

Lol, testy boys this morning!!

Welcome to the forum.  I hope you will find some advise in the posts that others have made.  Hope your guy eats soon, but just a bit of advise also from experience, my female ball was a year old this winter and she went off feed for almost two months while in the meantime having a bowel movement and shedding.  She still refused.  Everyone here will tell you that it's safer to feed frozen thawed or fresh killed because simply, it is.  The rats could bite, chew, etc on the snake before the snake may even move as they're not the smartest creatures.  It could case the snake to fear live feeders as well as quit eating.  It also could get infected in the snake was bitten and turn into infection.  Again, hope all of this advise helps and hope to hear how he's doing.

As far as the pictures, you can see this thread and see how most people upload pictures: http://www.darksidereptiles.com/forum/index.php/topic,1016.0.html  And of course, if you ever have a question, please feel free to ask publicly or pm any of the moderators or admin.