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snake stikes but wont eat2007-11-24 2:02:47

I aquired a ball python from someone who just didn't want it and wasn't taking the best care of it. It's about 4-5 yrs old. She ate just fine for me for a few months but now suddenly the last 3 feedings she strikes, wraps then a minute later lets go and crawls away and won't eat.. I am taking her to a vet this week but wanted to know in the meantime if anyone has any idea's/suggestions. I have tried her normal small rat that she did eat for me previous and even smaller mice. nothing worked yet.

thanks!

Answers:

It is not unusual for Python regius (literally "Royal Python", A.K.A. Ball python in the US) to go off feed for six months or more. In fact, this is one of the biggest worries among Ball python keepers.

When mine would do this (and they did it every year) I would lower their cage temperature about 10 degrees (fahrenheit) and not offer them any food for several months, allowing them to get through the cool season as they would in the wild, offering only fresh water and keeping the cage clean. After that, I'd readjust the cage temps back to normal for a couple of weeks and offer them food again, and they would almost always eat the first time and each time after that.

They don't need huge amounts of food, a healthy adult ball can get by on a couple of large mice or a juvenile rat every 2-3 weeks.

Also, if you're feeding them live food please switch to frozen food. Thaw the frozen mice or rat in warm water until it appears to be freshly killed, pat it dry with a towel (paper towel is fine) and offer it to the snake in a clean container used only for feeding. They will usually strike and constrict it as if it is alive, after which they will eat it in the normal fashion. Feeding in a separate clean container assures that 1) the food will not be contaminated by cage litter or remnants of feces (poo) and 2) the snake will be less likely to associate your hand reaching into it's cage with feeding, which leads to most "accidental" snakebites (which experienced keepers refer to as "SFE", or "Stupid Feeding Error")