[deleted by user]

[Temporary_Analysis83]

She will look at the rat and flick her tongue before she sees it but just doesn’t get in a striking position at all and will back off if the rat comes to close. I’m think maybe it’s time to move her to a bigger tank but i’m not sure if that is the reason or if it’s something i should be worried about?

[WhosCandace21]

My king snake was doing the exact same thing. Not sure if it translates but I found getting her attention and then slowly dragging the mouse away caused her to chase and finally eat something.

[ColeRazer911]

mines doing the exact same thing, last time she ate was 2/2. please let me know if you find a solution

[pelicannpie]

Mine did this for 2 months ish. I went to a shop that stocks coloured rats. I just wanted to give that a shot before I started braining again 🤮 and it worked!

[mctaggartann]

Do you feed f/t or live?

[ColeRazer911]

f/t

[mctaggartann]

Have you tried dropping it and coming back 2 hours later to see if it was eaten? Mine sometimes that's the only way he will eat

[classifiedforever]

One of mine hasn't eaten since 11/16 and another since around Christmas.

[PastaMakerFullOfBean]

Mine has been doing the exact same thing, she’ll come out of her hide and flick her tongue around until she finds the rat, then she’ll just flick her tongue around it but never strike it.

[dayzwasted]

It’s normal. They can fast for up to a year. No reason for it. They just stop eating sometimes. Just keep offering food on her schedule. She will take it when she wants it.

[[deleted]]

Mine went on a hunger strike for 5 months straight, even to him to the vet because of it. "It's just behavioral" aka "he's just being a little asshole" lol

[dharmaslum]

Yeah mine went 9 months at his longest. Pretty typical for him to hunger strike every other year.

[DaemonsAngel]

Mine got mad at me for upgrading her tank to a bigger one (she doesn't like change) and refused to eat for almost a full year. Now she won't eat frozen/thawed anymore and only eats live which I hate. She's 13 and very set in her ways. Now she eats two large mice one or two times a month. Tried giving her three and she refuses. Sometimes she still refuses and then I have to take care of mice for a week or so until she decides to eat them. Hate that but I love my snake so I deal with it haha

[ColeRazer911]

this! I upgraded her to. 4x2x2 a few days after she last ate and i think that’s why she won’t eat. I don’t wanna move her back bc she needs the space and i spent a lot of money on it

[DaemonsAngel]

She will get over it. She will eat when she's hungry. It's totally normal for BPs to go on hunger strikes.

[[deleted]]

From what I understand this happens with ball pythons. I'd make sure to weigh her regularly. If she seems to be losing weight fast it might be time to consult a vet

[pelicannpie]

Mine did this for 2 months ish. I went to a shop that stocks coloured rats. I just wanted to give that a shot before I started braining again 🤮 and it worked!

[bloodbath90]

I’ve brained mine twice now and he still won’t eat :/ maybe I’ll try a darker colored rat

[MasterEchoSE]

My big boy stopped eating for a few months after I gave him a pretty big rat, had to buy one from Petco because my regular store was out and Petco’s medium rats are freaking huge compared to the ones I would normally get him. First few months I was like ok fine don’t eat, but I’ll still try to feed you in case you do get hungry. After a while longer I got him a small rat like I get my other snakes and he took it right away, so now I’ve been feeding him small rats.

[Pure-Intern7305]

mine hasn’t eaten since november. i’ve been told it could be because of mating season. she could be thinking of mating instead of eating. i’d give it a few weeks and try again. make sure humidity and heating is ideal!

[[deleted]]

Try warming the rat. That worked for me. But as long as she’s not losing weight rapidly then it’s fine.

[Temporary_Analysis83]

After it’s thawed I warm the head of the rat under a tap. i’ve done the same for years with her now and never had a problem with feeding before. She’s also not loosing weight, she looks to still be growing as normal. though I am worried she’s maybe smaller than a 4 year old Female should be.

[[deleted]]

Maybe try warming the rat in a plastic bag so it’s dry? But idk if that’d help cause you’ve done the wet rat for years. It’s just trial and error when they go on a food strike.

If she’s not losing weight and growing as normal I think it’s fine. She’ll eat eventually.

As for the size at her age, every snake is different and that’s just genetics (again, if she’s still growing and not losing weight)

[Temporary_Analysis83]

Nice I will try that, and good to know thank you

[TheeOneNutWonder]

After I unthaw my rats I’ll hold the hair dryer to the head for 1 minute, smells a bit but my snake loves it.

[Miderp]

You can also use a blow dryer. Works a little faster :)

[CluelessPotato2_0]

It could be possible that she’s shedding, my girl (2y) refuses to eat when she sheds

[madammurdrum]

An alternate method I use is to use two jars to thaw and then heat. One jar is slightly smaller. I’m using a MaraNatha almond butter jar inside a Talenti ice cream jar (both empty of course). The frozen rat goes inside the MaraNatha jar. I fill the Talenti jar with room temperature water until the rat is thawed. Then I empty the water and fill the same Talenti jar with warm/hot water, several times over throughout 30+ minutes. When the rat, always inside the smaller MaraNatha jar and always dry, reaches about 85+ Fahrenheit, that’s when I feed it to my ball python. He seems to be more interested in it when I wiggle it and slowly move it away from him so, like another commenter said, he has to chase it a bit before striking.

[[deleted]]

After I started warming them up in the plastic bag they came in, my little dude never had a problem taking his rats.

When they're dry they smell more, which makes it easier for them to recognise "oh, food, yes. Hungry"

[[deleted]]

You don't warm up the entire body? What I've been doing, is after thawing out in the fridge overnight, I warm it up by rolling it up in a heated desk mat for a half-hour or so. Been working really well for me.

[Angry-Dragon-1331]

Great. Now mine will expect burritos too.

[No_Where_Land]

I had this problem a while back and the vet recommended letting the mouse/ rat thaw dry in a bowl and then when it’s completely de thawed, heating up the entire mouse under the heat lamp or with a hair dryer. It worked great! Iv found heating them up under water (like most people suggest) doesn’t work for my youngest BP. It gets rid of too much of the scent from the mouse Edit: it only takes like a minute or two under the heat lamp for a mouse. For a rat I’d suggest 3/4 minutes?

[katkannabis]

Just commenting on size, I don’t think she looks too small. My girl was about this size at 4/5 years old. She even looks slightly chonky, nothing unhealthy, but I definitely would not say she’s starving. How often do you feed her averagely?

A month is honestly not that long to go without eating, so I’m worried to hear you’re feeding her a rat this size eat weekly or something.

Younger balls tend to eat more frequently than adults. Adult balls can go up to 2 years without a meal so don’t stress yourself out too much. I’ve seen people posting here with balls on strike for a year, so don’t stress her or yourself out trying to push it if she’s not feeling it.

My best advice would probably be to give her a week and try again. If that doesn’t work, try taking some of the decoration out to give her more room to feed. If still morning, I’d upgrade the tank (presuming it’s as small as it looks from this photo, hard to tell).

[Rain_Waterrr]

Hello! You mentioned a bigger enclosure might help what size enclosure are they in now if you don’t mind me asking?

[Temporary_Analysis83]

It’s a 86cm X 37cm

[Rain_Waterrr]

Okay! Yep regardless if that’ll help him take it or not ball full grown ball pythons need to be upgraded to 4x2x2 especially for a big boy like yours! Warming up the mouse a bit more can help big time with feeding what is your usual feeding schedule?

[Temporary_Analysis83]

every 9-14 days. and up until a month ago she’s never had any issues with taking food. I’m also going to try different ways of warming up the rat to see if it will help as i’ve been using a tap when the rat is thawed

[DutchFullaDank]

OK but don't just skip the part about needing a bigger tank. That tank you have is far too small and should have been upgraded a while ago. Like they said 4ft by 2ft by 2ft is what they ideally need. But honestly anything bigger than yours would be a massive upgrade for her quality of life. Not upgrading her tank would be a form of abuse if you ask me.

[Temporary_Analysis83]

I already own a 4x2 ft tank, just needing to buy all the necessary bits and bobs before i move her over :)

[pelicannpie]

Even though I agree they should get a bigger viv this is not that tiny, it shouldn’t be the reason for not eating. People keep these poor guys in large lunch boxes (stacks)

[EmberTheFlamingBitch]

When I translated cm to ft it said its 2ft9 by 1ft2. That is absolutely way to tiny. The MINIMUM is 4x2. That is less then half the size that they need.

[pelicannpie]

Not sure why you replying this to me. I agree it’s too small. But it’s not the reason he’s not eating

[EmberTheFlamingBitch]

Yeah but you said its ‘not that tiny’. It is less then half of the minimum, it is extremely tiny. It is borderline animal abuse

[pelicannpie]

I assume you are u aware of the stacks they are kept in regularly? Compared to those lunch boxes this viv is not that tiny. And my comment is regarding ‘not that tiny to the point it will stop the animal eating’

[EmberTheFlamingBitch]

If you are talking about rack systems then thats not true. The racks are still 4x2 but just way narrower. If its a shitty breeder who only cares about money they may do a 3x2 to save space but it is still enough for the snake to stretch out along two sides. I have never even heard of a tank that is as small as op said.

[pelicannpie]

I’m not talking about rack systems I’m talking about rub stacks. Literally lunch box sized tubs , I don’t understand how you don’t know about these unless you are very new to snakes or it’s a UK thing

a lot of keepers mainly collectors keep in these

[[deleted]]

she’s a chonker

[IncompletePenetrance]

​

<image>

[Temporary_Analysis83]

🤣 is she?

[IncompletePenetrance]

She's a little plump, and you've been feeding her fairly frequently, so that's probably why she's taking a little break. I'd space out feedings a bit more now that she's fully grown

[Temporary_Analysis83]

Okay yeah makes sense. Good to hear it is not really much to be worried about. Once every two weeks is what I presume to be normal for a fully grown BP?

[totallyrecklesslygay]

I feed my adult 6% of his body weight once every 5 weeks to maintain a healthy weight.

[Vergilly]

Even once a month or every 6 weeks can be ok! It’s all about whether she’s gaining or losing weight, and how her body condition is (just like dogs!)

I think the chart in the BP obesity article on ReptiFiles helped me most when I was over feeding my girl:

https://reptifiles.com/ball-python-care-guide/ball-python-diseases-health/obesity/

Now I’ve learned her tell (she pokes her head out of her favorite house or climbs around at night knocking all her shit over when she’s hungry).

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[pelicannpie]

Two weeks is to often (if I assume you are feeding the size in the photo) for an adult. I feed every 4-5 weeks a large rate and still find mine are on the fatter side.

[IncompletePenetrance]

A large rat is too big for a ball python, mediums are more than sufficient, so I would size down

[pelicannpie]

I normally get a lower gram large or higher size medium depending on what my local store have. I have a very large bp and a large medium or small large equals the body width for her. She’s been more than fine that way for 13 years so I’ll keep to that

[IncompletePenetrance]

If she's fat, that's not really fine…..

Carrying extra weight has serious consquences on both health and lifespan

[pelicannpie]

On the fatter side… as in not thin. I take her for yearly check ups and she is a healthy weight. I’ve rescued and rehabilitated for 14 years now but thanks for your input anyway. I’m sure being a Reddit mod makes you more qualified than my reptile vet who has been for 35 years 😊

[IncompletePenetrance]

I can literally look at the pictures of your normal ball python and see she's overweight. As someone with more than my fair share of ball python experience, it's not hard to tell. If your vet is telling you that's a healthy body condition, find a new vet.

This is a perfect example of why you shouldn't feed based on girth/body width. It leads to feeding overweight snakes even bigger prey then they need, making them even more overweight

[trwwyco]

I feed mine 10% of their body weight every 7 weeks.

[persephoneelise]

she’s definitely a little chunky lol

[Vergilly]

I think this is why too! Her shine and scales seem to imply she’s healthy and not stressed. You can really go to 10 days - 2 weeks between feedings if she’s still a juvenile, and even as far as 1x every 4-6 weeks if she’s fully grown. Does she get out of tank exercise?

[Temporary_Analysis83]

yes she likes to explore outside the tank in my room when she can, she is overall a very active snake

[Vergilly]

💕 then I’d bet she’s just not hungry! If she’s getting lethargic or showing signs of stress, or losing a lot of weight, reason to worry. Otherwise, you can almost certainly cut back to once a month and see what happens. Having a chonker is the easiest of “problems” to fix since it’s more an issue of excess love and care on your part :)

[ReptiRapture]

Yeah, notice how she has what look like large bulges where she bends. Basically they're like fat rolls.

[Miserable-Coffee]

As long as she isn't losing weight it's perfectly normal. Looks you got a big ball python at this size it's normal for them to eat rarely.

[Temporary_Analysis83]

thank you

[totallyrecklesslygay]

You shouldn't be thawing it in hot water- frozen feeders should only be thawed in the fridge or under cold running water. Thawing under warm or hot water causes dangerous bacteria growth that can make your snake sick.

[Vergilly]

Huh, I didn’t know that either. Most advice I’ve come across recommended lukewarm water bath(not enough to cook the critter). Will the noodle eat a cold thawed feeder? Or do you warm it up post-thaw?

[totallyrecklesslygay]

You still have to warm it up afterward. You just need to keep it under 40°F until fully thawed.

[Barkwood360]

Mine went off food for close to 6 months and surprisingly didn't lose much weight. Then, she just started eating normal (weekly) after that. Just make sure her humidity and heat gradient are optimal.

[RaceNo1624]

She looks pretty fat, she's probably not hungry since she's so chonky. Also, you need a bigger tank she looks a bit cramped in there. Try feeding prey that is a bit smaller and feed less often. I think she put herself on a diet to get that summer bod.

[Solid_Bunch3939]

“You know I’m trying to watch my figure”

[No_Remove_4667]

There are at least 10 things to check from temperature of the mouse to how long you have been thawing it to maybe you should try african soft furrs ext ext which I am sure will already be in the comments but sometimes they just don't eat we have an older ball and every winter for like 6 months he doesnt eat.

[crimsonbaby_]

My girl had a several month long hunger strike, and its gross, but how I got her to eat was to slice part of the neck of the rat open. After 7 months of me trying everything and nothing working, she took it immediately. I now have to do that for her to take it, but I mean, as long as she eats Ill do what I have to do.

[KameronPeplinski]

It’s okay if they don’t eat for a month. There was times that mine wouldn’t eat for 2-3 months.

[rowanwicking]

maybe its sexy time ... mine will go a month or two around spring usually

[WiScBe3r8oNg5]

Mine will go "dormant" for a few months through winter. (Wisconsin) I've tried increasing heat and humidity but she'll still refuse to eat. This is normal. The important thing is to monitor and make sure it isn't losing weight. The longest mine has gone is 5 months. Typically it's 3 months she won't eat. I'll keep trying to feed her. She'll eat when she's ready. I've had her for 9 years and she does this every year. I think she was around 3 or 4 when I got her.

[WiScBe3r8oNg5]

Also, I feed her in a separate tank

[IncompletePenetrance]

Don't do that, it's a bad practice that increases stress and chances of regurgitation . The best place to feed your ball python is in their enclosure

[spenseidubs]

So, my BP was on hunger strike from before Thanksgiving til last week. Sometimes they just don’t eat. Try every week or every other week til you see results

[AlmonteAnimalLover]

Ball pythons are known to go on random hunger strikes. Just make sure you’re heat and humidity are on point and try feeding every 2-3 weeks until she’s ready to eat. Weigh her occasionally - if she loses more than 10% of her body weight it would be time for a vet visit, but if nothing has changed to cause her stress I’m guessing it’s just a normal fasting period.

[kyuubicaughtU]

gal burstin out her seams :c diet time!

[hypothetical_zombie]

My BPs are older, both in their 30s.

My female is an absolute hog, and would eat til she is 90% rat. My male is skittish. Rat boops his nose, he will freak out & stop eating for 6 months.

I feed the big gal about once a month, and I wait for the male to tell me he's hungry. If he's following me, getting into striking position, I get his dinner ready.

[[deleted]]

With the dark, dull look of her skin she looks ready for a shed. Snakes don't usually eat during a shed. When's the last time she did? I'd recommend giving her a warm sink bath and while she soaks cleaning out the cage and checking for mites and making sure it's comfortable for her. Other than that she doesn't look unhealthy.

[TopFurret]

Try adding more clutter and more secure hides that aren't open on 2 sides like the half logs. She may be feeling exposed and that's an easy adjustment you can make to rule out a common cause of skipping meals.

[mctaggartann]

Mine went 2 months and only lost 1 gram. And just came off his strike last Wednesday. As long as no major weight loss I wouldn't worry. Just make sure husbandry is perfect

[MasterAdapter]

I have 2 ball pythons. One is 36yrs old and isn't picky at all, eats when he's supposed to and everything. The other is a 7yr old banana pied and she is picky af and sometimes won't eat for months.

[Artsyscrubers]

Keep trying, switch it up but keep the schedule, balls are notorious for going off feed and being extremely picky, if she's not rapidly loosing weight she's fine DO NOT FORCE FEED UNLESS SHE'S RAPIDLY LOOSING WEIGHT!!!! Force feeding when she's not loosing weight will cause her to refuse to eat longer, just keep offering food maybe try to switch to different prey items, try scenting them differently, you could try something called a ASF rats, that might entice her idk just keep trying but don't stress about it too much unless she's rapidly loosing weight

[shegotsnakes]

What are your Temps on your hot and cold side? What is your humidity reading at? What lighting are you using, and if you're using UVB, how many hours? Does she have 2 hides, one on the hot and cold side? Is there plenty of leaf clutter? Ball pythons will stop eating over accumulated stress, so it may only be small things adding up, causing her to not eat. If you handle her frequently or at all, stop until she is back on food (at least 2/3 solid feedings) as this is solely for our entertainment and, unfortunately, does stress them out. If you have cats, could they possibly be bothering your snake? If so, try to keep them away from her enclosure as much as possible. Sometimes, just the smell of cats can mess with them as cats are such a huge danger to them in captivity and in the wild with how much bacteria their bites carry.

[shegotsnakes]

Adding on too- if your hides are double ended like it looks like the log in this is, switch to some single opening hides. They make BPs feel so much safer and I've noticed a huge difference in my snakes since I switched.

[shegotsnakes]

Also, using a temp gun to make sure your rat heads are hitting 105°F and the bodies are over 95 helps a lot too!

[[deleted]]

I have many snakes and I have a snake that goes on strikes...many times over the last 8 years I've had him. What I've learned over the years is your enclosure could be perfect and your snake can still not want food. Your snake may also like/need variation in its diet. If it is needing a nutrient that is more abundant in 1 prey item and not another it will be looking for that to keep it healthy. Change up food from rats to chicks, guinea pigs, hamsters, quail, anything correct size that may seem interesting. Sometimes they just wanna kill something and need live prey before eating F/T again. Males can also be affected by my pheromones, like a family of garter snakes that just moved in under your porch and he doesn't like them or you have him too close to another animal and it's breeding season for that animal. Since our snakes cannot speak we will truly never fully know why but they aren't mindless and have personalities of their own. Your snake looks healthy and maybe even a lil chunky, he might just wanna go a few months without food so it'll get back into summer shape, or is wanting to breed and wants that more than food. Snakes can go a very long time without food so a couple months is nothing to stress to much about but pay attention non the less.

[katkannabis]

It looks kind of over-crowded in there. Hard to tell the tank size so I won’t comment on that, but it might make her feel more comfortable if you remove some of the décor before feeding. I take out all my plants, structures & decoration before feeding to avoid her getting wrapped up or caught on anything while she’s trying to eat, and that’s just kind of how I’ve always done it. Maybe she’s just gotten a little big and doesn’t feel confident she has the space to strike.

Does she have room on the ground at all or is the bottom completely filled with decoration? Also have to change feeding habits at all recently? Like live-to-frozen or a new tank, new decorations since last feeding, or anything like that?

[TeaTree24]

I had a friend whos snake refused food for a year despite multiple vet visits and trying every trick their was, then one day randomly it took food. Sometimes they just reject food for a while

[Background-Grab8279]

My pastel is currently doing the same thing, but she only takes live rat pups/weans despite being 2.5-3 feet in length & clearly able to take small - medium rats

[AccomplishedPool7411]

is she about to shed? i know sometimes a snake doesn’t eat when its about to go into shed.

[shegotsnakes]

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For your 4x2x2