we have offerd him a mouse over a dozen times he hasnt eatin in over 2 1/2 weeks
2006-10-12 14:37:53 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
ewwwwwwwwww......... I thought they only ate like once a month. yucky, get rid of it.
2006-10-12 14:48:23 · answer #1 · answered by crissy 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Ball pythons sometimes go off their feed in the colder months. I've had mine for three years, and although he eats happily once a week for the rest of the year, for the past two years, he's gone off his feed for at least three months in the winter. It worried me at first, but I did a little research and realized that it's fairly common, and he always starts back up again after a bit.
Have you had him for a long time? Has he eaten before, and just recently stopped, or did you just get him? If you're feeding him live, try pre-killed. If you're feeding pre-killed, try live (make sure to monitor them carefully to make sure the mouse doesn't harm the snake.) If you just got him, try to find out what he was eating before you got him. Balls can get very set in their ways, and will often refuse a new type of food item if it isn't what they're used to.
Make sure that his cage is warm enough, (88-92 degree basking spot and 78-80 for the rest of the cage... everyone has different ideas about these temperatures, but make sure they're somewhere in this range) and make sure he has plenty of places to hide. If he doesn't, he might feel stressed, as balls love to hide, and they will for most of the day if allowed. Stress can play an important factor in whether a snake eats or not.
But, if all of these conditions are met, and he's still not eating, don't worry about him. Make sure to offer him something every couple of weeks, but don't lose sleep over it. If he wants the food, he'll eat it. Chances are, he'll start eating again one day out of the blue for no reason at all. That's what mine always does.
Hope this helps... best of luck! He'll be fine!
2006-10-13 06:46:06 · answer #2 · answered by xxandra 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ball pythons are known for being picky eaters. It could be that yours is too cool, humidity is off, he is getting ready to shed or he is stressed.
If the cage temps are correct and everything else is good then he is probably just not hungry right now.Just make sure he has a clean cage and fresh water.
Also, you are offering food too often.
If a ball does not eat when food is offered, take it away and do not offer again for 7 days. If you keep trying to feed it will stress him out even more and he will continue to refuse.
Hope that helps.
2006-10-13 10:21:44 · answer #3 · answered by Jen 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no need to worry about it. they are known to go almost 2 yrs without eating. i have 2 of them and the longest they went with out eating was about 1 1/2yrs. all you can do is make sure that they have water and keep offering them the food. how big are they? and if they are bigger then an adult mouse then you need to move up to small rats. sometimes if the food is to small they will not eat til they get the right size food. some times they will not eat live and sometimes they have to have live. but again as long as they have water and that you keep trying to offer them the food they will be fine. also make sure that you keep them warm too because the heat has a role in their eating pattern. during the winter keep them at about 86-90 and during the summer keep them at about 84-86. the warmer they are the more active they will be and they will want to eat. mine do this every summer and every winter so bring the temp up and try to feed them when they are warm and see what will happn. good luck
2006-10-12 23:52:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Hello I had a ball phython myself, same thing happened to mine scarey but i took it to a reptile shop and the dud ck it out and we found it had a tapeworm, he wouldnt eat for me either he would look over at the mouse and thats was it the mouse will start knibbleing on him so make sure you remove the mouse within 15 min tops.. They can treat your snake no problem they insert a tube with the medicine into the mouth and in 2 days it comes out it was strange to see it but after that he ate just fine!!!!!!
2006-10-16 14:35:46 · answer #5 · answered by harleybabepisces 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Snakes sometimes go long periods without eating. Instead of just relying on people here who may not really know, I'd suggest you contact a reputable breeder or even simply type in the name and read up on them.
2006-10-12 22:34:24 · answer #6 · answered by wolfmusic 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well does it's eyes look funny or did they about 5 days ago cause that may mean he is about to shed
2006-10-13 09:44:37 · answer #7 · answered by ani marie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is about to shead....so it wont eat untill it sheds...
2006-10-13 22:17:50 · answer #8 · answered by Owlsinthenight 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋