2006-12-12 01:47:30 · 17 answers · asked by lorna a 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Has your snake ever eaten? Did you get it from a pet store? Most Ball Pythons from pet stores are imported from Africa where they were hatched in captivity. They usually come across with both internal and external parasites. If your snake has internal parasites, then he will need to be treated first before his appetite comes back.
If he had been eating and is healthy, then there might be a problem with his setup. He should have a small cage, two small hides, a temperature gradient from the low 80s to the low 90s 24 hours a day, and fresh water. You also shouldn't handle him at all until he eats a few times.
If he has eaten in the past, find out what he ate. Ball Pythons are imprint feeders, so they will eat what they are used to. If he hasn't eaten before, your best bet would be to feed him a live hopper mouse or rat pup. Place it in his cage right after dusk and leave it with him in a dark room for a couple of hours. This should only be done when he is small and eating small prey items. If you feed him live mice or rats when he is bigger, the larger prey has the potential to bite him so you shouldn't keep them in his cage for longer than 10-15 minutes and he should be supervised during that time.
One last thing... adult snakes can go many many months without eating. However baby snakes will not be able to go longer than a couple of months and will need to be force or assist fed. However that should be a last resort as force feeding is extremely stressful to a snake and it should only be done by someone experienced.
Good luck, and feel free to email me if you have any more questions.
2006-12-12 02:53:07 · answer #1 · answered by xyz_gd 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What on earth is "sluffing?" Lmao!
Don't try and feed any more than once a week, any more than this and he may be too stressed to eat. Make sure the mouse is warm before offering it, and if you're not squeamish, cut it open down the back (DEAD mouse only!) as the blood smell attracts the snake. Then, leave the snake overnight in a DARK container with the mouse. Do not be tempted to peak until morning.
In the meantime, don't handle the snake. You want to minimise stress as much as possible.
2006-12-12 02:09:22 · answer #2 · answered by Jason 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I wouldn't worry because when Winter rolls around they don't really feel like eating. Now I have a question for you, has your snake gone to the bathroom?? If so give him another week and try again. But I would wait to feed him until they poop, you don't want to back them up and trust me you can do that to them. It maybe also that he is about to shed.
My Boa right now is in the stage of not eating ... he hasn't ate in about 5 weeks ... also he hasn't pooped either which is what happened last year and the year before. It's a hibernating thing for animals. the last meal they ate they save and as soon as you see them go to the bathroom give them a couple of days and feed it.
My baby Ball is getting to the stage where he isn't going to eat for a while. He ate last week but didn't really seem interested in the food just ate because it was there. My snakes usually go to the bathroom about 4-7 days after they eat and my Baby Ball hasn't gone yet also he is just balled up in the corner of the tank like he doesn't want to be borthered with.
I'm telling you not to worry until it gets a bit warmer outside (I live in Tx so we don't have a major winter) they sense the Winter as well and you and I. Unless you that concerned find a vet that deals with reptiles and get him checked out.
If you have any other questions feel free to email me.
2006-12-12 07:01:40 · answer #3 · answered by nchabowski 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If its less than a yr once a wk on a rat or small mouse, after that it should be every two wks. You may have over fed it and with no exercise its not want no more. Check you cage temp too it needs to be in the 80,s or 90,s as this could effect it
2006-12-15 12:03:52 · answer #4 · answered by lunastar 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
snakes are normally fed once a week and only eat mice and rats but can be fed hamsters. he might also need a bigger vivarium or is going into hibernation. if you want more info on pythons and caring for them then go onto google and type in "pythons" or you could type in " caring for pythons" as going on google will bring up some websites which should help you.
2006-12-12 06:18:32 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Don't snakes only eat once every 1 or 2 weeks? You should check with a veterinarian or the pet store you bought it from.
2006-12-12 02:04:59 · answer #6 · answered by Simmy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello what was you feeding him before this happened?. most neonates like pinky mice or fuzzy and then up from there. small mice etc. don`t leave the food or pray in the pen with the snake a rodent can hurt a snake.
2006-12-12 11:06:50 · answer #7 · answered by beatle 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
xyz_gd has given you the right answer, I'd also add take the snake to a specialist vet for a check up, check it doesn't have canker, check the tank is the correct temp, check it doesn't have Vit D deficiency and dont try to force feed it yourself if you've never done it. If you damage his mouth you'll give him canker.
2006-12-12 03:17:57 · answer #8 · answered by sarah c 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pythons will eat one meal then wont eat for a couple weeks because a snakes digestive system is so slow that it takes weeks to digest everything that they eat
2006-12-15 01:43:26 · answer #9 · answered by dinosaurman1234 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
every 3-4 days is best because it is a small reptile and needs to eat to grow. is the enclosure warm enough also try warming the mouse up slightly and moving it about because if it is a wild caught snake it wont eat anything that is dead. check to see if they eyes seem cloudy because if they are them it could be shedding in which case it might be best left alone because it wont be in the best mood at all and could bite.
2006-12-13 02:00:12 · answer #10 · answered by the don 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋