Why won't my Ball Python eat?

Question

i usually feed him every week and he won't eat today?

it been a week and he usually eats and now he isn't.

Ok i just did find out that someone turned down the temp thing is his cage so it was lil colder then usual in there, and he is also about one year old. The last time he ate was a week ago.

Answer 1

1 week is nothing to worry about especially if hes been eating well, snakes dont defecate after every feeding they make use of 99% of their rodent the only thing not digested is the fur, so it is not unusual to only get one defecation per month, the white chalky stuff is actually their urate and they will urate more than defecate. it is more than likely going into a shed cycle you will see his eyes go cloudy soon and his scales should look dull, after his eyes go clear he will shed in about a week, his shed should be one piece if it is not your humidity may be off or he has nothing to scratch against

Answer 2

There can be a lot of reasons that a snake won't eat. For me to really have a good idea, I need to know some history. How long have you had him? How old is he? When did he last deficate? What are you feeding him? When did he shed last?

Most ball pythons are not hearty eaters which is one reason they don't make great starter snakes.
There are a few reasons that a snake won't eat.
A lot of snakes won't eat if they are about to shed. They can also have times that they are just not hungry, maybe because they are full. Make sure that his environment is hot (~85 - 90 degrees) during the day and no lower than 72-75 degrees at night. Soaking a snake in warm water can help with digestion and can also help with shedding. A few ways to tell if he is about to shed is a bluish or dullness hue to their skin, cloudy eyes, he may seem a little irritable. Snakes should shed in one complete shed and if they don't, this could be a sign of some health problem.

If he hasn't had a bowel movement since the last feeding, then I would wait and not worry too much about him not eating. Soaking him will help him go to the bathroom, and then after he has had a bowel movement, he will probably be ready to eat.

Hope this helps some.

Answer 3

there can be many reasons. stress, climate(temp and humidity), not feeling secure, or you might just have a stubborn python, or it could be something wrong with the food. make sure the basking spot in you tank is 92-95 hot end in the 89-92 range and cool end in the 80-85 range and humidity at 60-65 percent and. also he could just not be hungry. good luck

Answer 4

well he is coming out of hibernation and they won't eat right away. they can go almost 2 yrs without eating, so don't be alarmed. i have 2 of them and it has been around 7months since mine ate. when it is colder they won't eat but once the weather gets warmer they will eat like theres no tomarrow. you need to warm them up now and let him get warm and then try to feed. the warmer they are the more they will eat and the colder they are, the less they will eat. no need to worry about him he is fine as long as he drinks water he is fine. mine are going through this right now so don't worry yourself to death about this. just try to feed him in a couple of days.good luck

Answer 5

He may not be ready to eat. or he sences something is wrong with the food you're trying to give him ( mouse or whatever you're trying to feed him) I would wait and try again for 1-2 days then if he still won't eat, call the Vet and see what he has to say. If he is acting strange or like he may be sick, I would call ASAP.
Lisa

Answer 6

ball pythons are known to be tricky to feed, just wait a bit, and try like 10 minutes later. If he doesn't try the next day.

Answer 7

if it is cold in the tank it will refuse food, if it is in a pre-shed stage (they go into this 4 days before shedding) then it will also refuse food.

Answer 8

Hybernation/Burmation. It happens pretty much yearly. He probably won't eat for the next week or two.

Answer 9

he/she is prob. to cold or is stressed out.

Answer 10

not hungry! duh