5 of 8 Snakes have stopped eating

Hello

I have 2 sub adult ball pythons, one of which would eat very very well but has suddenly stopped, the other won't eat either. I have 3 corn snakes, an adult who still eats very well, 2 juveniles on of which stopped eating recently and had been a very good eater the other was always a poor eater and now has stopped. I have an adult NJ Pine snake who was an aggressive eater suddenly stopped. My adult black pine snake, pacific gopher, and adult corn snake are eating fine so far. I take very very good care of my snakes, they are in large aquariums, with heat controllers and emitters, they are all on coconut bark substrate and misted every other day. The snakes stopped eating almost in the order that I obtained them, after about 6 to 10 months, except for the female NJ pine snake that stopped as soon as the male black pine was added to the room. I NEED HELP one of my ball python is starting to show weight lost. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGETIONS or HAS HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. IS IT SUBSTRATE PROBLEM ????? TEMP ????

Your help would greatly be appreciated,

Joe Cucchisi

Originally Posted by joseph@cucchisi.com

Hello

I have 2 sub adult ball pythons, one of which would eat very very well but has suddenly stopped, the other won't eat either. I have 3 corn snakes, an adult who still eats very well, 2 juveniles on of which stopped eating recently and had been a very good eater the other was always a poor eater and now has stopped. I have an adult NJ Pine snake who was an aggressive eater suddenly stopped. My adult black pine snake, pacific gopher, and adult corn snake are eating fine so far. I take very very good care of my snakes, they are in large aquariums, with heat controllers and emitters, they are all on coconut bark substrate and misted every other day. The snakes stopped eating almost in the order that I obtained them, after about 6 to 10 months, except for the female NJ pine snake that stopped as soon as the male black pine was added to the room. I NEED HELP one of my ball python is starting to show weight lost. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGETIONS or HAS HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. IS IT SUBSTRATE PROBLEM ????? TEMP ????

Your help would greatly be appreciated,

Joe Cucchisi

1) how long has the anorexia lasted... in which snake.

2) do you feed live or frozen?

3) what are your temps?

4) what substrate are you using?

i suggest weighing them every week. keeping a close eye on any changes.

also offer food as normally... eventually they will eat again, if their health is in good shape.

a possibility is that one of your snakes has parasites and some kind of cross contamination is occurring... parasites can be transmitted from fecal oral exposure... such as dirty water bowls. a parasite load can cause a snake to stop eating... this could be life threatening if not treated.

... so you might want to be checking some snake poo.

keeping a record on the amount of weight loss and the rate at which it is lost can be usefull in finding out the cause.

i know ball pythons will naturally stop eating on their own... I'm not sure exactly why... maybe breeding behavior, some kind of ?hibernation?, or possibly a result of stress - either from a health related cause or environmental.

with my snakes, i have witnessed a kind of chain reaction during breeding season. once pheromones start being released it creates excitement in snakes that are near by and they stop eating. i cant say that this is fact... but something i have witness... maybe something else is going on that i am not aware of.

anorexia is common in snakes... i feel that people actually over feed in some way. these animals usually only eat once or twice in a month in the wild, unless of course they are very good predators.

so check for parasites... weigh, and keep trying to feed. i'm sure they will eventually come around.

also... if the temps arent right your snakes will never eat.

The smaller sub adult python(female 2 1/2 ft), went weeks then ate for 3 or4 weeks and now as not eaten for 3 or 4 weeks again. The larger python(female,always a great eater) stopped about 3 weeks ago. The small corn snake(male 18inches), never a great eater stopped about 4 or 5 weeks ago, the other, which was good eater and growing (male about 24 inches), about 2 weeks ago. The Northern pine snake,(female 5 1/2ft) a great eater, stopped about 2 weeks ago, the same time I introduced the Black pine (male about 5 ft.) and the Pacific gopher(male 3 ft) I use coconut bark,which I screen to remove the dust etc) pythons, about 85-88 on one side of their tanks, the others about 80-82 degrees, I use emitters and controllers, and also under tank heat pads with rheostats, they all eat F/T. I don't get a great heat gradient maybe 3-5 degrees on a good day.

The only one that is showing any signs of aneroxia is the smaller ball python whose skin is now somewhat loose around her body. the others show no sign of any illness, and will come out and climb their branch etc. The female Northern pine has been very agitated since the introduction of the Black pine (male) and he smaller Pacific gopher snake so I think that explains the Northern pine not eating.

I keep these cages and bowls extra extra very very clean and they are all in seperate aquariums, I try to feed them once a week.

I really appreciate your answering my post,

Should I be panicking yet ??????

Thanks,

Joe Cucchisi

Originally Posted by joseph@cucchisi.com

The smaller sub adult python(female 2 1/2 ft), went weeks then ate for 3 or4 weeks and now as not eaten for 3 or 4 weeks again. The larger python(female,always a great eater) stopped about 3 weeks ago. The small corn snake(male 18inches), never a great eater stopped about 4 or 5 weeks ago, the other, which was good eater and growing (male about 24 inches), about 2 weeks ago. The Northern pine snake,(female 5 1/2ft) a great eater, stopped about 2 weeks ago, the same time I introduced the Black pine (male about 5 ft.) and the Pacific gopher(male 3 ft) I use coconut bark,which I screen to remove the dust etc) pythons, about 85-88 on one side of their tanks, the others about 80-82 degrees, I use emitters and controllers, and also under tank heat pads with rheostats, they all eat F/T. I don't get a great heat gradient maybe 3-5 degrees on a good day.

The only one that is showing any signs of aneroxia is the smaller ball python whose skin is now somewhat loose around her body. the others show no sign of any illness, and will come out and climb their branch etc. The female Northern pine has been very agitated since the introduction of the Black pine (male) and he smaller Pacific gopher snake so I think that explains the Northern pine not eating.

I keep these cages and bowls extra extra very very clean and they are all in seperate aquariums, I try to feed them once a week.

I really appreciate your answering my post,

Should I be panicking yet ??????

Thanks,

Joe Cucchisi

i wouldnt panic just yet... i have heard of ball pythons going off feed for a year with no serious problems... ball pythons are known to mysteriously stop eating. just monitor their weight so you have a good idea of what is going on with them... for example, if your ball loses 400g in a month then take it to a vet ASAP. this much weight loss could indicate parasites.

is the ball python wild caught?

i would try and provide more of a temperature gradient too... most snakes need temps in the 90's to get good blood flow for digestion. maybe they were doing fine with it then but now it is catching up with them. try to give a hot spot as well as a cool spot. temperature in reptiles has a big influence on the chemistry of digestion. if the proper temperature gradients are'nt provided they simply cannot digest food.

good luck.