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hasn't eaten in a month

Papa Wyrm

Papa Wyrm

Snake Herder
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I have a .1 lesser het for pied, and she hasn't eaten in over a month. I'm beginning to get worried. she has gone from 514 grams on the 11th of sept. to about 490 when i weighed her yesterday.
I feed disarmed live rats, but i've tried adult mice with her and fk rats, around 50 grams.
she has a hide.
temps are good, 90 hot side and 77 to 83 cool side depending on where the temp gun hits the bedding.
using cypress mulch bedding.
As i have posted before, she has a scratched eye scale that i think happened during delivery, she shed on the way and i think maybe the bag beat up the newly shed scale.
should i be bathing her or somthing to try and keep her hydrated?
she is alert, but getting a little more jumpy as i haven't handled her near as much as my other lil gems.
from all i've gathered, balls are notorious for this, but i'm just wondering if there's anything i can be doing to keep her liquids up or maybe jump start her to eating again.
little brat...
 
Thats ball pythons

A month isnt nothing get use to it they all go off feed sometime during the year if ur husbantry is right just try every week,by the way whats a disarmed rat?? LOL
 
Papa Wyrm said:
snip its bottom teeth out with toe nail clippers...no damage to snakes, and if done right no bloody rat.
Click to expand...

Oh...wow.....that just makes my entire body shudder with revulsion. Seriously, that is one of the most inhumane ways I have ever heard of to keep a rat from hurting a snake. I'm still shuddering....

But trying to put that aside....here are the most common reasons why a ball python won't eat:

Lack of Security -- No hides, or hides that are too large or exposed (ie: half logs). They prefer dark, tight hides they barely fit into. Also, if the enclosure is too large, or too open (glass) or in a high traffic area with a lot of loud noise or movement. Another snake in the same enclosure can also cause serious security issues.

Over Handling -- Frequent intrusions into the enclosure, changes to the enclosure, and/or long frequent handling sessions can cause a shy snake to feel vulnerable and refuse to eat.

Improper Temps -- Temps that are too high or too low, or temps that fluctuate too much. Make sure you have an accurate and consistent read on your temps.

Improper Lighting -- Bright white lights shining directly into the enclosure, or 24 hour lighting can cause stress. Make sure there is some sort of day/night cycle.

Offering New Prey -- Changing prey species (ie: mice to rats) or methods (ie: live to f/t) can cause refusal. Such changes can be made, but may require patience and persistence.

Improper Offering of Prey -- Offering prey too frequently can do more harm than good. If a snake refuses, do not attempt to feed again for a week. Also, changing environments by moving to a feeding-box or removing hides and "furniture" can cause refusal in these shy snakes.

Prey Too Large -- Too large an item may intimidate a snake and cause refusal, or even a regurgitation if it is eaten. Also, if a ball python has eaten large meals in the past, it can cause a sudden an indefinite period of fasting.

Mites -- An external parasite common to snakes that must be treated and eradicated. A product called Provent-a-Mite (P.A.M.) is the safest and most effective method.

Seasonal -- Sexually mature ball pythons may fast for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months during their mating season (typically anywhere from late fall to early spring) especially if a sexually mature snake of the opposite sex is in close proximity.

Illness -- If all other possible reasons are eliminated, a vet check may be in order to look for internal parasites, as well as possible infections to the skin, scales, mouth or respiratory system.
 
Jeremy. I wouldn't worry until it's been months. We have balls go off feed all the time (funny its usually the subadults that do this). Knowing that she is off feed though be careful leaving untended rats with her, disarmed or not, the stress won't be good for her. This is the first time I have heard of disarming a rat. You may also want to try leaving a fresh dead rat with her overnight in the dark and see if that works. Good luck and like I said don't worry too much.

Kenneth
 
thanks all for the reassurance, i figured as much, but it sure is alarming the first time actually seeing one fast like that lol.
theres a guy on another forum that described in great detail about disarming the rats, and has done it for decades. the rats don't even react if done right, takes seconds, and it saves having to deal with wounds on the snake, i never leave em unattended whether they are disarmed or not.
I did try leaving a fresh killed in there for her to no availe, but i have been pretty pushy. i'll definately wait a full week before trying again.
 
I definitely wouldn't worry yet...I have a male who is off feed for months every season...

As for disarming rats...I've never done it. But I used to breed gerbils as a kid...I had one that I kept as a pet...I had to trim his teeth every few weeks b/c he had jaw issues. It really was no big deal. The vet showed us how to do it and told us to trim them short since they grew fast. I imagine rats' teeth are like gerbils' teeth, so it may not be that bad...
 
FireStorm said:
As for disarming rats...I've never done it. But I used to breed gerbils as a kid...I had one that I kept as a pet...I had to trim his teeth every few weeks b/c he had jaw issues. It really was no big deal. The vet showed us how to do it and told us to trim them short since they grew fast. I imagine rats' teeth are like gerbils' teeth, so it may not be that bad...
Click to expand...
thats just it lol, i had one i trimmed and the snakes all turned there noses up ( now i know why they are called royal pythons...) so i put it back in the bin. a week laster its teeth were like half way back to full size.
 
I don't know the physiology of rat teeth...and maybe they don't have the same kinds of nerve connections to their teeth that we do. I just know when I read that, I immediately had the image of someone coming at MY teeth with giant clippers. Can you imagine YOUR teeth being cut off with giant metal clippers? ~shudders again~ Ewww!

If they really don't have the same nerve structure and would not feel that kind of pain, then I imagine it's fine. But I have no idea and would not personally try it unless I was VERY sure of that fact.
 
JudyC said:
I don't know the physiology of rat teeth...and maybe they don't have the same kinds of nerve connections to their teeth that we do. I just know when I read that, I immediately had the image of someone coming at MY teeth with giant clippers. Can you imagine YOUR teeth being cut off with giant metal clippers? ~shudders again~ Ewww!

If they really don't have the same nerve structure and would not feel that kind of pain, then I imagine it's fine. But I have no idea and would not personally try it unless I was VERY sure of that fact.
Click to expand...


I am very sure that gerbil teeth don't have nerve endings...decided to look up info on rats just for the heck of it. Here's what I found on a rat fanciers site:

Rat teeth don't contain nerves, so trimming them is painless. However, it isn't unusual for the gums to bleed slightly after the teeth are trimmed, especially when trimming bottom teeth, due to the pressure applied to the tooth. Overgrown teeth will need to be trimmed every 1-3 weeks, depending on the type and severity of the problem. Lower teeth grow 2.8mm per week, and uppers 2.1mm per week. So in a month, they can grow up to 1/2" too long! The teeth should be trimmed whenever it looks like they're long enough to rub a sore or cause difficulty eating.

Here's the link:
http://www.ratfanclub.org/teeth.html

Hope this helps,
Shelly
 
FireStorm said:
I am very sure that gerbil teeth don't have nerve endings...decided to look up info on rats just for the heck of it. Here's what I found on a rat fanciers site:

Rat teeth don't contain nerves, so trimming them is painless. However, it isn't unusual for the gums to bleed slightly after the teeth are trimmed, especially when trimming bottom teeth, due to the pressure applied to the tooth. Overgrown teeth will need to be trimmed every 1-3 weeks, depending on the type and severity of the problem. Lower teeth grow 2.8mm per week, and uppers 2.1mm per week. So in a month, they can grow up to 1/2" too long! The teeth should be trimmed whenever it looks like they're long enough to rub a sore or cause difficulty eating.

Here's the link:
http://www.ratfanclub.org/teeth.html

Hope this helps,
Shelly
Click to expand...

:iagree:
and when i put the one i trimmed back in the tub(the rat tub, not the snake tub lol) it didn't have any problems eating, cause when i did finally feed it off it had gained like 5 or 6 grams.
 
FireStorm said:
Here's the link:
http://www.ratfanclub.org/teeth.html

Hope this helps,
Shelly
Click to expand...

Yep...that helps a lot. I probably still wouldn't ever do it myself...but I'm just squeamish that way...I can hardly stand my own kids' baby teeth that my husband has saved. LOL It is a comfort to know that such a procedure doesn't cause unnecessary pain. :)
 
JudyC said:
Yep...that helps a lot. I probably still wouldn't ever do it myself...but I'm just squeamish that way...I can hardly stand my own kids' baby teeth that my husband has saved. LOL It is a comfort to know that such a procedure doesn't cause unnecessary pain. :)
Click to expand...

Yes, it makes me shudder too, lol! But like they said, if done right it's fine. Same goes for other rodents, and even rabbits (although they are not rodents!). If you clip them incorrectly though they can split down to the gum which can be painful - so make sure you know what you're doing if you decide to.
 
I bought a snake one time at a show and she didn't eat for 7 months after I got her. She was about 1600 grams when I got her and maybe 1300 when she finally ate. Just make sure she has water and minimal stress. Just as long as she still lokks healthy, no ribs showing or anything, she should be fine.
Good luck! That's a fine snake!
 
She finally ate woot woot!! I was gonna take some pics, but the last thing i wanted was her to shy away after her little fast. i just looked in her cage to make sure she actually ate it and she was lookin at me like i'm next lol.
I think i better wait for a week before i try to feed her again. i gave her a smaller(40 g) rat, so i think i may try to up the size a bit next time. wada you guys think? good idea or stick with the smaller ones and maybe offer one a few days later if she's still lookin like she's hungry??
 
I'd stay with the smaller sized rats. It may be that she just more comfortable with that. You may need to offer her a second one if she is still looking around for more after finishing the first. If you do offer her a second one, I'd take it out right away if she doesn't strike immediately. Glad she ate for you. Crazy how good that feels, isn't it?!
 
Congrats!!

Totally agree with Maki and Bob. My diva (albino female) will only take smaller light colored rats. Weird buggers!

Short story, waay back when normal breeding size females were expensive, I bought one for a bit over $600. Darn girl didn't eat for 11 months. After losing almost half her body weight, I tube fed her a couple times and then she finally started eating 4-5 mice regularly. I can't seem to breed mice and they are $2 each locally, so I sold her to someone that could deal with her live mouse feedings. Of course the normal market was much lower when I sold her.
 
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