royal python not eating

[Miket20]

i've had a bci for 3 years now never missed a feed, i bought a royal python about 3 months ago was eating fine the the first couple of months now decided not to eat for the last month, hes only about 6 months old so a bit concerned he has lost his appetite at such an early stage. been feeding small mice all the time, not handled excessively, everything has remained the same since day one. will strike but then loses interest any advice would be appreciated or feeding techniques that have worked for u.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[ChicagoCubs22]

well first of all for a 6 month old BP its about time to switch to Rats. They carry more nutrition and will help your BP to grow better. Not to mention skipping to f/t rats is a very good idea also, to make him free from injury when hes an adult...

Just make sure the temps and the humidity are normal, he should come around soon. Also look for shed skin in his enclosure, they will reject food once they go into shed

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

	Frozen/Thawed A rodent or other prey item that is frozen and then thawed to be fed to a reptile or other animal.

[lethargiic]

1. what do you mean by feeding small mice and striking? are you using live or F/t?
switch to f/t rats...if he's 6mos you want to go to rat pups. never feed live..that's rule numero uno.

2. what are the exact temps and humidity of the viv?

3. how long exactly has he gone off feed? If its only been 3 or 4 weeks don't stress too much. Just make sure that you dont handle you snakes before you feed just get him into his feeding tub and let him be. because once you start playing they're not going to care about eatting.

4. Just keep trying to feed him once every 7 days. If you have to leave the f/t pup in there with him overnight. sometimes snakes like their privacy.

We had a 2 month old ball go off feed for almost a month before he decided to eat. and once he got establish he's been eatting fine. unless the snake starts to lose significant weight there should be no real cause for concern.

	Frozen/Thawed A rodent or other prey item that is frozen and then thawed to be fed to a reptile or other animal.

[SoberGuy]

OK, first, look here: http://redtailboa.net/modules.php?na...rticle&artid=5

Probably some good info for you. Also, here: http://www.anapsid.org/ball.html

Since ol' Julius will respond sooner or later, why can't we get a sticky on bp's going off feed? Seems too popular a question to not have a sticky....

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

[PythonGuy24]

Ball Pythons not eating, Never heard of that....NOT. Don't worry BPs always fast so as long as they keep a decent body weight. Don't worry.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

[Miket20]

chigacoCubs22 how patronising do u wanna get of course its f/t and looking for shed skin i've kept snakes for 10 years had corns when i was a kid obviously didnt read the ?
im just not experienced with royal pythons temps and humidity are spot on i design my own vivs i was looking for a constructive answer not a load of idiots quoting lines from royal python manuals cheers for your advice lethargiic u seem to know what u talking about i think rats or mice is an open debate as well i've heard mice r better for younger snakes due to a higher calcium level and rats r better nutrion wise he wont touch rats at the mo anyway although i am looking to move him on to them at some stage in the future

[PythonGuy24]

I hrar ya. That bugs me too. Balls need heat at a basking spot of 86-88, and a cool side of 82ish. The key thing with balls is hides. They are very timid (if you haven't already found that out with yours) rats are better in the way that they have bigger bones so they get more calcium.

[Miket20]

cheers PythonGuy24 mines pretty bold actually never seems nervous when held i know u can't really tell and he always crusises around his viv in the evening i've got 2 hides in there one at the cold and hot end which r a perfect size nice and tight i did try when i got him on rats but he wouldn't take them might have to try the scenting technique but prefer to get a few meals in him first before i start messing around, but maybe varying his diet might stimulate his appettite?, i get a bit #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& off with people giving u the same old lines when ever u post a ?, knowledge is one thing experience is another and thats what im after peoples experience not what they read in a book. I have all those books!!!

[LdyDrgn]

Mike, rats have have a higher calcium to phospherous ratio, meaning the calcium is more easily absorbed. Mice may have more calcium, but they have a lower ratio meaning the majority of calcium is not being absorbed well. Rats are indeed healthier for snakes.

You say temps and humidity levels are spot on. What exactly are they? How large is the enclosure and how is it set up? BP's are notoriously finicky and if one little thing is off they stop eating, lol. It's also amusing (I find) that the more you panic about them, the worse it gets. I have a friend that sticks them in a rack with aspen and a water bowl and they eat like pigs. Go figure! LOL

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

[Miket20]

hi ldy drgn i've a couple of pics of my setup see what u think, humidity stays between 50-60% temps are 92f hot spot 82f cool side measured with a digital thermometer and a slight drop of about 5 degrees at night when the light is off. i am getting a shield for the light as well now hes getting bigger he can reach to top. two hides at both ends and water bowl in the cool end. Thanks for clearing up the about mice or rats everyone tells u different. 12 hour light cycle and very stress free environment very little noise, my house is situated in a quiet area. im not panicking yet just thought i'd ask see if anyone had any techniques that had worked for them but it seems persistance is the key.

[LdyDrgn]

Persistance and PATIENCE! Don't really worry unless he starts to noticably lose weight. Until then keep offering food about every two weeks. Once he eats again you can go back to every 7 days... basically just don't want to stress him out as much as possible.

Sometimes they won't eat if slightly too hot or too cold. You might want to get the temps lowered to 88 warm side, 78 cool side. It's surprising what a few degrees will accomplish sometimes.

Good luck

[herp_chick]

I keep mine in rubbermaid totes, which is similar to racks, on aspen with a water bowl and hides. Never had one go off. They are very picky, though, and what works for some just doesn't work for others. I keep mine at the exact same temps as you posted and always have good sheds also. Humidity stays great in those rubbermaids. As for eating, I would also go to rats, as I usually start them on rat pinks. Here's a trick. I have one who, if I show him his food, won't eat it. I feed f/t, by the way. What I do with him is, I just take him out of his tote, put newspaper under his hide on the warm side, put the rat in the hide, put the snake back in and close him up. He finds it on his own and it's always gone by morning. Yeah, he's weird, but it works and he eats. Good Luck!

	Frozen/Thawed A rodent or other prey item that is frozen and then thawed to be fed to a reptile or other animal.