Authored by Todd Cornwell Unique Birthday Party Parties for Kids & Reptile Rescue
The Anorexic Ball Python Myth
“My ball python is refusing food, what can I do?”
I own a reptile rescue, so I get this question all the time.
Ball Python (Python regius)
First off, don’t fret. Ball Pythons (Python regius) are notorious ‘binge’ eaters, seeming to stop eating at a moments notice. Let’s delve into some of the issues. The male/female feeding response can be different, so your response needs to be adjustable.
Common Ball Python Feeding Problems
The biggest feeding problem in both sexes of ball pythons is change
- Change the substrate, “I’m not eating”.
- Change the lighting, “I’m not eating”.
- Change the enclosure size, “I’m not eating”.
- Change the…you get the point
Change is scary, and scary means don’t eat. A snake with an empty stomach can move a lot faster than a snake with a full stomach, so if you might need to get away, you don’t eat.
Males tend to go off feed in the winter. During the breeding season, ‘I might need to chase down that woman to get my groove on.’
Relax, typically come March or April, he’ll be chowing down his dinner again.
Females tend to be a little more tricky. There are several off feed type of problems.
1000 Gram Female Wall in Ball Pythons
Captive Ball Pythons will sometimes curl into a defensive ball which is where they get one of their common names.
Right about 1000 gms, a lot of females go through ‘puberty’(not really, but it’s my example), and start worrying about their makeup. They want to look slim for the boys, in reality, no one I’ve talked to knows why, but a lot of females, sometimes can take a couple of months to break through this “wall”, some will eat irregular, some not at all for a few months. (Female Python regius can breed at 1200 grams in captivity.)
“The trick is their weight, if they aren’t losing significant weight, do not worry.”
Some ball pythons just stop eating, the record I heard was eighteen months! I can attest personally to them going over a year. Just tonight, I had a rescue, who I picked up a year ago, because she hadn’t eaten in months, finally ate. So fourteen to fifteen months or more, with no significant weight loss. I also had a baby, go for 10 months without eating, she went from 305 gms down to 295 gms, over that time frame.
Ball pythons have a completely different set of needs than most animals. They seem to burn less energy, so need less intake than other snakes.
Breeding Ball Pythons
Breeding is the other issue, when carrying eggs, once they get a certain size, the eggs leave very little room for food, and in the wild, they do without. They stop eating thirty or more days before laying eggs, and then will incubate the eggs for 60-80 days (depending on the weather). So that’s 3-4 months, and how they are designed. So the occasional cleansing fast, really does no harm.
Tricks and Tips for Ball Python Feeding
A few tricks though, if you experience the refusal.
If you can figure out why, it makes it easier,
If you changed the enclosure, change it back, or just give them time to get used to it.
If it’s breeding season, just wait till spring.
However, if there is no known reason, she just won’t eat, here are a few tricks to try to get her back eating:
Stop trying so hard
Don’t try feeding every three, five, or seven days, wait two weeks, then wait a month. At least once a month offer food, but you can also try changing it up. One thing you don’t want to do is get them in the ‘habit’ of refusing food.
Which by attempting every few days, because you are worried (perfectly natural response) it can bring them into a “habit of refusal”, and that can be extremely hard to break.
So the tricks: If feeding f/t, try fresh killed, or live (but never leave a live prey item unsupervised), but I have had to cover the tank with a towel to give them a secure feeling, or drop in the tub, and wait a bit to see if they will eat. Ball pythons are by nature shy, and sometimes, being exposed, can put them off feed. (Try offering multiple hides one on the warm side and one on the cool side.)
Try feeding at different times, balls are crepuscular, I generally feed in the late evening, but different times may work. Different size prey, different prey entirely such as offering poultry, mice instead of rats, just changing things up might stimulate them back into feeding.
If in a rack system, try changing their location in the rack. Change out the substrate after they lay eggs, or after a big poo.
In the wild, ball pythons, while predators, are also prey. So anything causing a smell, might trigger an attack, so we have got to be ready to leave in a hurry. I normally spot clean, and add fresh substrate as needed, but with a problem feeder, I switch it out after every poo.
While it can be hard, frustrating, and worrisome, this is something ball pythons are known for. Does this mean they all will? Of course not, but, if it happens to you, you aren’t alone, and you now have a few tricks that you might be able to use to help.