Ball python, hasnt eaten in a little over 2 weeks

[D70challenger]

Hello,
My friend has a ball python. He is a little concerned because it has been over 2 weeks since his last feeding and it will not eat. He has been trying to feed her about every other day now with no success. From what I gather, it shows interest in the rat, moves up and touches noses, but once the rat makes a sudden move the python retreats as if threatened. He thinks she may shed soon, and that he has heard of ball pythons sometimes going in a month long state of hibernation where they will not eat. Is this true and should he be worried? There has been no changes in feeder size or where he buys them. He said he would wait give her till next Friday before he makes any drastic decisions such as the vet.

[Lankyrob]

There should be no worries at all, two weeks for a snake is like us missing a lunch! :)

He should stop trying to feed every other day tho, too many attempts will just stress the snake out. Check his husbandry is correct and then leav ethe snake alone for ten days and THEN try to feed it. If it doesnt take then leave it at least a week between attempts.

The only time to worry is if the snake starts to lose condition or significant weight.

Let us know how he gets on :)

[StudentoReptile]

Mine went 8-9 months. Don't sweat it.

[mykee]

Ball pythons don't hibernate; they're not bears.
2 weeks is nothing. Don't worry.

[DeadlyDesires]

mine stopped eating for 3-4 months.. balls are picky lil snakes :P the littlest thing will throw them off eating.. check the husbandry make sure its correct and if it is then the snake is more than likely fine.. i just threw a rat in every week until he started eating again.. but 10 days is fine too.. also tell your friend not to hold him until he eats again. as was mentioned above, as long as he doesn't start getting skinny and sick he will be fine.. depending on the size (guessing small) he can go a few months without eating .. when larger some have gone up to a year. I dont understand it.

[Chu'Wuti]

I have one BP that will not eat from November to March. This happens every year like clockwork. Freaked me out the first year; now in late October I start watching for his signals so I don't have to waste more than one rat. Then in the spring I watch again so I know when he's ready to eat. For the first few years, I tried feeding in the interim, but it's always been a waste, so I didn't even do that this year.

He never even loses much weight, less than 5%, during this off period, despite the fact that it's generally four months long.

However, BPs can also stop eating if they've been bumped and startled by a F/T rat when the handler is offering it or if they've been injured by a live rat, and from your original post, it seems that your friend is feeding live. Is it possible that the snake got bitten or scratched by one of the rats he offered? His BP would be safer were he to offer F/T.

Either way, giving the snake a stress-free period of time is excellent advice. Then he can decide how to approach the next feeding. Good luck!

[DeesBalls]

i had one go about 8 months.... for some reason, not sure why, but after she was done fasting, she would take f/t... so it worked out for me i guess. lol. dont worry, like said, 2 weeks is nothing.

and no, ball pythons don't hibernate.

[NBLADE]

There is no need for a vet trip unless the snake is losing severe weight, 2 weeks for a healthy snake is nothing, i've had royals go over 9 months and lose hardly any weight at all.
They are naturally seasonal feeders, many will slow down over the colder months.

Offering food every other day will just stress the snake and make it not eat for longer, just offer weekly or once every 10 days, keep an eye on body weight, if it starts to lose a lot of weight, then there could be underlying issues, aslong as the weight stays similar, then they can and often will miss a few months feeding every year.