Eating only once a month?

GotBalls? · 08-17-04, 02:07 AM

Hi all,

My ball python has been going back and forth all year between being an awesome feeder and eating once every 5 or so days, to not eating more than once a month or so. The last 3 months he has eaten twice. He was eating well on fuzzy rats but he could eat two a week so I went up a size in rats and now he only eats once a month or so. I have wasted at least 10 or so rats trying to feed him when I thought he might take one ( I have to wait until he has been in his hide a day or two, but as soon as I open his enclosure he just wants to come out and ignores the rat entirely. I'm on my last two xtra small rats, when those are gone should I go back to the smaller rats for now since he seemed to enjoy those? I don't want to try live rats if I don't have to.

I am in the middle of making him a new enclosure that is larger as he is too big for the 20 gallon now. I'm hoping an enclosure that he can full stretch out in and move around a bit might curb his enthusiasm for coming out whenever it's opened and he might start eating regularly again.
SHould I worry about his eating habits or just continue on as I am? Any tricks for feeding him that I am missing?

Also... what is it that I can buy from wal-mart or wherever that allows better control of the heating pads? Mine is all over the map. It will keep the warm end around 90 consistantly and then will sky rocket over 100 no matter what setting high medium or low!!! So I turn it off and let it cool down and try again and it will stay normal for a few weeks or months and then sky rocket again. I don't know if an dimmer or whatever would help since the thing just seems to have issues, maybe I should just buy a new one...

Thanks

Nicole

Vengeance · 08-17-04, 07:26 AM

My Ball python is the same way, I'm feeding him 150 Gram rats which is the Medium range. Last I checked my Ball weighted in at about 650 Grams. He'll eat his meal and go a month or more without eating, right now I'm at a month and 2 weeks. I'm not really worried, I just keep offering for him every 7 days and he'll eat when he wants. Unless your Ball starts to rapidly lose weight I wouldn't worry about these month at a time stretches without food, but that's just my personal opinion.

As far as the heat pad, try using a lamp dimmer/Rehostat. Here is an article on how to build them yourself, I've made a bunch of these and they work great and are cheaper then what you would have to buy in stores.

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showt...&threadid=8858

It's really not that hard, and those power cords that they use, I use the power cords for computers and monitors because I have an abundance of them around.

justinO · 08-17-04, 07:33 AM

for the feeding, I think that's just what ball pythons do! They make you worry. My only suggestion is getting a savannah monitor to take all the rejected ones

There are lots of tricks to get him to eat....... i would say try a stunned/prekilled one to get him back in the game!

As for the heat pad, I have the same problem sometimes with my human heating pads, even the low setting is 110 degrees on the good ones. If you have a tank, just put spacers between the pad and the glass....... or you can get a dimmer, ikea has them for $9, home depot or maybe walmart has the $20 ones.

Jess

mykee · 08-17-04, 10:34 AM

Vengeance, feed smaller items. You're feeding 25% of their own weight, that's crazy! Feed tehm smaller food items, they'll digest quicker, and eat again.

smeagel · 08-17-04, 11:09 AM

i feed my 700gram ball small rats, and he is ready for another in bout 4 days. Smaller food items will keep them wanting more and in the feeding mood, and wanting more food often, so they will grow nicely. But don't worry right now, just wait till they go off feed for the cooling period for 7 to 8 months. good luck with your ball.

Vengeance · 08-17-04, 11:45 AM

Yea I read a post you had made earlier Mykee about how you feed your Ball pythons smaller prey items more frequently and they barely ever refuse, I was going to incorperate that into my next feeding and see how it goes. I've got some smaller rats now, so when he is ready to feed that is what he will be getting.

But he was taking down those big rats like a champ, just wasn't hungry for a month or more after

mykee · 08-17-04, 03:43 PM

Vengeance, I've done a bit of 'field work' you might say with my balls and their feeding habits. Now keep in mind that this is only my observations, not those of anyone else, and was only done using 15 balls at the time. I noticed that feeding a meal 10% of the snakes weight (2000g snake got 200g rat), that the snake would retain 31% of their meals weight after peeps and poops (a 100g rat, snake would gain 31g). These snakes also ate rather consistently, barely missing meals. Now I did the same with 20% of their weight (2000g rat would get a 400g rat). These snakes kept 33% of that weight, but ate much less consistently, often eating every 3rd or 4th feeding. Moral of this story: smaller meals (in my case) means a quicker turn-around and more consistent eaters. Hope this helped.

hhw · 08-17-04, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by justinO
My only suggestion is getting a savannah monitor to take all the rejected ones

Jess

My thoughts exactly :P Every herper should have one!!!

HumphreyBoagart · 08-18-04, 02:41 PM

I have a male ball that up until a couple weeks ago, only ate 2 small mice in over a year. I found an amazing product that had immediate results. Its called "Herpcare" by Mardel. It's an electrolyte & appetite stimulant. I tried it a long time ago as directed on the box. It says go drop by drop on the snakes lips and allow it time to lap it up. Well put it this way, you're going to be waiting a long time because the stuff smells so awful the snake won't lap it up. I don't blame him. In the "Ball Python manual" I saw a little rig to help feed them a liquid diet to try and get them to eat. It was just a syringe with a soft rubber tube attached. I decided to try and use one of these with the "herpcare" liquid. Once you have the tube part way down the snakes throat, he will start to swallow it automatically. Don't force it down and make sure it is at least 1/4 of the way down the length of the snake. Slowly administer the dose (says on box how much to use) over the course of a minute. I let the snake be for a day or 2 to settle back in. I have never seen him so active and have such a crazy feeding response in my life! He has eaten more in the last 2 weeks than the last year and a half. This is what worked for me and isn't necessarily the best or only way to get them eating but like I said "it works". Please Don't try it unless you know what you're doing because I don't want any messages saying I tried what you said and my snake died...
good luck

P.S. Message me if you want more details on how to properly do it.

Edit- Also I wouldn't recommend moving him into a bigger aquarium until after he's back on his regular feeding schedule simply because "new" homes can stress them out too, possibly causing them to stop feeding as well.

Artemis · 08-19-04, 01:02 AM

Curious to know what the active ingredient in that appetite stimulant is, and if others have used it.

Nicole- try pickin up a heat lamp as a backup source for when the UTH craps out. New dimmer/rheostat perhaps?

As for feeding- id at least check with a vet about any kind of appetite stimulants unless you know for sure what is in them and they aren't harmful, and otherwise proceed as you have been. Have you been weighing your BP? Does his weight/size fluctuate or seem to stay stable?

Best of luck-

Artemis

hhw · 08-19-04, 03:25 AM

Well, I use heating pads made by Sunbeam that I buy at London Drugs, and those work great. I imagine there's a London Drugs in Victoria? At the low setting, the warm end is always right around 90. The standard size ones sell for $19.99CDN, which might turn out cheaper in the end (after shipping, etc... for a rheostat as I don't think anyone in BC sells them).

Vengeance · 08-19-04, 07:08 AM

Thanks for the info Mykee, I'm going to try smaller prey items, and see if that helps with feeding frequency.

I don't think Nicole's situation is dire enough to start using an appetite stimulant. If the Ball is eating atleast once a month, I fail to see where a problem is? In HumphreyBoagart case I can see why he looked at that as an option, 1 year with only 2 mice, but if he is eating atleast evey month, then atleast he is eating.

GotBalls? · 08-19-04, 02:05 PM

Hey Thanks everyone,

I agree I don't think the problem is that dire that I need to try appatite stimulants, but if it ever does get that bad I'll lkeep that thought in mind. I will try going back to teh smaller rats as I much rather be feeding him 2 a week and have them not go to waste.

I haven't been wieghing him, cause I have no idea where you all get those little scales!? How much are they? He doesn't look skinny, just average..I'd prefer to see him chunkier, and he is active and drinking and shedding once every month or so, and poops after every few meals so i am not too worried about his health.... I would just feel much more comfortable, and so would he I'm sure...if he was eating more frequently.

I got my UTH from wal-mart...they were out of the sunbeam ones and this one was cheaper.....guess you get what you pay for....grrr...I'll take a look at london drugs and see what they have.

Thanks everyone,

Nicole

Vengeance · 08-19-04, 02:14 PM

I just use a regular $20 kitchen scale.......

GotBalls? · 08-19-04, 04:21 PM

duh.....I could use those for other purposes too.....thanks