Do females go off feed?

[Tigergenesis]

I'm sure it happens and I'm assuming not as often/likely as with male bps, but I was wondering does it occur near as often as with males or is it pretty rare (I know it varies by individual)? I'm thinking I'd like another bp, but thought I might go with a female to avoid the hunger strikes I have with my male - or will it matter much?

Thanks!

[Piers]

Almost all ball pythons go off their food at one time or another. Sometimes for a few week or up to 6 months or more. When it happen try not to stress to much.
Piers

[Vengeance]

It really does come down to the personality of the snake. I just got 2 female Ball pythons from Markus and their feeding styles are completly diffrent. One of them has a better feeding response then my Cali King. I've never seen a Ball python so egar to feed! The other one is very timid, I have a harder time feeding her because after she strikes and coils I can't put the lid on the cage, I can't leave the room and I can barely move because any of those things startle her and then she refuses the rat. Yesterday was the first time she had ever refused but it was my own fault because I had to leave the room so I startled her and she refused the rat.

Another thing I've learned, not sure if it's comon knowledge or not, but Tinfoil and snakes = bad, lol! I thaw my rats in luke warm water and then place them on tinfoil under a heat lamp to warm them up to a point that the Ball pythons will take notice. I had been placing the rats on paper towl afterward and placing them in the cage. Yesterday I tried to place the tinfoil with the rat in the cage and my Ball python got confused. He struck at the edge of the tinfoil for some reason. I'm not sure if it is because tinfoil is a reflective surface or it also was radiating heat, but either way my male was not impressed when he went to bite into what he thought was a rat and grabbed the edge of the tinfoil instead. Thankfully after I left him alone for about an hour and feed the females, he took a rat off the paper towel no problem

[mykee]

Normally balls will not go off-feed their first winter, but it happens. As for males vs. females, they all stop eating at some point. All of them.

[Tigergenesis]

Thank you all - that does help me. I thought it just didn't happen much with females...thanks for setting me straight.