How often do wild caught ball pythons eat?
Many healthy captive pythons only eat for a few months out of the year due to these seasonal changes. With all of the above issues taken care of, still, some ball pythons can be incredibly finicky in how AND what they eat. This is especially true for wild-caught ball pythons.
Why is my ball python not eating anything?
Bear in mind these reasons are simply the most common culprits behind a ball python not eating, so there’s no guarantee they’re why yours is abstaining from food. After all, every snake is different. However, they should, at the very minimum, give you a fabulous place to start!
When does a ball python change its behavior?
(Even if you control the cage temperature to have the same temps year-round, your ball python could still experience seasonal changes in behavior.) Feeding behavior can also change when a snake reaches sexual maturity. In ball pythons, this can happen when the snake reaches two years of age — or even sooner for males. (That’s just a rough guide.
How often should a ball python poop after shedding?
So, pooping once in 1 to even 3 months can be normal (if your husbandry is fine and ball python healthy). Many ball pythons tend to poop right after shedding (once in 1-3 months or similar). Ball pythons have a strong digestive system, and only a small percentage is excreted as feces.
How long can a ball python go without eating?
Generally speaking, healthy ball pythons can go weeks without eating. And if your snake is an adult who already had a healthy body weight, it would likely take months before he’d start to suffer health problems. A handful of ball pythons have been documented to refuse food for longer than a year without starving.
What to do if your ball python won’t eat a rat?
Firstly, try to get your ball python used to eating rats as early as possible in his or her life, to prevent problems later on. The second message is that if you ball python is refusing to eat, it can be worth trying to switch them to the other prey item just to see if it appeals enough to start them feeding again.
How old does a ball python have to be to eat mice?
If ball python is over 2 years of age, calculate 5-7% For example, for a juvenile ball python, you can get a bag of frozen adult mice like this. Larger mice will be around 1-1.5 months old. However, as your ball python gets larger (up to a year old or so), you will need to either feed 2-3 mice, or switch to small adult rats.
When is the best time to feed a ball python?
I have one that typically refuses meals for about two months out of the year, while the others basically eat year-round. Something to keep in mind! Offer a frozen and thawed rat of appropriate size. Offer the meal after sunset, when the snake is more inclined to eat (ball pythons are mostly nocturnal).
