How long do ball pythons go on hunger strikes?

How long do ball pythons go on hunger strikes?

Despite having a regular supply of food, it is not uncommon for captive ball pythons to go anywhere from 2-7 months without eating. Often, hunger strikes occur during the winter months and are completely normal. Don’t be alarmed if your ball python starts refusing to eat during the winter.

Can you handle a ball python on feeding day?

Ball pythons should be fed every week and they shouldn’t be handled right after being fed. The best thing to do is to wait at least two days before handling them again.

How long can baby ball pythons go without eating?

Almost every ball python can survive for a minimum of six months without a single meal.

Is it OK to feed a Ball Python Live?

Feeding your pet ball pythons live prey isn’t entirely ideal or recommended. Because in the process, the prey might try to defend itself and can cause harm to your snakes. Most of the problems breeders have with feeding their captive ball pythons is that they don’t like eating pre-killed foods such as rats and mice.

What to do if your ball python is on a hunger strike?

Take your ball python to the vet (they are the only ones who can cure a respiratory infection) and try feeding again as the vet suggests. No: Congratulations on your ball python not having respiratory infection, but unfortunately, this does not explain your ball python’s hunger strike.

When do ball pythons stop eating when they are young?

Ball pythons shed through their entire lives. They shed more frequently when they are young, because that’s when they grow the fastest. It’s common for snakes to stop eating when they are going into a shed. In ball pythons, the start of a shed cycle is fairly easy to notice.

Can a ball python starved itself to death?

The Ultimate Ball Python Feeding Troubleshooting Guide. That being said, it is only in very, very rare cases that ball pythons have ever starved themselves to death, so while it isn’t ideal that a ball python is not eating regularly, this is very unlikely to be fatal to your pet.

How often should I Feed my ball python?

Pet snakes are easily trained to eat dead prey. How often to feed a ball python. You don’t need to feed a ball python every day. Generally, smaller or younger ball pythons need to eat twice each week, while larger ones usually eat once every week or two.

Why does a ball python refuse to eat?

Ball pythons are ambush predators, which means that they don’t go hunting for their prey — they wait for it to come to them. Removing a ball python from its enclosure for feedings only stresses the snake out and often results in refusing to eat even when they’re hungry.

Can you feed a California kingsnake a ball python?

1. The Ball Python Feeding “Personality” Ball pythons tend to have a lot of individuality, when it comes to feeding. You can make generalized statements about other species. For example, it is well known that California kingsnakes have a voracious appetite and rarely refuse a meal.

Can you feed a frozen rodent to a ball python?

Monitor the snake and rodent carefully, until your snake has captured, constricted and begun to consume it. On the other hand, if you intend to feed a frozen-thawed rodent to your snake, you’ll need to start by gripping the rodent with a pair of long feeding tongs.

Will a ball python eat a gerbil?

Ball pythons eat mostly rodents. They will however also eat gerbils, multimammate mice, hamsters, and other small exotic breeds of mice. The vast majority however are happy to munch down domestic bred rodents. You will find ball pythons that will only eat mice while others will prefer rats.