your bp and eating

[joey]

What's the longest your bp has gone without eating?

[mykee]

I've had a male albino go 9 months without a meal.

[Tim_Cranwill]

I'm lucky! :D I've only had one go 5-6 months... so far. :p

But that wasn't as much about the snake going off food as it was a battle between me and the snake concerning food preferences... the snake won! :( Hamsters it is. :p LOL

[mykee]

Wwwww-ch!

[greenman1867]

Oh no! Hamsters? LOL do they breed easy?

[Bartman]

My male is at around 3 months now. Ive already cracked and offered mice, but he still didnt eat...so now im going to hold off until I win!!!

[Jeff_Favelle]

2 are at 8 months now. Longest is 10.5 months. Adult male. I never stress about BP's eating anymore. Keep the temps and everything the way it should be, and they'll eat when they want, how they want.

[Spirit]

In all my searching I can't seem to remember anyone actually losing a ball to starvation (and not another illness which symptom included loss of appetite). Has this happened to anyone?

Also, if a snake refuses to eat for 10 months, how do you determine how often to offer the food? Would you just not offer food at all for say a month?

[Manitoban Herps]

Mine record has been a month or two :p

[malaysianbloods]

I think that if your ball went off food for 10 months, and you only have one then other about every two weeks but if you have multiple balls to feed then just unthaw what you need for the ones that are eating and offer the non-feeder first that way you don't waste food if he does not eat that week. But if he does decide to take food then just unthaw another one. But thats just IMO. HTH

[Paul_Begg]

A wild caught specimen is recorded as not eating for 25 months. It was an adult kept at the london zoo (uk)
cheers
Paul

[malaysianbloods]

That is crazy.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Naw... the hamsters aren't all that bad. At least she POUNDS them back when they're offered. I will try to get her on rats after she lays for me... hopefully this year but she is a bit, how do they say it in junior high... "tight"? :D

Jeff has the right idea. Just make sure the setup you have going it bang on and try not to worry. :)

[mark129er]

I had a male that ate once in the eight months i had him. Now I have learned his secret and he eats rats like mad (for now we shall see).

[Jeff_Favelle]

how do you determine how often to offer the food?

Its pretty easy to tell if a Ball is going to eat, just by looking at the cage at around 9pm. Cruising or hiding is a no go, so don't bother feeding. Plus it helps to have 200 other snakes if they don't eat. Nothing goes to waste. Could be tough with only one or two snakes.

[Spirit]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
Cruising or hiding is a no go, so don't bother feeding. .

Okay now you lost me. What else do they do? LOL How can you tell when the RIGHT time to feed is?

[Jeff_Favelle]

Head poking out, "S"-position, ready to strike. That's an eating Ball Python.

[Spirit]

I've never seen mine ball up OR go into strike pose... I assume you're talking strickly about non feeders (when they're ready to eat)?

[marisa]

Same here. ALL my eaters do the same thing when they will eat. In fact, it's so predictable, if they aren't in the right position, I don't even open the tub anymore.

Jeff explained it perfectly. If one of mine is going to eat that night, it will be sitting in a hide, head about an inch out, with the neck in the S position, sitting still.

If they are roaming, or moving, they hardly ever accept it. I have had a Ball go for a year without a meal. :D

Marisa

[Jeff_Favelle]

Jeff explained it perfectly. If one of mine is going to eat that night, it will be sitting in a hide, head about an inch out, with the neck in the S position, sitting still.

Yep! Perfectly explained. Its what they do. They are so easy to read, especially if you have more than one, and especially if you've had them for quite some time.

[Spirit]

Mine often sleeps with his head out of his hide, but I've never seen him in strike pose... that's interesting. I'm going to watch for that.

Silly question, but do all balls do this when they're hungry? They don't roam?

[Vengeance]

Originally posted by marisa
Same here. ALL my eaters do the same thing when they will eat. In fact, it's so predictable, if they aren't in the right position, I don't even open the tub anymore.

Jeff explained it perfectly. If one of mine is going to eat that night, it will be sitting in a hide, head about an inch out, with the neck in the S position, sitting still.

If they are roaming, or moving, they hardly ever accept it. I have had a Ball go for a year without a meal. :D

Marisa

Mine are the exact oposite, they cruise like crazy! Feeding time the rats get heated up in their room and they are all cursing around their cage. One of mines goes back and forth across the front of her cage, over and over untill I drop the rat in her cage, it's funny as hell to watch how worked up they are.

My stuborn male who doesn't eat very well, he sits in his hide with his head out and sometimes he will eat and sometimes he wont. Last night I thought for sure he was going to but, no luck. Been about a month now, I'll try again in 2 weeks.

[Artemis]

See this doesnt make sense. Mine is hitting the 2 month mark now, but he DOES seem interested, comes out, makes the pose, even tongue flicks the prey... but won't ultimately go for it. Feeding at dawn, feeding at dusk.... Im about to cut down the trying to every 2 weeks though, instead of each week, since obviously nothing is working and im just wasting rats.

Question. For non-feeding BPs who appear to be in their winter fasting mode, whats the protocol on handling?

[zero&stich]

6 months for me. The girl can be so b%tchy sometimes.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Tongue flicking the prey means nothing. Mine will tongue flick rocks if I put them in the cage.

[HumphreyBoagart]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
Tongue flicking the prey means nothing. Mine will tongue flick rocks if I put them in the cage.

LOL! :D

[Artemis]

Pbbbbbth!!!! NO mocking me!!! But seriously, should I not be handling other than cleaning until this winter fasting thing is done with?

[Jeff_Favelle]

No, it doesn't matter. Handling isn't causing the winter fasting, and not handling isn't going to speed up the day that its going to eat. It will eat when it gets the clues to tell it to eat. What those clues are, I don't have a clue.

Temp and day length maybe.