Ball pythons are a popular choice for beginners in snake keeping for several reasons: they are docile, manageable in size, not too fragile, and their enclosure’s temperature and humidity parameters are easy to maintain. They also come in a wide variety of colors and patterns.
However, one potential issue for inexperienced snake owners is their tendency to go on hunger strikes, which can be worrisome. Ball pythons, like most snakes, can safely go for months without food, but this doesn’t mean you should ignore it. It just means you have time to figure out the issue.
Understanding why your ball python isn’t eating is crucial for its health. Here are the main reasons and solutions.
Reason #1: Parasites and Disease Sickly snakes suffering from parasites are less likely to eat. If your snake shows symptoms like diarrhea, discolored scales, wheezing, or discharge, seek veterinary help. A lack of appetite with no other symptoms might require more thought. Stress can cause snakes to stop eating, so waiting it out is often better unless other symptoms appear or months pass without eating. Broken teeth are rarely a cause for loss of appetite, as snakes’ teeth fall out and regrow. However, if a broken tooth causes an oral abscess or infection, consult a vet immediately. Reason #2: Stress Stress is the most common reason for a ball python’s loss of appetite and is often the easiest to fix. If you’ve recently acquired your snake, traveled with it, or changed its enclosure, consider these changes: – Provide access to hides, with at least two suitable spots, one warm and one cool. – Minimize handling until your snake resumes eating. – Limit loud noises and music near the enclosure. – Reduce feeding frequency to every ten to fourteen days. These adjustments can help alleviate stress and encourage your ball python to eat again.Reason #3: Temperature
A common mistake among beginner snake owners is not providing enough heat day and night. The basking area for snakes should reach 88-92F, and the cold end of the enclosure should not drop below 75F. You can use a combination of heating pad, lightbulb during the daytime, or ceramic heat emitter to achieve these temperatures. The number and wattage of heating devices depend on the size and type of the snake’s enclosure and the temperature in your house. Always use a thermostat with any heating element to prevent overheating. All ectothermic animals, including ball pythons, need high temperatures for digestion. If it’s too cold, their body and metabolism slow down. No snake will eat if it can’t digest food as it’s a survival instinct to avoid food rotting and making them sick. Reason #4: It’s a Specific Season Don’t be fooled by the lack of eyelids. Your snake sleeps, especially as winter approaches and they go into brumation. During this time, they likely have little to no appetite. Many ball pythons have an internal clock that tells them to stop eating when winter is near. In the wild and with some captive keepers, they go through brumation similar to hibernation. They become inactive and stop eating for a few months. After brumation, most snakes will eat a few meals, but some may fast again as the breeding season starts. Females ovulating and males looking for ovulating females aren’t interested in eating. Many healthy captive pythons only eat for a few months due to seasonal changes. Reason #5: They’re Picky About Their Food and Feeding Techniques Even with the above issues addressed, some ball pythons can be very picky about how and what they eat, especially wild-caught ones. Luckily, there are many captive-bred ball pythons available, making this issue less common. However, it can still happen with some wild-caught or captive-bred pythons. When buying a pet, ask the seller: I. How often is it eating? If you buy an older animal that the current owner feeds every three weeks, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t accept your weekly food offering. II. Is it eating live, fresh pre-killed, or frozen? This is important. Some ball pythons are afraid of live prey or don’t know how to handle it and get injured, then develop a fear. Some animals don’t view a dead animal as food without hunting it down. Others are picky about the smell of frozen prey but will eat a fresh-smelling pre-killed rat.Understanding how and where to feed your ball python is crucial for their dietary preferences and habits. Each snake has unique feeding preferences, so it’s essential to gather information from the previous caretaker. Some snakes prefer their prey to be wiggled during offering, while others prefer their food to be left overnight in a dark paper bag. For instance, a gopher snake I once purchased would only accept food if it was ‘hiding’ underwater in its water bowl. Knowing what prey to use is equally important. Ball pythons typically prefer rats over mice, with some even holding out for African Soft-Furred Rats, a specialty feeder that mimics their natural prey in the wild. Some picky pythons may refuse the same type and size of feeder from different sources. Cleanliness is a rarely considered factor that can affect a ball python’s appetite. As ambush predators in the wild, they rely on their advanced sense of smell to detect prey. When a wild ball python defecates or sheds, it will leave its burrow to avoid the odor that can be detected by rodents. Keepers have found success in resolving picky eating habits by thoroughly cleaning the cage after every shed and defecation, removing any trace of the snake’s odor. This encourages the snake to eat more readily when it can’t smell itself. Another common reason for a ball python’s lack of appetite is an impending shed. If your ball python shows ashy scales, lethargy, and hazy blue-capped eyes, it’s likely preparing to shed. Most ball pythons won’t eat when getting ready to shed. You can recognize this by the ashy, dulled coloration on their scales and hazy gray-blue eye caps. In this case, provide proper humidity and possibly soak your snake to help them shed comfortably. Offer food a day or two after shedding. For additional tips on getting a ball python to eat, consider prey temperature. Ball pythons detect their prey with their heat-sensing pits, so beyond just thawing the frozen rat, let it sit in a waterproof bag in hot water to mimic the prey’s natural body temperature.
Prey type and scenting
As previously discussed, different snakes have varying preferences. You can experiment with these variations, but only try one different or new thing at a time. Avoid trying multiple things without giving your ball python a chance to recover from mealtime stress, as it will be less likely to eat. Start with these suggestions to offer variety in prey and scents to stimulate your ball python’s appetite: Offer different sizes of rats, mice, and African soft-furred rats. Provide each species and size as frozen and pre-killed. Thaw frozen rodents with a chicken bouillon cube or dip in chicken noodle soup. If not squeamish, you can even ‘braining’ the rodent by opening the skull with a sharp instrument to expose the brain odor, which may tempt some snakes. Only use live prey as a last resort and always supervise to prevent the rodent from injuring your snake, as this may trigger your ball python’s hunting and eating instincts. Feeding technique Again, try only one new method at a time. If your ball python doesn’t eat, wait seven to fourteen days before trying something else. To add variety to your feeding technique, try these: Wiggle the prey near them until they become interested. Feed during nighttime hours or with the lights off. Don’t take them out of their enclosure or hiding spot to feed. Leave them overnight in a paper bag in their enclosure with the pre-killed prey item. Wrapping Up Ball Pythons That Won’t Eat If you’ve followed the above guidelines and ensured the lighting, heat, and humidity parameters are correct, but your ball python still isn’t eating, don’t stress! It is perfectly normal and most ball pythons start eating on their own again without intervention. The most important thing is not to cause additional stress by forcing or over-coaxing them to eat. Have hope they will resume eating when ready, watch for other warning signs of parasite or disease, and don’t stop trying. Good luck! Stacey I’m Stacey, the owner of this website and a lifelong reptile lover, caretaker, and educator. Here you will find everything from information on reptile care to how to give your reptiles the best chances against common reptile diseases and illnesses and everything in between!
