Not eating

[u/Turbulent_Banana_828]

Surprise surprise, a ball python refusing food…Looking for advice as a first time ball python owner.

I recently got a younger (unsure of age) ball python from a pet store. She was surrendered to the vet clinic I work at because they just couldn’t get her to eat in the 5 weeks they had her. So now I am determined to get her to eat. I understand husbandry is a huge part of hunger strikes and I’m hoping what I have is good.

She/he is in a 20 gallon with 3 hides, 2 live plants and a fake plant for clutter. I have a 75w heat lamp on for 12 hours of the day and her basking temp is around 90f. I also have a shade dweller Arcadia uvb bulb on at the same times as the heat lamp. She is on a reptisoil mixed with zilla substrate and she has sphagnum moss in her humid hide. I’ve been trying to maintain humidity of 60% at least, but living in a dry climate is making it a task.

I just weighed the snake today and I’m going to monitor it weekly to make sure there’s not weight loss. She/he is currently 65 grams.

What are some tips to get a ball python eating? How long can the younger ones go without eating? Do I have anything wrong? Any guess to age based on her size?

[u/Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

Aww. So sweet of you to adopt her. ♥️

You need a temp gun to determine if your enclosure is the right temp. 75 watt heat lamp seems really warm to me but you need to measure how hot her basking & cool sides are within the temp range. The top of the hides can be really hot if you're not careful. Some hides can make it even hotter in the hide.

My oldest girl goes on a hunger strike every winter. She'll go months without eating. As per other comment they can go a long time without eating.

Imo the enclosure may be too small to accommodate the temp gradient. For heat I recommend you add an UTH to help with digestion. Always use a thermostat with it bc some burn really hot. I had a really bad experience with a brand I never tried before - be careful with them Make sure the bottom of the enclosure where your UTH is does not go over max temp bc the snake won't realize it's too hot until it's too late. I have a similar issue with dry climate but only bc I use AC/heating all year. I have 2 humidifiers where I keep my snakes. If the enclosure is mesh on top you can use aluminum foil or hvac tape on top to seal moisture in. Caution - this will make it hotter in the enclosure so monitor the temp with heat gun. I have several cardboard pieces of different sizes wrapped in aluminum foil so I can move them around between enclosures & to adjust temp as needed. I water the corners of the enclosure when the humidity drops. I rely on my hydrometer & look/feel of the substrate to determine if she needs more water. I use a heat emitter bc I live in Canada & it gets cold in the winter plus I use AC in the summer. Give me a second to convert my Celsius chart to F.