# Adult python suddenly doesn’t want to eat



## SmudgeDaz (Feb 28, 2020)

Hi guys,

I have a Stimson python which I have owned for 8 years.

She would be around 9-10 years old and i haven’t had any issues until recently.

I need some advice as I’m worried something might be wrong but just want others opinions!

She has suddenly stopped eating. which is very unusually for her. I record everything and have done so for the past 8 years so I know yearly when she is likely to go into hibernation / shed. She always goes into hibernation in May and comes out in October. And her shedding schedule is pretty predictable (not around this time of year)

Another unusual behaviour I have seen lately is that she is extremely active, more than I have ever seen her. Every evening she is out of her hide and exploring. She will scale the walls of the enclosure exploring.

She has been showing this behaviour at feed time Instead of eating. I will place her in her feeding tub and she will ignore the mice and immediately climb out the tub and want to go off exploring...

Has anyone else experienced something like this? 

I’m not sure if I’m panicking too early but in a week it will be almost a month without her eating (and it too early for her to be hibernating), and it makes me worried that something is wrong as for 8 years she has always been predictable in her feeding schedule (every two weeks unless hibernating)

More detailed information about her below if it helps:

Location - We are in Perth so the weather has been hot the past month

Diet - 2 adult mice every two weeks (I’ve been using the same supplier for 8 years and I even tried a fresh batch of frozen mice and she still wouldn’t eat)

Health - She is good weight and highly active! She’s out her hide every night and exploring.

Temperament - she’s well matured and never bites. Her behaviour recently has been normal, but more active.

Enclosure - Nothing has changed in her enclosure, her temperature is controlled by a thermostat and is set to summer temperature range (so the heat hasn’t been on lately because the temperature inside the house has been around 30 degrees)

The last time she ate was Feb 2nd and I tried feeding on Feb 15th and Feb 26th with no success.

Any advice or thought would be welcomed!


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## CF Constrictor (Feb 28, 2020)

Hi SmudgeDaz
I have never owned any Ants but have 3 Carpets and have found that if temps are a bit to low, they usualy tend to refuse food. You could try increasing the temp to around 35C and see if that helps. If you havn't tried that already. 1 month without food is not very long for a healthy mature python, so just keep trying. 
Good luck !


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## doppel (Feb 28, 2020)

my snake has gone with out eating for 2 weeks and i fed her and she refused to eat and i have incressed the temp and i will try feedin g her soon


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## SmudgeDaz (May 2, 2020)

Thanks for the help guys! Sorry it took so long to reply, forgot I had posted in this thread XD

she did eventually take some mice after I increased the heat on her hot end and got her out when she was active (also the mice were fresh stock from the pet store - not frozen for long)

she has now gone off her food again but it’s close enough to her normal hibernation period that I’m happy to leave her be. Every year She hibernates from May to October normally


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