Help! Python not eating!

[moosicalcow]

My diamond python (5yrs, male) won’t eat. He at first starting being a bit weird with his food a couple times in a row- being interested and striking but guarding before eating, or not eating until I left the room or turned out the light. He’s never had problems with eating before this. But recently, he won’t eat. It has been over a month and I’ve tried to give him a rat three times with a week in between, and no matter how much I wiggle it around and whatnot he won’t even strike at it. He keeps seeing it, ignoring it, and coming towards my hand or the tongs or outside his tank. He should be hungry, I don’t understand why he isn’t eating? It’s not cold either. At night he seems to be more active than usual, prowling around his tank presumably hungry. Please help me! This is my first snake and first problem (((

 

[CF Constrictor]

Hi moosicalcow
Its the season i suspect. Mine have not eaten since late june. How long have you had the diamond ?

 

[Sdaji]

I'd only be feeding an adult male Diamond about 5-10 times per year anyway, and never at this time of year until he was looking particularly hungry. Try again in a month or two.

 

[moosicalcow]

Hi moosicalcow
Its the season i suspect. Mine have not eaten since late june. How long have you had the diamond ?

I’ve had him about a year. Why this season?

I'd only be feeding an adult male Diamond about 5-10 times per year anyway, and never at this time of year until he was looking particularly hungry. Try again in a month or two.

Oh shoot, really? I feed him every 2-3 weeks sometimes less if he’s shedding or something. How come not this time fo year? He’s horny? Lol

 

[CF Constrictor]

My 2 oldest just seem to lose interest for around 3 months, every year, thats it.

 

[Sdaji]

Oh shoot, really? I feed him every 2-3 weeks sometimes less if he’s shedding or something. How come not this time fo year? He’s horny? Lol

Even feeding every 3 weeks, you're only going to get about 10 feeds per year into him if you feed during the warmer months and not the cooler months.

Even if you feed for the warmest 8 months of the year and only skip the coldest 4 months, you're feeding for about 34 weeks of the year and skipping about 18 weeks. 34 weeks divided by one feed every 3 weeks is about 11 feeds per year. I would not be feeding a Diamond for 8 months of the year, maybe 6-7 months, and I'd feed an adult male about once per month during that time. If you do want to feed more, you'll want smaller feeds (I'm personally into larger feeds, but each to their own). When it comes to adult snakes the amount of feed per year is important but not per month. A well-fed adult male Diamond can skip feeding for 2-3 years or more (yes, literally, no, that's not a typo, zero feed for multiple years) and continue to live happily and breed each season. After 2-3 years they'll be quite skinny and do well with some feeding, and much more than 2-3 years could get dangerous, but in appropriate temperatures if they start out in good condition, a year without a feed is like us fasting for a couple of days, no big deal at all and often does them good.