olive pythons not eating

Question
hi Kevin i have two olive pythons that both aren't eating the temp is right between 22 degrees night to 32 degrees day they are only juveniles and i've only had them for a month and they haven't eaten since i bought them.They strike at the food sometimes but just aren't interested in eating, i've tried frozen and live but no success do you have any suggestions how long can they go without food before i should worry im in australia and its winter

Answer
Hello Mr Cooke

AU huh? Boy are you lucky. I want to visit your country and find a coastal or inland taipan! You guys have some great snakes there.

Not eating could be a lot of things. Are you housing them together? If so, I'd advise separating them. Depending on their size, they could go 2 to 6 months without eating. Pythons of all kinds act weird in winter. My ball pythons go 2 months or more and my D'Albert's goes 6 months or more. Your temperatures sound good, maybe a little on the warm side, but warm is better than cold to stimulate eating. Where did you get them? If from a pet store, find out what they were feeding them. If wild caught, take to vet and have them check for parasites. Look for mites as they can cause all kinds of issues. They look like a speck of pepper and are a pain to get rid of. Try both live rats and mice. Try quail and or chicks. Try both at night and during the day. Try lizards. The trick is to keep trying. If the vet says they are healthy, they will eventually eat. I have an OP and he eats like crazy. He is also rather evil (my daughter named him "no feet"). Let me know if you have any further questions. If you find yourself bored, please look for a taipan or a black tiger snake. I'll send you my shipping address later.

Regards,

Kevin L. Ogle