View Full Version : Snake will not eat
Snake will not eat
doodler
01-31-2013, 11:53 AM
I am getting worried about my snake. I have had him almost a year now. Never had a feeding problem until now. The last time he ate was Dec 24. I have tried several times since to feed him and he just runs away from the mice. I have noticed a change in his behavior also. He used to be very docile and only came out of his hide box every now and then. Now he is all over the place. Very active. I thought it might be because he is hungry. But he just refuses to eat. Should I be worried or should I just give him some more time? He is like one of the family and I would appreciate any help. Thanks.
Nanci
01-31-2013, 12:03 PM
How old is he? Do you know for sure he's a male? Often, as males get older, they will go off feed for weeks-months in the spring. Starting now. Are the mice live or FT? How do you feed him?
doodler
01-31-2013, 12:12 PM
When I got him I was told he was 3 years old and a male. I have had him about a year. However I do not know for sure he is male though. The mice are live and I have always just put the mice in with him and he never hesitated eating until now.
How old is he? Do you know for sure he's a male? Often, as males get older, they will go off feed for weeks-months in the spring. Starting now. Are the mice live or FT? How do you feed him?
doodler
01-31-2013, 01:35 PM
This is a pic took a couple of days ago. His viv is right beside my wifes' piano. Everytime she starts playing this is what he does. Too Funny! Does he look ok?
doodler
01-31-2013, 01:41 PM
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/7807/smokeyko.jpg
Valixstone
01-31-2013, 03:51 PM
Yeah. It's interesting how the same thing is happening to me too. My snake Link is almost 3 now I've had him for about 6months and he hadn't had trouble feeding until two weeks before christmas. I eventually got him to eat after those two weeks but he hasn't eaten since. I had been really worried about him because he started to look sickly but then I realized that he looked like he was about to shed. I stopped worrying and waited, and waited, and then he finally shed. It has been a week since and he still won't eat. I feed him frozen mice, usually hopper size however early November I had fed him a baby rat because my girlfriend bought the wrong one. When I went to return it, they didn't have any more mice, so I tried it and he ate it. He didn't eat for two and a half weeks later. I don't know what to do, he is hungry because he approaches the mice but then shies and away from them really quickly like they are the plague or something. The mice should be good and I have tried lots of different ones. Help.
doodler
01-31-2013, 03:59 PM
I am not sure what the answer is really. Looks like we have a similar problem. My snake shed about a week and a half ago. He does the same thing he will just look at the mice and then shy away. He never did this before. It was always boom and it was gone. This is what he usually does.
YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDa-DrHVMT4[/YOUTUBE]
Yeah. It's interesting how the same thing is happening to me too. My snake Link is almost 3 now I've had him for about 6months and he hadn't had trouble feeding until two weeks before christmas. I eventually got him to eat after those two weeks but he hasn't eaten since. I had been really worried about him because he started to look sickly but then I realized that he looked like he was about to shed. I stopped worrying and waited, and waited, and then he finally shed. It has been a week since and he still won't eat. I feed him frozen mice, usually hopper size however early November I had fed him a baby rat because my girlfriend bought the wrong one. When I went to return it, they didn't have any more mice, so I tried it and he ate it. He didn't eat for two and a half weeks later. I don't know what to do, he is hungry because he approaches the mice but then shies and away from them really quickly like they are the plague or something. The mice should be good and I have tried lots of different ones. Help.
doodler
01-31-2013, 03:59 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDa-DrHVMT4
Valixstone
01-31-2013, 04:34 PM
Do you suggest trying a live mouse like yours? Cause he just attacked that thing, Link was never like that with his frozen guys. He always came up very carefully sniffing the thing, making sure he is warm and then kind of just started eating...very slowly, usually no curling up.
Nanci
01-31-2013, 04:39 PM
If your snake is eating FT please don't endanger it by feeding live. Males go off feed. Sometimes for months. Just offer food every couple weeks until he eats.
To the original poster- this would be a good time to switch him over to FT.
Valixstone
01-31-2013, 04:43 PM
Hey! Excellent. Thanks a lot Nancy. I definitely don't want to harm Link by switching over, nor did I want to feed him live. But I was thinking the same thing. I figured when he IS hungry enough to eat he will, I just wanted to hear someone else say it too. Thanks a lot.
doodler
01-31-2013, 05:21 PM
Thank you so much Nanci. I will try that. How can I tell if he is actually a male?
If your snake is eating FT please don't endanger it by feeding live. Males go off feed. Sometimes for months. Just offer food every couple weeks until he eats.
To the original poster- this would be a good time to switch him over to FT.
Valixstone
01-31-2013, 06:34 PM
If you can take a picture of his tail for me I might be able to tell. Typically a male's tail taper's off to it's point later(closer to the end) than a female. Ex. The thin portion of a female snake's tail is longer than a male.
>>>>=====------- Male
versus
>>>>==----------- Female
A solid answer is hard without invading it's privacy and feeling his gonads, which would be hard to tell if you don't have experience or know what to feel for. It is however extremely invasive so i would suggest just examining the tail and if you are still unsure, post a picture on either this forum or a new forum and send me the link so I can check it out.
Cheers!
Janome
02-01-2013, 07:36 PM
Its getting close to matting season. A lot of males 2-3+ years old start to look for a mate. I have a male that usually stops eating for couple months an is non stop in his cage wanting to mate. Eventually they calm down an start to eat again.
bitsy
02-01-2013, 08:36 PM
I'll add my voice to those suggesting a breeding season fast. At three years old, he's about due if he's that way inclined (not all males do it). From that photo, he doesn't look like he'll take any harm from going without food for a few weeks. He's in good shape for it. You might also find he gets more active as he searches for a mate.
I'd just keep offering him his normal food once a fortnight and he'll hopefully start to eat again once his one-track mind has returned to real life! Might take a few weeks or a couple of months. Just keep an eye out for symptoms which might be a cause for concern. Rapid weight loss would be one. Breeding season fasts are a normal process and they shouldn't lose much (if any) condition as a result. That's just a precaution though.
doodler
02-02-2013, 04:53 PM
Thanks alot everyone. I have sure learned alot from this thread. Now I know why he has been back and forth non-stop for the past couple of weeks. He is still pretty fat so I guess he will be ok.
doodler
02-02-2013, 04:58 PM
Hey Nanci here is a pic of his tail. If in fact it is a "HE." Can you tell?
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/132/201206222106067101.jpg/
doodler
02-02-2013, 04:59 PM
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/132/201206222106067101.jpg/
doodler
02-02-2013, 05:00 PM
http://imageshack.us/f/132/201206222106067101.jpg/
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