PDA

View Full Version : how long do spring hunger strikes last?


how long do spring hunger strikes last?

Annihilation-
03-20-2008, 08:34 AM
im wondering because i think pretty boy is on one...last time he ate was a little over a month ago...how long does this last?

Weebonilass
03-20-2008, 10:57 AM
I think it varies from snake to snake. My guy has gone as long as four months. My vet says to bring a snake in if it goes beyond five or if they drop a lot of weight. This year, he hasn't started yet, so not sure if he'll go on a fast or not...

Nanci
03-20-2008, 11:02 AM
Of my four adult males (of various species) only one is striking right now, and even he is accepting about one meal out of three or four. Jake is only taking his planned mice- he won't eat any leftovers. The two corns haven't started yet.

suecornish
03-20-2008, 12:53 PM
I'm noticing there are a lot of questions about hunger strikes this time of year. One thing we all need to remember is these snakes are still tied to the "wild" and will never truly be domesticated like dogs or cats. This time of year the males are out hunting females so they go off feed, cruise around their tanks and generally act as they would in the wild. Smokey is my oldest male corn at 10 and then there is Hayyah at 8 months. Hayyah still eats but he wants out of his tank so bad that he'll spend hours pushing on the screen. Smokey has not eaten since 01/14 and up to last week cruised his tank so much that the aspen is completely compacted down. He has gone from 510 grams in December to 485 grams. He has not been brumated.

As long as the snakes have some weight on them, don't worry unless it extends into late Spring/early Summer when mating in the wild would be over. Those guys will eventually eat and will probably do the same thing next year.

Nanci
03-20-2008, 01:01 PM
The figure I've been told, by the owner of the local snake shop, who I would consider a reliable source of information, was after a snake loses 25% of its body weight, it's time to worry. So it's a good idea to have a baseline weight to begin with.

suecornish
03-20-2008, 03:39 PM
I think a part of good husbandry is knowing what your snakes weight. I do a base weighing when I first get my snakes so I know what I am starting with and then I try to weight them after each shed. That is one reason why I don't worry about Smokey - when I got him he was 364 grams so I am not going to worry about and I know he'll come around to eat before he loses 120grams more.

My problem child, Ashookie, is the one I am more worried about because she regurges if feedings are less than 10 days apart. I think regurges are more risky than just not eating.

We all get to be anxious parents when our kids aren't eating. It's only human nature and it also shows the care and concern we have about lives we take control over. We don't take our responsibilities lightly and that is good.

Drizzt80
03-20-2008, 03:47 PM
...how long does this last?. . .until he decides to eat . . . :sidestep:

Great suggestions given here already. I personally no longer get too concerned about my males during the Springtime. I used to get nervous about it, but when a male I no longer have went from November to June on one mouse he ate in February (after coming out of brumation) that convinced me they know best. :shrugs:

A healthy, well fed snake is going to exhibit very active, "normal" springtime behavior, and you should not be overly concerned about refusals. IF that same snake were exhibiting weak, lethargic behavior along with the refusals, then I'd get concerned and consider medical attention (after checking the requisite housing conditions of course!).

D80

outfishin7
03-20-2008, 04:06 PM
So Sherman is on one of these feeding strikes too. do I still try to offer him a mouse once a week? How will I know when he's done with refusing food? His old owner told me he ate like a champ, and i've yet to see it.

Nanci
03-20-2008, 06:25 PM
You keep offering, maybe stretching the frequency out to every ten days to two weeks, to cut down on wasting mice if you don't have another snake that will take them, and one time he will just eat, and, in my experience, just continue to eat from then on.

My Zee has been refusing since early January, and shed in that time period, and been offered a meal every seven days, two of which he has accepted. He refused last time, though, so I don't think the strike is over yet.

outfishin7
03-21-2008, 03:23 AM
Thanks for all the info. I will keep trying to feed him- i just won't stress out so much now that i know what's going on.

Nanci
03-21-2008, 05:40 AM
It's hard the first year. Maizey did it to me, starting in August! Everyone was saying, oh, it sounds like a hunger strike, but it's so late in the year...Then he started eating again after a couple months (of me freaking out!). Last year he went much earlier in the year, like everyone else.

Cam5
03-21-2008, 10:37 AM
Should you offer the f/t per usual or do you start in with the feeding 'tricks'...
slitting, washing etc?

Topazfyre
03-21-2008, 11:23 AM
Even for a series of consecutive disinterest in food, I would start with your normal f/t each time. If he doesn't want it after a couple of hours, slit the back and scent it and leave him overnight. Since this is normal behavior I wouldn't go to any drastic measures like feeding live or anole scenting, but the usual home-style tricks suffice. If he still shows no interest in eating after a couple times, I would skip a feed before trying again. Sometimes for some reason that gets them more interested despite still not being hungry.

I don't mean to steal a thread, but since we're on the topic, has anyone heard of females going on strike before? It would seem highly unusual to me, but not impossible. Just wondering.

Nanci
03-21-2008, 11:34 AM
I always slit, but I don't do any other tricks.

Lila, who just turned 300 grams, has refused, shed, ate, refused, ate a "better" mouse the next day, ate, refused. Up till that first refusal, she had never refused a meal for me. I don't know what's going on with her. Better not be gravid...I was really feeling her up the other night- I don't think she is.

Topazfyre
03-21-2008, 11:39 AM
Yeah, its weird. Kel, whos probing I witnessed at the vet's, was a veracious eater when I got her. Starting a bit ago, though, she and Freyja have gotten so finicky! It's not a strike per se, but they just take so much more effort to feed. I thought maybe it was my feeding methods, but now I'm not so sure.

Weebonilass
03-21-2008, 11:39 AM
I don't mean to steal a thread, but since we're on the topic, has anyone heard of females going on strike before? It would seem highly unusual to me, but not impossible. Just wondering.


Our first snake, my DD's female ghost would go off every spring. Of course, it was the petstore who said she was a female... so maybe she was a male... but now that we don't have her anymore, it appears that Kieran isn't going to strike, so makes me think that she was a she.

Jrgh17
03-21-2008, 11:54 AM
Should you offer the f/t per usual or do you start in with the feeding 'tricks'...
slitting, washing etc?

I don't bother with the tricks. They get the "normal" amount of time to take an interest, and then if there's no action, the mouse gets recycled to one of my 'piggies'. :shrugs:

Females are the exception, of course.

My older boy (Spencer) has refused every f/t mouse every year from January until at least mid April since 1997. His previous owner kept good records and was kind enough to forewarn me. I monitor his weight closer than I do the rest of the year (about once every 3 weeks), but I don't even bother to offer him food.

ghosthousecorns
03-21-2008, 12:25 PM
I have found that males on hunger strikes can sometimes be tempted to eat a few f/t pinkies even if they refuse larger items...

Cam5
03-21-2008, 05:02 PM
I don't bother with the tricks. They get the "normal" amount of time to take an interest, and then if there's no action, the mouse gets recycled to one of my 'piggies'. :shrugs:

Females are the exception, of course.

My older boy (Spencer) has refused every f/t mouse every year from January until at least mid April since 1997. His previous owner kept good records and was kind enough to forewarn me. I monitor his weight closer than I do the rest of the year (about once every 3 weeks), but I don't even bother to offer him food.

Do you mean the females do not go off food or that you try tricks with them?
We have an 07 caramel girl that is pet only...I know she could still produce eggs down the road...but I was hoping by having a girl we would avoid the strike angst:shrugs:

Do you offer him a bit more durong the rest of the year to beef him up a bit for the strike?

Jrgh17
03-21-2008, 07:58 PM
Do you mean the females do not go off food or that you try tricks with them?
We have an 07 caramel girl that is pet only...I know she could still produce eggs down the road...but I was hoping by having a girl we would avoid the strike angst:shrugs:

Do you offer him a bit more durong the rest of the year to beef him up a bit for the strike?

I haven't had any of my females refuse due to breeding season. I think, if it ever comes up, I would try the tricks for breeding females.

For Spencer: He doesn't really lose enough weight for me to worry about 'bulking him up'. I just go back to feeding him normally.

ratsncorns
03-22-2008, 06:08 AM
My male has refused for over 2 months... but he finally ate last week! You could certainly tell he was hungry. I just wait out the hunger strike. It sucks but they do eat eventually. The longest for my corns was 3 months, with no weight loss.

serpentalley
04-09-2008, 06:34 PM
My gosh, I am so glad that I found this thread! I too was loosing my mind trying to feed my 2.5 year old male Mirage, with little success and much wasted food. He is constantly cruising his viv, morning, day and night, seeming so desperate to escape to find his true love.
He has eaten smaller than usual meals in early winter but very infrequently and now won't eat at all. Little bugger.

ciaralynne87
04-10-2008, 08:31 PM
I know this is an older thread but I would like to add that if you do become worried about your children the vet will give them a booster shot for pretty cheap (at least here in Ohio). Its full of vitamins that make them hungry. Believe me it works my little guy started eating like a champ after 2 months of being disgusted by food.

Cam5
04-10-2008, 08:36 PM
I know this is an older thread but I would like to add that if you do become worried about your children the vet will give them a booster shot for pretty cheap (at least here in Ohio). Its full of vitamins that make them hungry. Believe me it works my little guy started eating like a champ after 2 months of being disgusted by food.

Do you happen to know which vitamins were in the shot? So we know what to ask for?

ciaralynne87
04-10-2008, 08:57 PM
I am not sure exactly I am going by what the vet said to me but the papers I have say it was Injacom/VIT B. I am guessing vitamin B. It was also priced at 19.00 which is not much compared to the stress I had from him not wanting to eat.

Roy Munson
04-10-2008, 09:10 PM
I know this is an older thread but I would like to add that if you do become worried about your children the vet will give them a booster shot for pretty cheap (at least here in Ohio). Its full of vitamins that make them hungry. Believe me it works my little guy started eating like a champ after 2 months of being disgusted by food.

I think this thread mainly pertains to the fasting that is observed in sexually mature corns (especially males) during the Spring breeding season. This is a normal thing, and should not cause worry if weight loss isn't extreme. You certainly wouldn't go for a vitamin shot to try to remedy the situation. You just wait until they're not in "the mood" anymore. :)

Even for young snakes, there are a LOT of things I'd try to stimulate appetite before taking them in for an injection.

ciaralynne87
04-10-2008, 09:15 PM
I agree. After becoming experienced with this time its normal to me. But some cases do become extreme and these shots do work. It helps when your going out of your mind worrying if your baby is going to starve or not

Cam5
04-10-2008, 10:21 PM
I am not sure exactly I am going by what the vet said to me but the papers I have say it was Injacom/VIT B. I am guessing vitamin B. It was also priced at 19.00 which is not much compared to the stress I had from him not wanting to eat.


Interesting...we add Vit B to our Bearides water when he wakes up from brumation...it seems to help him get on his feet a bit sooner.