| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| A-hardie |
Posted - 13/04/2015 : 21:35:28
Hi all. My anerythristic corn snake, axproximatley seven years old if my maths are right, has not fed for two months. He remains active to the same degree that he was before, alternating around the ends of his vivarium as he feels the need, or hiding under the bark or within his cave. Prior to this, the only times he has not fed have been around his shedding cycles, and those were only instances of a week or two.
Thus far I have tried leaving him alone with the mouse, forceps, by hand, and most recently braining the mouse, all to no avail. I cannot give a comparison of weight loss as I had not weighed him for some time prior to this. For those who may know of a good herpatologist, I am in the South of England, Hampshire, in one of the surrounding towns around Southampton. Any suggestions? |
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| A-hardie |
Posted - 22/04/2015 : 00:13:22
He's snacking again, thank you all for your help. |
| A-hardie |
Posted - 15/04/2015 : 00:00:46
quote:
Originally posted by Razee
There can be other reasons - temperature is one of them - best is to re check the hot and cold side temps... sometimes, the thermostat or the thermometer can malfunction, and if the temps aren't right, he might refuse to feed.
Also, what condition is he in at the moment? When he does eat, how often and what size mice do you feed?
Best thing would be to monitor his weight, as fast weight loss would mean he's not well, or possibly has parasites...
If you are at all worried, especially as he's never done that before, or if his weight starts dropping fast, have him checked up by a reptile vet. It's difficult to say what's wrong over internet, and you know your snake best, so will be able to tell when something isn't right.
He's in good condition, he still likes to romp, though he spends the largest amount of his time poking his head out of his cave like before. I would normally feed him medium white mice once a week,and up until now he has eaten them like clockwork. I have been trying to find a reptile vet local, but so far none are within travelling distance (i don't own transport). |
| Razee |
Posted - 14/04/2015 : 16:38:46
There can be other reasons - temperature is one of them - best is to re check the hot and cold side temps... sometimes, the thermostat or the thermometer can malfunction, and if the temps aren't right, he might refuse to feed.
Also, what condition is he in at the moment? When he does eat, how often and what size mice do you feed?
Best thing would be to monitor his weight, as fast weight loss would mean he's not well, or possibly has parasites...
If you are at all worried, especially as he's never done that before, or if his weight starts dropping fast, have him checked up by a reptile vet. It's difficult to say what's wrong over internet, and you know your snake best, so will be able to tell when something isn't right.
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| herriotfan |
Posted - 14/04/2015 : 08:58:01
Females can also go off food during the breeding season.
As long as everything else is normal for him then he will be fine. Snakes can go a long time between meals.
If he starts to lose weight and/or becomes lethargic that's the time to go to the vet for more investigation.
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| A-hardie |
Posted - 13/04/2015 : 23:09:04
quote:
Originally posted by Razee
It is still the breeding season, and if he is a male, it's perfectly normal to be off food, as they have their mind on other things...
As long as all your set up temperatures are ok, and he looks healthy and has no other problems, all you can do, is monitor his weight (perhaps weigh him 2 x a month ) to make sure he isn't loosing too much too quickly, and maybe try to offer food very 2 weeks or so. don't offer food too often, it will only stress him out, and you will only end up wasting more mice.
I find that sometimes they are more likely to take smaller food items, so if he's normally on large mice, maybe offer a medium mouse, warmed up, in the evening, and see if he will take it.
I do not question your knowledge, but I have never experienced him acting like this before, or at least not to such a long degree. Does it sometimes begin later in their lifecycle? I will admit that I'm hazy at best on reptile breeding.In fact, I'm not even sure if he's a 'he'. I never had him checked. |
| Razee |
Posted - 13/04/2015 : 22:18:04
It is still the breeding season, and if he is a male, it's perfectly normal to be off food, as they have their mind on other things...
As long as all your set up temperatures are ok, and he looks healthy and has no other problems, all you can do, is monitor his weight (perhaps weigh him 2 x a month ) to make sure he isn't loosing too much too quickly, and maybe try to offer food very 2 weeks or so. don't offer food too often, it will only stress him out, and you will only end up wasting more mice.
I find that sometimes they are more likely to take smaller food items, so if he's normally on large mice, maybe offer a medium mouse, warmed up, in the evening, and see if he will take it. |
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