Feeding Problems
So your snake is not eating, firstly, you’re going to think things along the line of OMG! What am I doing wrong? Am I a bad snake keeper? Will my snake die? And things along this line.
Snakes are designed to have long periods of fasting, older specimens can last months without food so long as they are well cared for and are drinking.
If a snake refuses a meal then simply leave it a week before trying again, if you offer over and over again you could intimidate your pet, this may normally do the trick.
But not always.
If it refuses again then you need to consider what is wrong, there is normally a simple explanation you need to consider the following:
1. Is the habitat at the correct temp
2. Correct humidity
3. Any external stimuli affecting the snake? Loud noise vibration, kids prodding and poking etc?
4. Is the pet unwell, sick, mites, shedding, breeding season?
5. Is the pet new to its environment
6. Are you handling it too much?
7. Are you offering the right size / type prey
8. Is the prey warm enough?
9. Are YOU intimidating the snake?
10. Have you introduced 2 snakes together?
11. Habitat is too large?
Ensure that you read up on the correct temp and humidity for the species of your snake and adjust as required.
Is the habitat in a quiet area? Snakes are sensitive to vibration and loud noise creates a lot of vibration which could upset your snake likewise kids prodding and poking the snake etc will upset the poor pet!
Check the wellness of the snake, give it a good visual and seek advice of a recommended Herp Vet if you have concerns, if it has mites treat the snake and the viv (along with any other Vivs in the household).
If it is in shed mode then allow it to shed and then check that it has shed fully, checking eye caps etc. If it is a clean shed give it a couple of days then try a feed.
If it’s in your snakes breeding season then it’s possibly got more on its mind than thinking about food it’s wanting a bit of loving try giving it a meal once a week until it takes just keep an eye on weight, condition and that it’s drinking.
If it’s new to its environment then give it a week or two to settle in before feeding.
Don’t handle your snake too much before feeding, handling is great exercise for your snake and we love to handle our pets, but even the most mellow of snakes do get a little stressed out being handled. When you have had your snake a long while you will know its limits but until you do try not to handle the snake too much on the day of the feed and don’t handle for 2 days after a feed.
Are you giving the snake the right size and type of prey? Corns prefer mice on the whole, Royals prefer rats, kings will eat anything it can get it teeth onto etc. Research your pet if you are new to snake keeping, you will also need to research the size of prey for your snake Corns offer up prey no larger than one and a half times its thickest part it may seem huge compared to mouth and neck but you’d be surprised at the how much they can stretch their mouth and neck. Prey too large can intimidate the snake or if you have a greedy snake they can damage themselves trying to take prey too large for them
Snakes who eat defrosted prey need to have the prey warm, there are numerous ways to warm prey however DONT defrost in a microwave or stick in VERY hot water you do not want to cook the prey I personally allow the prey to defrost naturally once fully defrosted I place the prey in a sandwich bag and place in some warm water for 15 mins this makes the prey a little warmer then body temp. However you defrost and warm the prey the idea is that the snake needs a nice juicy prey item full of nutrients any form of cooking will lose those nutrients and cooked prey will almost certainly be regurgitated as will very cold or part frozen prey.
Snakes are arguably the best designed predators, nature has perfected these little wriggly creatures, however unless they are a 20 ft + anaconda then nature has something that will feast on them so naturally snakes will not allow themselves to be in a position of danger if they can help it. They will be aware if you are watching it and a snake is at its most vulnerable when it feeds and drinks your snake would rather go hungry than risk getting eaten itself; this is part of the reason that they are so successful.
If you have recently introduced two snakes together, this could cause great stress for one or both snakes if this has happened then I would recommend removing the new one and placing that in a separate viv. The discussion re keeping pairs of snakes together is situated elsewhere on this forum.
Is your Viv too big? I used to feel that a snake would be fine in any size Viv so long as there was plenty of cover and hides etc. I was proved wrong when I moved my Brazilian Rainbow Boa into a 4 ft Viv too early; it stopped eating and refused to eat until it was put back into a smaller viv. I have learned the importance of correct size habitat although the debate will be ongoing for others.
The above hasn’t Worked, Help!!
OK we have gone through the basics and you’re happy everything is in order what are the tricks to feeding?
Try different feeding methods...
Try feeding at dusk or at dawn, these are generally the snakes optimal hunting times.
Leave the prey on a piece of kitchen towel overnight in the viv.
Try feeding out of the viv in a feeding tub I use an old Cake tub with a lid, its opaque so the snake feels secure it has a lid with some air holes and easy to keep clean.
Or if the snake is small enough use a reasonably large paper bag, place the prey in the bag then add the snake and leave in the viv for around half an hour before checking.
Gently try wriggling the mouse using feeding tongs, just enough to get the snakes interest Caution, don’t do this too hard as you may intimidate your snake and worsen the condition, I have spent 30 mins pretending to walk a mouse round a viv using long tongues, just to get a snakes interest.
Try Braining the prey, once defrosted use a sharp knife and make an incision into the skull of the prey, this is supposed to be the Calvin Klein of the snake world, they love it! a nice brainy bloody smell which should have your snake interested. This is a messy method and not for the squeamish, if you don’t think you are able to do this then get a friend who can.
Feeding pieces of chick may also get your snake going - or at the very least keep it going until you can find a solution to the feeding problem.
This list is by no means exhaustive just what I have done so far, and I have found successful.
However, if these DIY items are not successful then you can do the following...
Speak to the place / person you got the snake from for advice (this is the reason for buying a snake from a recommended shop/breeder)
Take the snake to a Herp / pet shop dealing in them, a lot of them will take them in and get them going again some will charge, others may not.
There is another method, which some find distasteful and others get highly emotional about, and that is the option of live feeding! For some snakes, the predatory instinct may be too strong and they may only take live prey - or need to take live and then be weaned off it. This method of feeding may need to be considered before assist feeding or force feeding as it is less stressful. In the UK it is legal to live feed, however there are limitations... It must be done so that there is no undue suffering on the prey item, it must not be done for sport and it must not be done for entertainment. People on You Tube run very close to the line of breaking UK laws when showing live feeding.
Live feeding must be supervised; snakes can receive horrendous bites and possibly die if not supervised. Rodents have teeth and when they are stressed i.e. in the presence of a snake and they are cornered i.e. in a feeding tub or in a vivarium they will try and protect themselves. Snakes won’t always take live prey for a whole host of reasons, if they haven’t taken it in around half an hour you should remove the prey from the snake to prevent both animals becoming stressed.
Prey items that are not taken should be humanely dispatched - especially small rats and mice that are not weaned. This can be done at a vet at a cost, or you can do it yourself with a blunt instrument such as a heavy knife handle and a sharp rap on the back of the neck.
Ultimately there MAY come a time where an assist feed is necessary this should be done only by persons who have done this before and are confident in their skills, it is stressful for the snake and the person doing the assist feed and there is a chance that the snake could be killed in the process (if done wrong)
In MOST cases the problem will resolve itself, some snakes are naturally picky I have a royal that will only eat pure white male rats it won’t touch any prey with brown or black patches.
During the period that your snake does not eat you will be frustrated and concerned try not to be as I said earlier snakes that are well fed and in good health can last a fair few months before they start becoming unwell, hatchlings and unwell snakes won’t last as long and expert advice ought to be sought sooner rather than later if all the basics have been checked and found to be in order.
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