King snake not eating! Help!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
silvertip0;4714919; said:
It seems to be staying to the colder side under the substrate. Does that mean the heatpads are too hot?
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Well, is there a hiding spot on both ends? If so and it still chooses the cooler side, then I guess it means the heatpads are too hot.

It sucks when your snake doesn't eat, I had a stressful time fumbling with a new ball python when I first got him as it wouldn't eat well.
Now I know to feed at night and hold the f/t mouse up with a tweezer. I don't even have to tease him now, he will just smell it, come out of the hiding spot and attack it right away.. works 100% every time.

I also found that my guy doesn't like going in the feeding bin for some reason.
He just seemed cranky in there, and wouldn't eat it the mouse even after being in there for a few hours..
 
he's probably not going to eat until early spring.. i have WC CA kingsnakes and it takes a whole lot of convincing to get them to eat anytime after Thanksgiving. of course this is the season when the mice breed like crazy and i'm SERIOUSLY overstocked on feeder mice.. lol.
 
He seems to go to both sides. And I'm lucky because this is my first snake that doesn't eat. And all of the are calm, except for the other littler king snake I have(who i got from the same person and eats just fine)
 
Morledzep;4714940; said:
he's probably not going to eat until early spring.. i have WC CA kingsnakes and it takes a whole lot of convincing to get them to eat anytime after Thanksgiving. of course this is the season when the mice breed like crazy and i'm SERIOUSLY overstocked on feeder mice.. lol.
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It sounds like you need more snakes lol
 
I purchased a very young red tail that wouldn't eat. I called the shop and found out that they had been feeding them in paper bags. Over the course of several feedings, I finally got him to eat outside the bag (feeding in the bag, in the bag with top open, bag on its side, pinky just inside bag, then pinky just outside bag).

Also, I took in a rescue female ball with a respiratory infection. She didn't eat for five months. For the last month of her "hunger strike" I was in contact with a professional herp rescue org. I was probably a week away from taking her down to them...anywho, she finally started eating, packed on the weight, and bore several clutches of eggs for me.
 
My cali king would stop eating every year in the late fall and resume in the spring, and tended to hang out on the cool side of the tank all winter anyways. But one year it was not in my possession for a few months fall-mid winter with someone who had a herp room with a high temp and never stopped eating. Perhaps try overhead heat to create a more ambient temp in the enclosure. Otherwise i wouldn't worry about it, keep its water fresh and maybe offer food every few weeks.
 
Even if cage temps are kept warm, the snake's biological clock will often let it know it's winter and thus resulting in the snake not wanting to feed. I say cool the snake for the next 2 months down into the upper 50's mid 60's and not offer any food, granted it's in good body weight. You can then warm the snake back up and offer food after a short winter brumation. I look foward to this time of year when I don't have to pay the feeding bill on my snakes. If your snake appears thin, then keep it warm and keep offering food. It should take mice with little to no problem if it's a 3' CB splendida. Wild kings do often prefer lizards such as Sceloporus.
 
Hope u get it eatting. My wifes milk just ate its first f/t fuzzy.
 
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