Need advice with California Kingsnake

[Rattlehead]

Hi guys,

I have noticed some behavior with my new addition, a small (18 in) Cali King:

1. A few days ago, I noticed her opening the mouth several times, but just for a while. The whole weekend I monitored her and she didn't do it anymore, but yesterday she shown this again. I know that this can be related to a RI, but no visible bubbles or mucus when she opens the mouth.

2. She sleeps outside the 3 hides that are in the enclosure, always near the warmest zone of the basking area. Do your kings have the same behavior during winter?

She made a perfect shed around 4 days ago, but she hasn't eat the offered pinkies. She seems interested, but I can't get her to eat. She is super active when she is awake, and although she looks a little skinny, no backbones are visible. When I got her at petco, there were crickets, so I assume that has been her diet. Any ideas to turn her to meat? I did the brain pierce thing already.

Average temperatures in the tank are 80.6 'f, and warmer in the basking area. She is in the old tank of my Sinaloan milk (10 gallons), so thermometers, heating mat and lamps are well tested. Here is my setup. Currently the only change is the extra hide instead of the tree in the middle. I'll get an appointment to the vet at petco and my personal, just in case :)

[fishingfool]

What is a brain peirce thing?

[Rattlehead]

To increase the smell of 'food', you pierce the skull of the mouse with a needle and let some brains come out. It works with some picky eaters

[reptiledude987]

Braining sometime helps. I've never heard of any kings eating crickets. Likely they escaped from another enclosure and ended up in there with her. Sometimes with a really fussy king there are 2 things you can try first is force feeding if absolutely necessaary. If youve never done it before have some expierenced show you how. The second option is offering an anole or house gecko as theyre cheap and its a natural prey item for small kings. With my baby etb it wouldnt take pinkies so I would keep a frozen anole and put it in the smae dish I would thaw her pinkie in so it would pick up the scent and that helped get her going as well. Then I'd refreeze the anole until next feeding.

[Obsidian_Dragon]

Is it 80 even on the cool end? Because that's a bit warm for kings. Mine ranges from 72 on the cool end to 85 in the hot spot.

How are you offering the pinkies? My MBK usually takes his food from tongs, but has has his moods where he doesn't want to. In that case, I'll put the food on a paper towel and leave it wherever he's hiding. You can try that, and possibly even cover the cage for extra privacy.

I don't have to take that step for my king, but I do for my garter, so it's worth a shot. How long have you had the king? Maybe they're still adjusting and just aren't ready to eat yet.

I doubt she was eating crickets at Petco--sometimes they just escape and end up everywhere. Petco isn't always the best place but at least my local one knows that snakes don't eat crickets!

[Rattlehead]

Braining sometime helps. I've never heard of any kings eating crickets. Likely they escaped from another enclosure and ended up in there with her. Sometimes with a really fussy king there are 2 things you can try first is force feeding if absolutely necessaary. If youve never done it before have some expierenced show you how. The second option is offering an anole or house gecko as theyre cheap and its a natural prey item for small kings. With my baby etb it wouldnt take pinkies so I would keep a frozen anole and put it in the smae dish I would thaw her pinkie in so it would pick up the scent and that helped get her going as well. Then I'd refreeze the anole until next feeding.

This anole idea is great, I hope I can find them over here (we don't have much diversity in food in our pet stores like I saw in the States)

Obsidian: yes, the fresh zone is about 75. What is strange to me is that when she is still (sleeping, maybe), it's near the basking area, outside the hide, every day.

I'm using both methods, tongs and just leaving the pinky inbetween a folded paper towel. In both cases, she only smells the prey for a while, go around it and loses the interest. I have done this during the day, asuming she could eat because she was active, but I'll try tonight, as you say, maybe some darkness would help :)

[Rattlehead]

Still I need to check the reason why she opens the mouth. As additional info, after she does this, I see that the muscles behind the skull move, I have never seen my milk doing this and gets my attention

[Cmwells90]

Does she just open her mouth for a moment, like a yawn, or does she leaving it gaping open for a period of time, like 20 seconds or more? How is your humidity, and how is it measured?

[Rattlehead]

Does she just open her mouth for a moment, like a yawn, or does she leaving it gaping open for a period of time, like 20 seconds or more? How is your humidity, and how is it measured?

She opens and closes like a yawn, but like 10 times in a row, more or less. I have an electronic hygrometer in the center of the tank, this days it measures 35 - 45% humidity

[Rattlehead]

Update: Last night I tried in almost every way possible to feed B.B., at the end I had her in a plastic container with a lid, and when I was tired of waiting I grabed her out, and BAM! She bit the pinky! So she started eating while I was holding her in my hand. Looks like she needed somebody to cheer her up, lol. Weird snake, love it. Hopefully her hiding instincts will reactivate too and she'll stop sleeping in the open.

[marvelfreak]

Glad to hear he ate for you.

[Cmwells90]

Update: Last night I tried in almost every way possible to feed B.B., at the end I had her in a plastic container with a lid, and when I was tired of waiting I grabed her out, and BAM! She bit the pinky! So she started eating while I was holding her in my hand. Looks like she needed somebody to cheer her up, lol. Weird snake, love it. Hopefully her hiding instincts will reactivate too and she'll stop sleeping in the open.

grats! I would love to have a snake eat while I hold them, just for the expirence.

[ManSlaughter33]

Maybe she was trying to reset her jaw to feed, she finally got it so she could eat?
Just a thought. I know my boa does it once in a while before she eats and once in a while after she eats.

[Rattlehead]

It could be an explanation, and a pretty simple one. I think I link those 'yawns' to the fact that she spends most of the time in the warm area (it's not cold down here in Mx city) and think about the worst. Got the vet appointment this friday, we shall see! I think she's ok too, but better be sure :)

[Rattlehead]

grats! I would love to have a snake eat while I hold them, just for the expirence.

Man, it was so neat! I wish I had a recording. It was really relieving, Marvel, thanks!