King snake kills but won't eat

pshisbey · 05-17-13, 05:18 PM

HELP! I've got a 3', 3 year old CA King that is RAVENOUS and kills fast but won't eat. Last ate successfully over a month ago. Since then it has killed 5 mice but hasn't eaten. This is very uncharacteristic; it has been a very good eater. After killing a mouse it unwinds and then starts sniffing/searching around like it CAN"T FIND THE MOUSE and eventually just abandons it! The only thing that has changed is about the time it ate last I put a piece of tree bark (from outside) in his tank, but have removed it about a week and 2 mice ago. Thinking perhaps it's something in the tank so am going to try cleaning the tank. PLEASE HELP. Thanks

jarich · 05-17-13, 08:58 PM

Can you tell us about your enclosure and the parameters? Also, how long have you had it and how often are you trying to feed it.

It sounds like its killing the mouse defensively, and isnt interested in eating, but hard to tell from just this.

pshisbey · 05-17-13, 09:41 PM

Thanks jarich, but I think we've had a successful feeding tonight. Went in to clean the tank and the mouse was gone. There's barely a lump in the snake, but since I can't find the mouse I'm calling it a successful feed. Not sure why it got so fussy over the larger mice all of a sudden; it was eating them last year. Maybe after coming out of hibernation it want's to start small? Anyway, smaller mice seem to be the fix. Thanks

Starbuck · 05-18-13, 06:02 AM

depending on how you've kept your snake (it sounds like you brumated it?) it could have just been unwilling/not ready to start eating again. I had a milk snake do the same thing. Glad he ate for you.
In the future, i would toss the mouse in (STAY and watch the snake, if you are feeding live), wait until he kills it; and then leave the snake alone overnight to find and eat it. Sometimes they jut get shy, lol

KORBIN5895 · 05-18-13, 07:38 AM

^^^^^
Sounds like he doesn't want you around while he eats. So do what she said.

@Jarich

I haven't ever heard of a snake killing a rodent defensively. I'm interested in hearing more on that if you have any links.

**Aaron_S** · 05-18-13, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

^^^^^
Sounds like he doesn't want you around while he eats. So do what she said.

@Jarich

I haven't ever heard of a snake killing a rodent defensively. I'm interested in hearing more on that if you have any links.

Really?

Snakes will sometimes kill something just because it's irritating them. I've had snakes here who after a bit of teasing will take the rodent from me but won't eat it.

Probably was just tired of having it shoved in around it when it didn't want it there in the first place.

I don't know if that's defensively or whatever but I've had a small number of snakes do it.

Lankyrob · 05-18-13, 08:16 AM

My GTP "killed" his FT rat this week and i believe it was purely to stop us irritating him with the rat, he usually takes a while before he strikes and once he has the rat we leave him, this time after we had shut his viv he unravelled and dropped the rat on the floor.

pshisbey · 05-18-13, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starbuck

depending on how you've kept your snake (it sounds like you brumated it?) it could have just been unwilling/not ready to start eating again. I had a milk snake do the same thing. Glad he ate for you.
In the future, i would toss the mouse in (STAY and watch the snake, if you are feeding live), wait until he kills it; and then leave the snake alone overnight to find and eat it. Sometimes they jut get shy, lol

I unplug the heat pad during winter. The room stays in the 50's and the snake is always sleeping/hidden. When it came out of hibernation back in mid March it did eat a couple of time. I usually do confirm that it caught and killed the mouse before leaving. It's just that for the past 4 times I've gone back a hour later to find the mice still lying there and the snake off in another corner.... However, again, yesterday's feeding (of quite a small mouse) seems to have been successfull. Thanks, I appreciate the support! Phil

pshisbey · 05-18-13, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

My GTP "killed" his FT rat this week and i believe it was purely to stop us irritating him with the rat, he usually takes a while before he strikes and once he has the rat we leave him, this time after we had shut his viv he unravelled and dropped the rat on the floor.

I feed about a mouse a week; probably a little less. Usually he's got it in under a minute.

Terranaut · 05-18-13, 09:29 AM

My king has done this. I feed f/t but sometimes I present and he strikes but then lets go so I go to pic it up and he strikes and coils again but a minute latet lets go again. He will keep striking and taking it from the tongs but doesn't eat it. Typically he goes blue a day or two later and sheds. Then he eats no problem. I think they are just to stupid to shut off the movement/smell combo reaction and attack. I have never heard of anyone having a king starve itself to death so I wouldn't worry. Personaly if I was worried I would just make my hot side something in the mid 90's to encourage him to eat or think it's summer.
Now I only have the one king and he is a Goins king but isn't he a little small for 3yrs old? What are your summer temps for him?

Starbuck · 05-18-13, 10:04 AM

Terranaut, my kings are both just over 2.5 feet and 2.5 years (though both cali kings), and are certainly never short of food lol.... have also never skipped a feeding, even in winter. I think the OPs length/age seems about right. I totally agree though that some of them just can't seem to turn their feeding response off hahahaha, my female is a little pisser

My measurements are using snake widgets, so could be off, mine are about an inch in diameter, almost as big as a quarter, and take small adult mice.

KORBIN5895 · 05-18-13, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Really?

Snakes will sometimes kill something just because it's irritating them. I've had snakes here who after a bit of teasing will take the rodent from me but won't eat it.

Probably was just tired of having it shoved in around it when it didn't want it there in the first place.

I don't know if that's defensively or whatever but I've had a small number of snakes do it.

Yeah, really. I've never had it happen. I usually throw a thawed rat in and leave.

jarich · 05-18-13, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

^^^^^
Sounds like he doesn't want you around while he eats. So do what she said.

@Jarich

I haven't ever heard of a snake killing a rodent defensively. I'm interested in hearing more on that if you have any links.

Ya, fair enough, I suppose 'defensive' wasnt the best word there.

charlesc84 · 05-18-13, 06:43 PM

2 of my Carpets will "kill" a f/t rat and not eat it on occasion. I always wondered if snakes would constrict a potential predator or foe in the wild. There's videos of African Rock Pythons getting killed by Leopards, I think if the Python just constricted the leopard it can win. But I've never read anything about that happening.

Crashcrashboom · 05-18-13, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlesc84

2 of my Carpets will "kill" a f/t rat and not eat it on occasion. I always wondered if snakes would constrict a potential predator or foe in the wild. There's videos of African Rock Pythons getting killed by Leopards, I think if the Python just constricted the leopard it can win. But I've never read anything about that happening.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...46751780,d.eWU a python taking down a leopard.