California Kingsnake

[Hillsberry]

Hi. I bought my California Kingsnake about a month ago and when I first got him he was eating fine but now he seems to reject the "pinkies". I read up on eating behaviors and I am worried. Some people are saying its because its winter and they slow down in the winter and you should only feed them once every two weeks. And other people say its the heating in the home but mine is fine. If you could help me out that would be great. Thanks!

[Wolfus_305]

Hi there,
I'm not familiar with kingsnakes but you should first check all your temperatures and humidity and other enclosure details. I would also suggest not handling the snake and only going into the enclosure for misting, water etc.
I hope this helps a bit
Kendra

[mary10]

i have a desert king, he eats like a pig, but is it possible that yours is going into a shed? i have a corn that wont touch food a week before he sheds and a few days after the shed, which is really odd cause all my other corns dont give a crap if there going into a shed or in the shed they still eat lol, you could just have a picky eater also, as long as your temps are good for both ends and your humidty is on i wouldnt worry to much, listen for signs of illness and take him to the vet if you think theres a problem.

[Hillsberry]

He shed in the first week of November. Do snakes shed more then once a month and should I be worried?

[eatnom21]

how long did it go without eating..you may want to switch to live pinkies because they dont pose much of a threat to any snake.... another tactic to try is 2 start braining the mice.... this is a gruesome task which involves piercing the skull so the blood can leak out...the snake should then pick up the scent nd react by eating... u shouldnt be worried unless u notice that the snake has had significant weight loss but its not rare for snakes 2 go without eating...also how often do u feed it and do u handle it 2 soon after feeding.

hope this helps.

[Hillsberry]

He is a young snake and I feed him every 5 to 7 days. He eats lot sometimes he eats 6 "pinkies" in one meal. I don't handle him for 48 hours after feeding him. My tank is perfect. The temp on both sides are what they say fine. So I dont understand. I think he might be getting ready to shed if so can you tell in anyway. Like someone told me that there skin looks paler then normal. Well its hard to tell on him because he is albino.

[mary10]

snakes shed when they grow, depends how much you were feeding and the increase in size of food. i cant say wether you should be worried or not, what are your tank conditions like? heat, humidity, hides? did anything change lately? did you use soemthing new or take something away? snakes can be finky little creatures, could just be he's not in the mood, food could have been to cool, some dont like certain color pinkies...could be lots of things. just watch closely for illness, may not hurt to get a fecal sample tested on the safe side. best of luck

[Good 'N Plenty]

6-7 pinkies in one meal? If this is the case then think about moving up to 1 full sized mouse.
As a young snake, a once a week feeding schedule is fine, but eating so many tiny animals can be more stressful than eating fewer lager prey items.

There are theories that perhaps some snakes are more receptive to barometric pressure changes in the winter months, which causes them to go off feed in the winter months when they would normally have to be conserving their energy with the lower temperatures.
My large female BP typically follows this routine a lot and eats very rarely and sporatically from Nov through Feb. However, I still attempt to feed her every week just incase she is feeling peckish and will take the rat.

Regarding shedding, the skin will usually darken prior to the shedding and will take on a milky-hue. The eyes will cloud, indicating the snake is in "blue" in fluid fills between the new and old skin in order to help with the shedding process. A couple days after going into "blue" the eyes will clear and the snake will appear normal. 1-3 days later it should shed.
All my snakes tend to go off feed prior to "blue-ing" but almost all of them then eat once they come out of blue and before they shed.

If you're temps are ok, it could be shed (if the signs are there) or pressure (out of your control) or perhaps the snake simply wants other prey items or something slight has been changed in how you thaw/feed the prey items to your snake

[Hillsberry]

Thanks so much. I will try to feed him every week and move up to fuzzies. I will keep an eye on him thanks again