Diamond python not intrested in food, last ate 1 year ago.

[Burns]

I was given a 6 year old Diamond in December 2007 from friends who could no longer keep him. He has always been fed live food and has been on guinea pigs for the last few years.
When I got him he had not fed for 6 weeks and was about to shed. He shed well and I waited a few weeks before feeding but he would not take it, after another 2 months he shed again. He finely fed in early May almost 5 months since his last feed.
I waited 4 weeks and have been trying to feed him since then but he will not take it. He will smell the guinea pig and knows it’s there but just loses interest and crawls away.
He is 2.5m long and seems happy, healthy and active. I did have the thermostat is set to 22 on advice from the previous owner but following responses to my last post I have bumped it up to 28 under the lights.

See my last post on this which is now closed.

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/herp-help/diamond-python-only-eaten-once-in-over-7-months-87366

Any ideas why he will not feed or what I should try?

I have attached a few pics showing him and the enclosure.

 

[sweetangel]

he looks pretty healthy. i would put some hides in there though. he might not feel secure enough to eat. see if he will eat if he can hid away afterwards. also i think it might be time for an enclosure upgrade. i think that one might be a bit small. thats all i can think about

 

[serpenttongue]

Not sure what to make of him lying on his side like that??

Looks like a female to me. 2.5m males are a rare thing.

 

[JasonL]

Looks like alot of heating for a Diamond?...

 

[Renagade]

I wouldnt be using sand for a snake. try him on a quail, dead. and also i agree with previous statments about enclosure size and more hides. what methods have you used to encorage him to eat?

 

[Blackdog]

He looks as if he could be obese. If thats the case he may well be self regulating until he gets to a more normal weight and condition. As Sweetangel said give him a couple of hide boxes, replace the sand with newspaper or another more suitable substrate and mount the branches so that he can climb and get a bit of excersise. I would probably put some sort of guard over the heat lamps as well.

 

[Gazza]

I was given a 6 year old Diamond in December 2007 from friends who could no longer keep him. He has always been fed live food and has been on guinea pigs for the last few years.
When I got him he had not fed for 6 weeks and was about to shed. He shed well and I waited a few weeks before feeding but he would not take it, after another 2 months he shed again. He finely fed in early May almost 5 months since his last feed.
I waited 4 weeks and have been trying to feed him since then but he will not take it. He will smell the guinea pig and knows it’s there but just loses interest and crawls away.
He is 2.5m long and seems happy, healthy and active. I did have the thermostat is set to 22 on advice from the previous owner but following responses to my last post I have bumped it up to 28 under the lights.

See my last post on this which is now closed.

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/herp-help/diamond-python-only-eaten-once-in-over-7-months-87366

Any ideas why he will not feed or what I should try?

I have attached a few pics showing him and the enclosure.

Hi mate the size of the enclosure looks fine to me, put a few climbing branches and a hide in there for him, and maybe try a quail Diamonds love to eat birds ive had a few feeding probs with diamonds and the birds never failed

 

[Allies_snakes]

you could try a different enclosure for a start, bigger & more height than length as diamonds love to climb and be elevated. Deffinately put more hides in and please, please, please put some guards/cages around those lights, you are risking you snake getting burnt by wrapping itself around them. Try doing this change, then leave the snake for a week or two before trying to offer food. What is your location? If its cold, its possible your snake will not eat now until after winter is over. Temps for Diamonds are 28deg warm end/22deg cool end. Here is a pic of my diamonds enclosure for an example. Please do not hesitate to ask any more questions. You snake doesnt appear to be under weight. There is a good chance that if it has only eaten live it may not eat frozen for you. Best of luck.




p.s this enclosure is 1.2m wide x 1.5m high(not including base) x .6m deep.
and on further inspection of your snake it is over weight and is possibly self regulating as mentioned.

 

[Jay84]

My diamond did exactly the same thing. at about 4 years of age he just stopped eating for a year. i was really worried to start with, took him to the vets, nothing wrong with him. i offered him food once every 6 weeks but like yours, he showed interest in smelling but never actually took it. then one day he ate it. what a relief that was! but like yours he was of good weight and lost no condition during this time.

id love to know why certain snakes do this?

 

[oreo1]

you could try a different enclosure for a start, bigger & more height than length as diamonds love to climb and be elevated. Deffinately put more hides in and please, please, please put some guards/cages around those lights, you are risking you snake getting burnt by wrapping itself around them. Try doing this change, then leave the snake for a week or two before trying to offer food. What is your location? If its cold, its possible your snake will not eat now until after winter is over. Temps for Diamonds are 28deg warm end/22deg cool end. Here is a pic of my diamonds enclosure for an example. Please do not hesitate to ask any more questions. You snake doesnt appear to be under weight. There is a good chance that if it has only eaten live it may not eat frozen for you. Best of luck.

View attachment 91319


p.s this enclosure is 1.2m wide x 1.5m high(not including base) x .6m deep.
and on further inspection of your snake it is over weight and is possibly self regulating as mentioned.

totally agree. more hides, elevation and branches will do him good.