My Childreni has turned into a wimp

[n3xia]

Firstly, sorry for all the requests for advice lately - I kind of forgot I was a member here

Salazar is nearly 5 years old and has progressively gotten wimpier when it comes to his food. I know snakes tend to become more placid with as they get older, but I think it's getting a bit silly now. He hardly attacks his food any more. He will sheepishly stretch out towards the prey (not in the typical S shape as if he's going to strike) and slowly open his mouth and drag it away into a corner of his enclosure. If the prey touches him at all, he flinches and slithers away. Maybe he's just not hungry, but this has happened during the wet season here, when snakes tend to be the hungriest. Even when I wait a few weeks between feeds, he's still a wimp.

Last night I left the prey sitting on a log in his enclosure and by morning it was gone, but usually he just lets it go cold if he doesn't eat it while I'm standing there. He had two defrosted hopper rats last night and I made sure they were a bit warmer than my hand. He's only ever eaten mice and rats though, so maybe he needs a change of prey? Some small quails or something? What do you guys think?

 

[xXExplodexX]

That's the same as my Spotted Python, He Doesn't strike at it anymore. When the food touches him, He flinches. He missed his feed. So I'm going to try quail, See how he goes. I'm going to mixed up the food for my Snakes. Quail one week, Then Rats the other week. So they get something different.

 

[phatty]

i have the same problem with one of my albino darwins its like he is scared of food he hasn't eaten in about 6 week but when he is hungry he will eat i guess going to try some chicks this week thou
have you tried shaking the food when he has it as in might encourage him thinking it might be alive

 

[aerojake]

Lol my coastal does the same thing except he gets quiet scared of it he hiss's at it as loud as he can and curls up in the corner it is quite funny seeing a 9 foot snake do this towards a 25cm rat. but I guess when he's hungry enough he will eat again.

 

[n3xia]

Lol my coastal does the same thing except he gets quiet scared of it he hiss's at it as loud as he can and curls up in the corner it is quite funny seeing a 9 foot snake do this towards a 25cm rat. but I guess when he's hungry enough he will eat again.

My thoughts exactly. I guess he's just not hungry then! He's such an odd snake. Acts like he's starving one week, completely uninterested the next. Although I just asked an experienced snake owner/breeder (was married to the late Graeme Gow here in the NT) and she explained that snakes won't eat if they can detect changes in the air that indicate rain or overcast weather, because in the wild if they ate and it rained the prey could rot in their belly and give them salmonella etc.

 

[aerojake]

thats very interesting makes a lot of sense. I also had the same situation with a bredli of mine didn't eat for 11 weeks I turned the temp up by a few degrees for a few days and gave her a chicken warmed a up a little more than usual took it straight away after that I lowered the temp gradually back to normal and never had a problem since although I have made a habit of giving her the odd chicken probably every 4-5 feeds. I think a variation in food every now and then defiantly keeps them a bit more happier.

 

[marcia75]

My MD always does the same thing, just slithers up to it and slowly grabs it and just heads. Then I started moving the quail in front of him and he just went ballistic.

 

[xXExplodexX]

My Spotted Python finally ate. It has been 3 weeks since hi had eaten. Finally he ate yesterday on a Quail, He strike at it within no time. With A Rat he flinches, Takes him awhile to get interested in it.

 

[SteveNT]

My thoughts exactly. I guess he's just not hungry then! He's such an odd snake. Acts like he's starving one week, completely uninterested the next. Although I just asked an experienced snake owner/breeder (was married to the late Graeme Gow here in the NT) and she explained that snakes won't eat if they can detect changes in the air that indicate rain or overcast weather, because in the wild if they ate and it rained the prey could rot in their belly and give them salmonella etc.

Interesting theory. Say g'day to Sue for me, hopefully she's on the mend.

Both my Darwins like to death stare their food for a while (sometimes hours) before they chow down, one of them likes to lie all over her dinner while she delivers the death stare .

No such problem with the little File snake, 6 goldfish yesterday, 2 left today!