Stimsons Has Gone Off Food ... Help!

[reezy]

Hi All, have had our lovely 3yo stimsons for 4 four months now, was feeding beautifully every week but has for the last 3 weeks turned her nose up at her mice. Last night didn't even turn her head as we dangled the mouse in her enclosure but after a few minutes approached the mouse, opened her jaws wide for a big stretch then slowly moved around and over it, but showed no other interest. She otherwise seems happy enough - sleeps in her cave during the day and is quite active in the evenings, comes out to say hello for a few minutes and is okay with being handled.

Am getting a bit concerned now ... any ideas? The only change we've made is a different type of covering for the floor of her enclosure (couldn't get crushed hazelnuts shells so using Aspen snake bedding).

 

[beeman]

Very normal reaction for adult stimmies at this time of year.
So long as she is of good weight and healthy there is no problem and you will find she may not eat again untill the season turns in the spring!

 

[REPTILIAN-KMAN]

yeah beemans right - last week i tiredto feed mine and they all refused food ( stimmies ) today one looked hungry and i will try to feed them tomorrow but i dont think they will feed, if not the others rep can get them

 

[Ozzie Python]

I think we need a sticky thread on antaresia going off their food, especially considering they are really a beginners snake and there are so many out there.

It happens earlier with ants, particularly males, regardless of the keeper cooling them or not.

This year is a funny year so far for me. Temps are still up there (lowest i have recorded since cooling is 27C) but almost every adult bar 2 females (1 childrens, 1 woma) are off their food. Last year almost everything fed through until i stopped feeding them.

 

[reezy]

Thanks for the replies, guys! So I guess we'll just keep offering food once a week? I'd be interested to know what the signs are for hunger too so we can keep an eye out.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Don't bother offering food now till sometime in September. Drop the temps a bit, reduce or stop handling the snake, and leave it to its own devices for the next 4-5 months. Stimson's in the wild behave in exactly the same way. It is very unnatural for them to feed year-round, and I'd say that Stimmies in the wild probably feed over a period of only 3-6 months.

Jamie