Posted by:
quetzalcoatl
at Tue Nov 10 20:59:11 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by quetzalcoatl ]
I'm sure this is a very common question/concern, but I haven't found any posts which fully answer my questions. Also, I am crossposting this from [url ban].
I have a desert kingsnake that is about 2 feet long. He has eaten twice for me since I go him, both times there seemed to be no problems. He turned down his last scheduled feeding (last wednesday, the 4th), and I have tried twice since then.
I am using F/T pinkies. This last time I even tried braining the mouse, but he still just stayed curled up under his log for hours, not even approaching the mouse.
I am a bit concerned about his temperature. I have a digital probe, and when I put it directly on the bottom glass on the hot side, it reads 101-102 degrees F. If I pull it up to on top of the aspen shavings, it says 95. If I move it to the cool side on top of the shavings, it says 77 degrees F. He spends most of his time on the hot side, so I suspect he likes it there... Humidity reads about 60% on the cheap sticky hygrometer I have. I'm confused about this because none of the care sheets I've read have those numbers in their range, or tell you where to measure it (i.e., on top of the substrate, or below -- he does like to burrow).
Anyways, he just shed last night, so I suspect that's why he wasn't eating before, but today I offer him another meal, and after about 4 hours he still hasn't eaten, even after braining... I tried moving the mouse to just in front of him, so he knows it's there. Is it just that snakes don't like to eat right after shedding? If so, how long should I wait? Is the temperature bad? If its too hot, why does he spend so much time on the hot side?
Any advice is welcome and I'll answer any questions as best as I can. It's bumming me out that he doesn't want to eat, so I'll try anything.
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 Desert kingsnake not eating - quetzalcoatl, Tue Nov 10 20:59:11 2009
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