Situation normal. Welcome to the real world. I wondered the same thing when it happened to me - the first few times. Then I gained greater experience and understood.

My Cal King eats very aggresively - most of the time. Every now & then, he refuses food, usually adult mice. (Not as likely wiht smaller prey.) I try again soon, like the next day, no change. If I wait for longer than 4 days, he eats again every time.

Like you & I, sometime they just are NOT hungry! Oh well. Also keep in mind that once a snake decides to not eat a prey item, for any reason, that decision will be consistent. From that point on, they may even be intimidated by the prey. (There may even be times when they stop feeding on a certain color, and never take that color again! Not uncommon. Mine did that with black mice, then later, switched to stop taking white mice!)

If your snake does not want to eat, get the mouse out and stop trying to feed. Animal behavior does not work on a calendar cycle. Wait the appropriate time and it will feed eventually.

(Be prepared for a drop-off from feeding the first year that males become able to breed. This may occur briefly every spring; priorities change for males during breeding season and they are genetecially programmed.)

[ Hide Replies ]

• California King won't eat. - necroscollector, Wed Sep 21 18:31:01 2005
• RE: California King won't eat. - HerperHelmz, Wed Sep 21 18:45:28 2005
• RE: California King won't eat. - necroscollector, Thu Sep 22 05:46:57 2005
• RE: California King won't eat. - HerperHelmz, Thu Sep 22 05:56:58 2005
• Nope, Not Yet - Ameron, Thu Sep 22 09:47:07 2005
• Nothing But Relax - Ameron, Thu Sep 22 09:42:52 2005
• RE: California King won't eat. - necroscollector, Mon Sep 26 13:29:07 2005