Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just thinking again.

I picked up an adult female that was very sporadic on feeding. She came from a large respected breeder. After lengthy experiments, I found she would not eat if she was kept above about 82 degrees (DTH). 78-82, she pounded food. Any warmer and she stopped.

I have a few more since then that seem to prefer cooler temps. I'm not talking night-time drops but day time temps. Mine seem to feed best when the ambient temps are about 85 degrees in the warm end and 80-82 in the cool end. It makes me wonder if the regions are different as well and if that plays a role.

What temps do yours seem to eat best at?
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

I feed mine in the evening. I find that I have a very good feeding response when the temperature is in the mid 70's.

I usually feed at night around 75 degrees, any hotter and my snakes usually can't "see" their prey. But I guess as long as its not hotter then the foods body temp, u should still have a feeding response.

Richie

Which brings up another question: how much of a difference is visible? I just checked the temps of my rats and they range from 88-91 degrees. You would think they would easily be visible if the night temps were as low as 80.
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

i have a male who has not eaten in about 8 months. I finally took him out of his cage and put him in a smaller rubbermaid bin. I leave my house at 80 degrees and i left him with no heat. since in the cage on sunday he ate twice for me. he's just about 3 1/2 foot and i put a smalll rat in with him on sunday night because i fed all my other snakes then. In the morning when i got up i checked on him and was ready to write him off as a ball that was going to refuse until he dies. well i could not find the rat anywhere. Well i said on monday night i'll try again and on tuesday morning once again not rat. i'm not going to try to feed for probably about 5-7 days so hopefully he'll start to eat normal again.

My little one spends most of her life in her half-coconut hide on the warm side of the cage. I have a digital thermometer probe in the hide, and the temperature is nearly always in the 87 to 89 degree range. The only meals that she's skipped for the past four months have been when she was shedding.

My second one spends most of her time in a hide that is staying around 83 degrees. I've had her less than a month, and she's only eaten two rat pinkies although I've offered several different items on several different occasions. Of course, she's still so new that I just don't have a good understanding of her needs.

These surveys that you do are always interesting. Thanks for asking the questions.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.