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I have a mexican black king that isn't eating. Do these guys go on fasts for long periods?

I posted about this a while back.

Last year he stopped eating (I don't recall the exact month). I thought he might have been about to shed, so I waited. Even after the shed, he wouldn't eat. I brought him to the vet (with fecal sample). The vet couldn't find anything wrong.
Then it was suggested maybe he was going into brumation. So I reduced his temps a tad and gave him more time. He woke up, and still wouldn't eat.
Then it was suggested he might be looking for a girl. So I gave him more time. Still nothing.

His temps look good. The warm side is hitting 85 or so, but he seems to love burrowing down a bit more to where it gets 90 . Cool side is in the low 70s.
I'm varying up the FT mice in case he suddenly thinks that he'll ONLY eat one color.
He WAS in a large handmade wood and plexiglass tank, but he seemed very intent on getting out (his nose was starting to get a little rubbed too), so I put him in a 20L and he calmed down somewhat.
He's on aspen shavings. He's got a large water bowl that he can soak in if he wants. Plenty of fresh water. He's got 2 hides, but doesn't use them, except sliding under the warm one to get closer to the heatpad.
I don't see any signs of illness. Nostrils are clear, no heavy breathing or noises, no stargazing, etc.

I just can't figure this out. I suppose another a visit to the vet is in order, but I can't see what else they could see different from his last visit.

Any help would be appreciatd.

If your snake is squeezing down trying to get as close to the heat pad as possible, what does that tell you?...

Also, it is normal for snakes to go off feed at different times of year for dif reasons. They will often refuse food in winter even if conditions remain the same. Males will also not eat during breeding season. I have some males that will go 7 months of the year without eating more then a mouse or two. Some will even do this without cooling or a female present.

give him a hotter hot spot, tight fitting dark hides (you shouldn't be able to see him). And if he is not loosing weight then stop worrying, he will eat when hes hungry.

Nod...I actually put in a little less aspen yesterday when I changed the cage, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing anything bad (especially since everything I've read about black kings says they only want a hot spot of about 85).

Wow...7 months. Well, thats getting close to how long he's been waiting. I hope its just a long fast rather than an illness.

Thank you for the quick reply.

We have a tendency to worry too much about our animals because we care a lot about them. I have 3 adult males snakes that I just found hadn't eaten which is REALLY unusual. Husbandry is good,took a couple seconds to just relax and realize they are probably just not eating because they have babes on the mind and can't/won't think of anything else. Most of the colubrids we have in the hobby are VERY hardy when you just give them basic good husbandry, sounds like your doing fine. Good luck.
Bob

I try my best. And I want the bext for my guys.
I guess I'm just used to bigger eaters (I have two african house snakes too).

Thanks for all the help guys...

Well apparently he wasn't happy with his hide boxes. I had temporary hides which were just boxes with holes in the lids. I took the lids off and completely flipped them over leaving a tiny gap in the substrate from him to go in.
He jumped in and stayed there most of the day.

I also left a FT mouse under the warm hide overnight. And unless one of the cleaning ladies tok it out this morning (HIGHLY doubtful ), he ate it.

Also, he still seems to want major heat. While looking for the mouse, I found him UNDER the newspaper lining right against the glass above the heatpad.
I'm kind concerned there...wouldn't that be TOO hot? I placed a thin sheet of newspaper over it, but left him a fold to hide in so he's not touching the glass directly...

So apparently this whole issue was stress?

So now the question is, what should I do for hides? Apparently he wants something VERY low that he can feel his back against with a little weight on it.
Should I just cut the boxes down so they are like 1.5 inches high?

Also he's in a classroom now which is usually pretty quiet-ish, but there is student traffic (going in and out) about every hour. Are these guys a little more timid? i.e. should I just bring him home and keep him there?

Thank you Bob and Zack for all the help!

>>Well apparently he wasn't happy with his hide boxes. I had temporary hides which were just boxes with holes in the lids. sounds like the classroom is too chilly for him and he can't totally warm up.
try insulating a hide box on top of the heater. This can be done by doubling the deli cup, burying it in bedding, or cutting it down shorter (there will be less air to warm)so it touches his back.
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...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."

I just took a temp gun to my cages, and apparently my warm spots go up to 105-110 degrees F. That's taken from the inside of the cage. The direct readings of the UTH temps gave me a range of 115-128 degrees. My Mexicans (and many of my other kings) regularly lie directly on top of warm spots like this, and I actually worry sometimes if it's not warm ENOUGH.

I hope you don't get the impression that Mexicans are finicky with their meals. Mexicans in general are very ferocious eaters. I don't think I've ever had one refuse a meal unless it was due to breeding season. They are a very robust survivor species. The babies would totally kick other baby getula butt because they will stand their ground and put up a fight, rattling their tail, flinging poop, lunging and hissing, and showing you who's the boss when they snatch that pinky out of your grip. I certainly wouldn't call them picky eaters either. All of the babies I've ever started ate thawed mice from their very first meal, and I've never had my adults refuse quail or rats.
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www.BugChick.com

chickabowwow

I've had him for over a year now. He certainly wasn't finicky when I first got him.

Heck, he was a monster when I first got him because the previous owner had no clue how much he'd eat.

He was the ONLY problem I ever had when it came to biting with all my snakes.
Usually I'm VERY careful when handling snakes when feeding. I had brought out from FT mice and had them thawing. I used some hand sanitizer and purposefully washed my hands and picked the guy up. He slithered around my hand for a second then beamed in to my hand and struck.
Heh. I waited for a minute thinking he might finally realise that it was a BIG meal he was going for. Nothing. I waited more. Nothing. I finaly had to rely on the warm water from the tap trick.

try ceramic flower pot saucers.

I was once told that alot of flower pots might have nasty chemicals within. In fact, I lost a rosy for no apparent reason, and I'm pretty sure it was from some sort of poison from the pots...

Any thoughts on that?

I have never heard anyhting like that. I have been using different types (plastic, ceramic, sealed, unsealed) for 15 years and never had any ill effects. I know many people on this forum and many large breeders use them. They are cheap, dark, low profile, easily available in tons of sizes, and easy to clean. In short the perfect hide box.

I highly doubt that your snakes death had to do with the flower pot.