Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Happy Holidays! Stay warm wherever you are, it's cold here in Colorado.

My 1 year old 7 foot male won't eat, and has not in a month. He's in the basement with my monitors where he can see light cycles. The burms upstairs (5 feet and unuder) are in a room where virtually no outdoor light comes in, and are eating just fine. Ever since the days have been getting shorter he's refusing meals. I'm wondering, is it just natural for burms to stop eating during winter months, or at least slow down? Will he be o.k. until spring? Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

BTW- I have 2 digital temp guages in his cage and the temps are fine. He's acting normal(responsive,alert) when I get him out every 2-3 days for "playtime".

I have a large (15-foot) burm that has been in my care since 2000. Each year in October, he quits eating and refuses food until somewhere around Valentine's Day. The date of the fast varies; sometimes it's in early October, while once he ate near Halloween. But he always fasts through the winter. Around Valentine's Day, he sheds and from then on it's Katie bar the door. He eats like a fiend from the middle of February/beginning of March until October.

During his fast, he still sheds and is fairly responsive, but just won't eat. After that mid-February shed, he's noticeably more deliberate in his actions and I can tell he's obviously hungry.

He doesn't lose any weight and he doesn't display any changes in attitude. He just doesn't eat. So I would say if your snake's attitude/personality doesn't change and the snake doesn't start losing weight, be patient and wait until spring.

For the record, I also have a ball python in the same room (not cage, mind you) as the burm and the ball eats like crazy all year. Go figure.

RP

Thanks for the reply. A ball that will eat and a burm that won't, chalk that up as odd! I am glad to see my little boy is not the only one that likes to take it easy in the winter months. I am kinda glad now that he was a little chubby before he started his fast. I knew he was slowin down when he stopped accepting 2 and sometimes 3 jumbo rats( I know, but he just won't take rabbits yet, believe me I've tried) and would only eat one. Thanks for putting my mind a little more at ease. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!!