Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Sub-oc male. Feeds fine for 3 years on live pinks & fuzzies. Never a problem. Though no weight loss, he's refused all food for the last 6 months. Temps & ventilation are right on the money. Ideas, folks??

Not feeding is a symptom but there is 100 different things it could be. My Trans Pecos rat snakes just came out of hibernation. Here is a shot in the dark just to get the ball rolling. First is my disclaimer I am no veterinarian. Here it goes, my males stop feeding when breeding around June/July. They also stop feeding prior to hibernation around November 25 until March 25. There is six months without food based on biology alone. At three years of age he is sexually mature. Six months without food around this time of year may not mean much. My subocs have just had their first meal post hibernation. How is his body weight? Does he look thin?

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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

I agree with "Sighthunter" 100% that it's due to prowling for a female!.....if it's not making any wheezing/clicking sounds, and mouth isn't agape(meaning RI problems), and is otherwise totally normal, then odds are it's in his "finding female" mode, and nothing at all to worry about......he should snap out of that shortly.........best regards, Doug
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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!

The biological urge to breed may be part of it but my hunch is that somehow the cycle got messed up, if the snake was reaching maturity and was not hibernated. In the wild he would have hatched late October November or so and had a meal or two if lucky and hibernated. Breeding urge might have started his behavior but keep in mind we are guessing. What if he has a piece of substrate stuck in his digestive tract? Maybe soak him and see if you get him to defecate. At least you will know if he is able to pass food. Keep in mind these animals have a biological rhythm in the wild but our captives have a MUCH different existence. If a wild snake wants to turn off it just has to go four feet underground and it can drop his body temp to 55F or crawl up under a sun baked rock to get as hot as it wants. I was with Bob Clark in Texas and we had rattlesnakes coming out of burrows at 33F one degree above freezing!!! It was warmer under ground. My hunch is they were killing off blood born pathogens by almost freezing themselves so we can all guess all day but try to keep him on somewhat of a natural cycle. A GOOD reptile vet may be a good idea also although GOOD ones are far and few between.
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Thanks so much, guys! I think you probably hit the nail on the head.
He's in great shape, active, exploratory, just doesn't eat.
Hard to cycle them in Florida & reckon I need to invest in a wine chiller for next winter. He's surrounded with "girlfriends" but, they're all jail bait still.
We'll just keep on offering the smorgasbord.
Thanks again.

np
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