Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Picked up a snow last year in Daytona, on its own it has taken one or two cornsnakes. I have been forcefeeding it since last August. I have tried every method I know of to get it to take food. I even cooled it and brought it back out in hopes that this would work. Its sibling, under the same conditions, is eating just fine. I thought I tried every method until reading some of the posts below. I think perhaps it does need a wider range of temps(more than a heat pad can provide).

This past weekend I set up a screen enclosure outside. Its about the size of a ten gallon aquarium and contains everything a Florida king should need(I live in Florida and this was not hard).

I will keep my fingers crossed and hope that this "natural" environment is enough to spark his appetite. Either way it will be an intersting(at least to me) thing to try. I'll let you know how this works out. Kevin

harrellandsonsherps

Very nice!,...and great photo as well!

First off,...tell us about the exact conditions you have it in(in detail),..and ALL of the things you've tried to get it to feed, then we can elaborate on it, and exchange some ideas.

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Well I've kept it in a shoebox rack, on aspen, with a deli cup full of moist spaghnum, ambient temp about 76.5 degrees. I have also tried a ten gallon aquarium with a heat pad underneath one side but I don't remember the temps on that. I also tried cooling it for a few weeks during the winter.

As far as feeding, I've tried anoles, cornsnakes(ate two), pinks, brained pinks, scented pinks(with anole tail,skin,and saliva). I've scented with cornsnake and also I think I've tried cornsnake saliva as well. I've tried feeding in shoebox, in deli cup and in front of his hide all to no avail.

I kept thinking that once she put on a little size she would get an appetite but she never did so I figured I'd try to keep her in a more natural setting outside to see if an infinite choice of temps will somehow stimulate her. It could be that she would just be one of the snakes that perish in the wild. But my collection is small enought that I can take the time to try this.

Thanks. Kevin

harrellandsonsherps

Hmmm, that dude is pretty stubborn,....have you tried de-scenting pinky with Ivory soap, then rubbing the pink all over a cornsnake, maybe even squeeze the cloaca of a corn and smear the pink. The cornsnake saliva seems like it should have prompted a feeding response, but I guess not.

How about a moistened cornsnake shed wrapped around the pinky like a damp raincoat?

It never ceases to amaze me though at the number of young snakes that sometimes just don't like rodent scent(mice and rat pups anyway). Oh, speaking of those, have you tried newborn rat pups?...that's another possibility.

In any case, SOMETHING should work, given some patience and time, and I'm glad you have a little of both to offer here.

Here's another idea too that I would employ. I hate to condone using a cornsnake, but if you just have ONE, you could smear pink with pieces of cornsnake, then freeze the rest. Take little frozen pieces and smear as needed, then freez again.

Also, Ive sustained stubborn snakes on mixed up egg before in small individual vials. One egg makes a TON of meals! just tube feed with a syringe approx. 1 cc. or so per serving. until something works and you get a feeding response from any of a number of chemical scent cues......it will happen, don't worry!

Anyway, good luck!, ~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

This is a tough one, and I think Doug is right on the money. Sometimes you get one that hates rodents.
My brothers brought me a wild caught speckled king last year that was about 36 inches long. It was as tame as my thayeri, which is totally cool and laid back like you wouldn't believe. The strange thing was when we went to feed it. It would take lizards (green anoles) which are plentiful in SW Louisiana and a natural food for speckled kings there. It would eat them happily all day. But when I tried mice or rats of any size, live or frozen, the snake went absolutely ape$h! . He went from this wonderful, sweet, curious snake to violently striking and thrashing and trying to escape. He would strike at the glass, my hands, forceps, anything. He would strike at the mice until there was blood everywhere, but wouldn't eat them. If I removed the mice, he would calm down within an hour or so and be back to normal. I sent the snake home with them with instructions to feed it only lizards until I had some more time to work with it. In the meantime, it developed some sort of hard blister-like sores and quickly perished. I thought it very odd, and interesting, that a speckled king would behave this way.
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1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase

I have a little wild caught speckled, also from SW Louisiana but from a different locality, that required no effort whatsoever to switch to f/t pinky and peach fuzzy mice. After I caught him I just started throwing in f/t mice and he went to town. Isn't it amazing how they can be so different?
Now, if only I can get him to stop musking me...
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1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase

Thanks for the great ideas. I'll try some of those and see if they work. I've got a nice little cornsnake shed that I can try the descenting and raincoat wrap. I've never heard of using the egg but I'm thinking I could use that idea to get those stubborn Eastern Hogs feeding.

Ya know, the whole scent thing is kinda funny as I have some snakes that seem to not like the big MALE rats, put a female rat or mouse in there and they devour it. I've always attributed it to the idea that maybe the male rats have a stronger scent. Thanks again. Kevin
harrellandsonsherps

You're welcome!,..........and yes, it is pretty bizarre how certain snakes get their feeding responses turned on by many different chemical scent cues. Some individuals little minds just needs one certain chemical scent cue to "flip the switch" and it can be smooth sailing from then on,.....I've seen it so many times. It's funny,...we were just talking about this very thing on a thread not far down from this one.

Good luck luck "throwing the switch"!..LOL!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Kevin- pm sent. I got my stubborn feeders to go by scenting pinks with the saliva of a cornsnake.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

crimsonking.piczo.com/

Thanks Mark. E-mail sent. Kevin
harrellandsonsherps

What about "gut-loading" the feeder corn with a pinkie or two? Could that help him put on some more size and maybe increase his appetite? Surely the corn would still smell like a pinkie..
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Holly

0.1 Lavender California Kingsnake (Lizzie Borden) (missing )
1.0 Florida Kingsnake (Eddie Gein)
0.0.2 Cornsnakes
1.0 Bearded Dragon (Charley Manson)
1.0 Orange Marmalade Cat (Oliver)
1.0 Black Cat (Shadowfax)
1.0 Egyptian Arabian (Bagan) (Deceased )
1.0 Tennessee Walking Horse (Durango)

2.0 Toddlers (Justice & Trevor)

Thanks Holly, but the cornsnakes were as big as her so I had to cut them up for her to take them. Kevin
harrellandsonsherps

Ground skinks are considered to be the most favored food of scarlet kings, but getula kings love them too. The strongest getula feeding response I have ever seen was to a ground skink. Five lined skinks and glass lizards are pretty good too.

I've got a wild caught brooksi I found in South Dade, and all I've gotten him to eat is a skink tail. In time I think he'll go to mice, but he could just as well whither away. I've never had a wild caught king be so stubborn.

skinks have "turned around" many snakes for me. Especially wc. The eastern I got from LP started with a large skinks and has been on mice ever since.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

crimsonking.piczo.com/

Thanks Nick, didn't even think of skinks, but I ought to be able to find a few of those around. Kevin
harrellandsonsherps