Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had this problem with my Kingsnake (doing it again this year), but never with our corns...

We have one Adult Corn (Okeetee) that eats all year round, every feeding, except when in shed. No problems...

My Kingsnake last year went 3-4 months without eating over the Winter. It was thought he was mimicking brumation, even though I kept temps/light normal yearround. How does he "feel" it's Winter??

OK, so the matter at hand. Our Lavender Corn (about 2 I think) is doing this same thing this year. His last feeding was Jan 25th. Last year he ate fine yearround. Now, when I put him in his feeding cage with the mouse he's just not interested.

I got some smaller mice (hoppers), since this got my Kingsnake eating last year (going back to fuzzies), but the first try the other day didn't work.

I'm concerned because my son lost a different Kingsnake who didn't eat for like 8 months and finally just died a couple years ago. I don't want either of us to go through that again.

Otherwise the snake is healthy and active. Seems totally fine. Just seems to forgot how to eat.

Does anybody have any advice? Just keep trying??

That so-called "problem" is very typical of many male colubrids(winter up to about now). It ate all year round last year because it was immature. Now that it is going on two years old, his instict is to not eat and stay on the prowl for a mate. They are generally not fooled by warmer temps either, as they naturally get their seasonal cues from the natural photo-period of the sun from any windows in the room it is housed in. They know the different lengths of the day like clock-work. This is simply the way they have been "hard-wired" for many millenia.

If your husbandry environment is still sufficient, I suspect he will start eating again after his erge to breed starts to subside. A healthy snake of decent weight can easily go several months with no food at all.

I would not worry much at this point at all to be honest. I think it will resume feeding again within a few more weeks.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

meant urge, not "erge"!..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I don't have a single two year old or over male snake that is eating right now. Even my little 1 1/2 year old everglades rat isn't eating.
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Amy Claiborne

Don't let them take your wasted time. J.T.

My 2 year old male lavender is not eating either. His mind is on other things. See below post.

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Kent

0.1 Hypomelanistic striped cornsnake
1.0 Lavender cornsnake
1.2 Gray-banded kingsnakes, blairs phase