Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey Folks,

Last week I got a pair of pyro knoblochis, with intent to breed them in the spring. I am having trouble with the male eating.

I got them tuesday, and the previous owner said they'd last eaten the previous wednesday (they are feeding on F/T fuzzies.) When they arrived, the male was grey and getting ready to shed. The female has been very docile and not stressed at all, and has fed almost out of my hand. But the male has been agitated since arriving (probably due to being grey while on a plane.)

He shed cleanly thursday evening, and I figured he'd be ready to eat friday. However, he showed no interest in food then, or today. While going through his shed, he mostly hid. Since shedding though, he's been very active, constantly doing laps around his container. When I take him out, he seems fine with being handled, but is constantly on the move. He roams around wherever I put him, but he doesn't hide.

The previous owner suggested that he may not be eating because it's the right time of year for him to cool down for the winter. I am worried that he's not eating due to stress, or some other issue (I've checked for all obvious diseases, and he doesn't seem all THAT stressed.) I'm in California, and it's still very warm here. We're not even getting below 60F at night yet, and days can still be up in the 80's. It may be as much as a month before the weather changes enough for the snakes to be cooled and brumated.

This is my first time dealing with a feeding issue with a snake (i've been lucky) and also my first time dealing with hibernating snakes. Obviously, I'm concerned that he's got a serious problem and don't want to dismiss it as simply him wanting to hibernate, and I'm also concerned that even if that is all is going on, that by the time it's cold enough for him to, he'll have gone too long without a meal to make it through the winter.

Can anyone offer some advice?

He may be looking for a cool spot in his cage; try giving him a moist sphagnum moss hide. A Glad container full of moss and covered with a box for added privacy and darkness helps. Also a large ceramic water bowl nested in a pan of sphagnum moss or paper towels they can coil around helps them have a lower temperature.

One of my yearling trios hanging out recently.

My pyros are mostly off feed for the winter but since it is still rather warm during the day here in the California Motherlode, they do come out and watch me do stuff in the snake room (my living room). I have turned off all the heaters on those who have not eaten for a month. The temps fall into the low sixties at night in my cabin. Soon it will get winter cold and they will all go into official brumation on the floor in my bedroom.

It is so warm here that nearly every day I catch a baby fence lizard. Once the lizards start to hibernate I will know winter is arriving.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Whats kind of funny is, here where pyros live, they, the pyros, in the middle of foraging season. Thats kind of funny don't you think?

Its still hot enough here for montanes to be active at night. Oh well, its not captivity I guess.

hmmm... not sure where in AZ you are located, but I can tell you that its been getting to the 30s and 40s where we are... Most likely pyros are not out foraging at these temps... lol

And Ive happened to notice that my pyros almost always go off feeding this early, even before my zonata do most years. My males will still take lizards or small pinkies if I offer them but it takes about 20 pinkies to fill my adults.

Tucson.

Activity really gets going once It hits the 30's at night. best wishes.

Have u seen pyros active in 30s? I've been up near mt lemom and huachucas and haven't had that luck, but I would like to know how you observe them at that time of year.. I've flipped a PYRO during the day in Oct but that's it.

I found 4 pyros near Payson a little over a week ago and a few zonata last week and the week before as well. The lows were in the mid 30's on all of them. It's very common to find the mountain snakes in these low temps. All snakes were under rocks except for one that was hanging out of a crack. If the day temps are at least in the 60's they will crawl out into the open. I live in Prescott and all my mountain kings are still eating. Not one has shut down. Even the ones found at sea level. This weekend is my last feeding then I'm going to play god on them and make them shut down. These snakes react to what enviroment their keeper gives them. Geographic location has alot to do with it. hope this help out some.

PL

As always!
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www.Bluerosy.com

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My point is, in captivity, you do not offer or you take away natural choices. Then you say, "this is what they do". That wrong, what they doing in your cages, is only what they do in that restricted enviornment.

In nature, they have choices. They make them when necessary.

Some people understand that,like Paul L. which is why he has the field success that he does. I hope this helps as well.

Thanks Rainer and Frank. It poured in Prescott last night. I bet that will have the pyros stirred up. My captive ones are loving it!

PL

I have noticed him spending a lot of time near his waterbowl, which is on the cool side of his container. When I got home tonight, he was moving around a lot again, and was pressing his nose hard against the side until it skidded down. It's smooth plastic, but I've heard that nose rubbing could be an issue for snakes, although again it is not one I have faced before. He seemed to be going along the side testing different areas.

I took him out, and he was happy to run through my hands, and then hide in the folds of a towel I put down. He didn't seem bothered by me, and would go up my arm when I put it near him.

I've just made him a moist moss hide, but he's showed no interest in it so far. He's back to tearing up his container, pushing one of his box hides around, and crumpling up all the newspaper.I can get him a ceramic water dish tomorrow.

My Pyros do that same thing every year and sometimes very early.

Its not abnormal for a male to fast twice a year, once in the spring when females are shedding and ready to breed and once in the fall before winter.

If your snakes look good, get a gram scale and weigh them out and record it. Most likely, your snakes will not lose enough weight to be a major issue before winter. I had a male kitts peak pyro stop eating a week before October last year and go all the way through winter, and then when waking up did not eat until after breeding in the last week of march. That was almost a 6 month fast and that particular snake only lost a few grams.

I would say, do not worry about it, just do a good deal of monitoring so that you know when to pack on the meals annually before they fast.

Put him in a cooler with some ice and monitor the temps until t gets cold enough.
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www.Bluerosy.com

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