Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a pair of juvenile Western Cottonmouths that I can't seem to get to feed consistently. They have taken Fuzzies: uncented, sented with fish, and sented with frog. Frog seems to work the best but they still only feed rarly. They have refused minnows and FT cut fish. They live a peacfull life in separate containers, both with hide boxes, so stress should not be a factor. I would be gratefull for any tips on feeding this species. Thanks, Mike

I would make sure they are warm enough and have water.
other than that, if the westerns are anything like my FLcottons
they should eat anything you put in their cages.

Cottomouths are normally known for eating everything except the kitchen sink - and they'd probably try to eat that too, if you dipped it in gravy. In the wild they are known to scavenge in garbage heaps and to consume old nasty roadkill that they have to pry off the road. One was observed attempting to consume pieces of a roadkilled wild hog, with minimal success since they were still mostly attached to the main carcass. The range of items found by researchers in cottonmouth stomachs is really impressive. They are not known for being picky eaters.

If your cottons are not eating and your cage temperatures are anywhere above that of your refrigerator, I'd strongly suggest a fecal exam.

Both snakes are kept between 75 and 85 so temp should not be the problem. Mike