Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 7 year old Cal. King who has always been a very eager eater!!! This past winter she hibernated for a while and refused to eat for 3 months. In February she started eating again and went back to her normal 1-2 adult mice/week. However the beginning of April she once again started to refuse food. It is plenty warm enough since the A/C in the house is set around 80F. Is she sick or is there another possibility for the cause? She has been acting pretty lethargic during the day, not normal for her, but she is moving around at night. Any thought are greatly appreciated!

Did you try any other foods? I gave mine little pieces of hard boiled egg once when I didn't have any mice. It ate out of my hand like a puppy... Although I'd recommend just placing the egg down from now on, it nearly nipped me the next time I reached in the cage.
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Mark Martinez
University of Florida

Hard to say for sure, but bear in mind that many times adults are more seasonal feeders compared to younger snakes. A big king isn't doing lots of growing anymore (compared to a younger animal) and so the amount of feedings required are less. This could be just the snake's own desired feeding schedule now. As long as the snake is healthy and the cage is kept clean, with proper temps and hides, I wouldn't concern yourself too much. Did you change anything lately? Substrate?

I remember on the rosy forum, some guy had a similar post. I asked him if he changed anything, and he said no. Then a few days later he posts that the snake died. When I asked him again if he was sure he didn't change anything, he still said no, but added that he was treating the snake for mites using No-Pest strip (poison.) Case closed. He poisoned his snake. I only related this story to show that detailed info in a post like yours is important (not to accuse you of poisoning your snake.)
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Mark

just as the fella with the rosy boa overlooked something he'd changed, and perhaps fell prey to a faulty conclusion, I think it's worth questioning your conclusion too (that he poisoned it with pest strips). The reason I say that is that I used pest strips with birds, including hatchlings for many, many years, and more recently have routinely kept a pest strip in each of my two snake rooms (approximately 700 cf each) with babies and adults and no apparent ill effects--but a noticeable absence of mites. the only safety precaution i take is to air the new strips out for 24 hours or so in my garage, before moving them to the snake room.

Salt is a "poison" too, I'm told, to humans, in high doses. MAYBE the pest strip killed the rosy--as you note, we don't know exactly how he was using it. MAYBe it died from something else and there just happened to be a pest strip in the room at the time, as well. MAYBE the mites (their origins not explained--was the rosy a relatively new acquisition? did the mites come from a snake recently added to the collection?) were the vector for transmission of a disease to the rosy from another snake. (The origin snake doesn't have to die--one snake can carry something it's relatively immune to but that can be fatal to another snake, just as--if what i've read is correct--many native american indians died from measles brought to the north american continent by europeans to whom the disease was relatively mild because of long-term exposure.

My point is that you did a service making people realize they need to take an especially critical look at their practices. I'm just trying to extend your principle.

peace
terry

Hi Terry-

True. However, in this case he put a piece of Pest Strip inside the 10 gal tank with a small rosy for a week or more before writing in. I left that detail out, which is exactly what I told the poster not to do lol. (Rosies are sensitive to pest strip, moreso than many kings/milks except zonata.)
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Mark

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Very true...if your snake does or ever gets mites...never, never, never, never use that pest strip stuff. I know places that sell mite stuff just for snakes...but realy the best way to get rid of mites is to disinfect the tank on a daly basis. It may take a long time to get rid of them...but its the safest way for the snake. As for your non feeding king...you can try an all-spec light...I know people say that snakes don't need an all spec light but I have found a diffrence with feeding older snakes.

Thanks for the advice. I can think of absolutely nothing that has changed since she stopped eating or even in the months before but I will try the full spec. light.

You call your snake a "she", has she been sexed? If so, and it is female, the time is not too far off that she may be ovulating. Some snakes will go off feed when this happens. Aside from looking lethargic, is she swollen in the rear third of her body?

This could be important because if she is not bred, the eggs will of course be infertile. One of two things will happen next, she will either absorb them and get on with life, or attempt to pass them. Many snakes have trouble passing infertile eggs, and some die egg bound. Gently feel around the rear third for lumps, or better yet, take her to a herp vet. One thing you can try if the time comes is to soak her in a warm water bath, just like if she were constipated.

Good luck,
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Drew Z.
Member, NJHS