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I have a feeding question that I would like your opinion on. We have now fed Slinky 2 times......the first time right after the show on Sunday he crept up to the mouse, smelled it and then ate. The second time, 7 days later again on Sunday he actually attacked the mouse and ate. He had shed between feedings so he seemed very hungry. Yesterday, 7 days since the last feeding, he smelled, started to eat and then let go of the mouse and seemed disinterested. He had only just begun to swallow the mouse. We have tried again today and he just smells the mouse and does not attempt to eat.

Do you think he is being picky, has the cool weather tricked him into hibernation mode or could there be a problem. His behavior has been fairly consistent since we have owned him for 3 weeks. He eats on Sunday, goes to the bathroom on Thursday and we handle him a few days in between. However, this time he actually went to the bathroom a second time on Sunday and has taken more frequent dips into his water bowl as well as checkin out the top part of the cage more often.

I don't think there is a problem but wanted your advice. We will try to feed him again tomorrow, 14 days out and see what happens.

Thanks,
Scott

Sunday and has taken more frequent dips into his water bowl as well as checkin out the top part of the cage more often.
>>

There could be so many reasons for refusal to eat but I was interested by the above statement.
Do you have an under-tank heater? If so, is it possible that it is too hot? Just the fact that it is spending more time in the water and off the bottom of the tank makes me wonder.
Another question/possibillity..
Did you change substrates? I had one that was stressed for almost two weeks when I changed it's substrate. Twitched every time it touched the aspen and refused to eat.
It's fine now.

Just kind of thinking out load so to speak
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Jimmy (draybar)

Thanks for the reply Jimmy. The snake is in a 20 gallon tank with newspaper as a substrate. There is a small heat pad under the cage, about 4 by 6. Room temperature is around 74 degrees. He doesn't seem to be dipping in the water as much. Just very twitchy as you mentioned your was. If I touch him he bolts across the cage and he even coils back in an almost defensive posture when my hand enters the cage. I am afraid to handle him for fear he will be even more stressed. The behavior is so strange since he was very docile and had eaten two consecutive weeks without a problem.

How long until this "stress" situation goes away, if that is it?

the air temp really doesn' t have a lot to do with snakes, unless it is really, really hot or cold. Get a good thermometer and check it out. Put the thermometer directly on the substrate both on the hot side and then on the cooler side. How old is your snake? You also might want to check it for mites, as they can really aggravate a snake and make it want to soak.

sue
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sue

Thanks Sue. I checked the temperature......about 82 F on top of the newspaper. And that is only in the 4x6 rectangle over the pad. He doesn't seem to be soaking nearly as much, just really skiddish right now.

That is strange behavior, then. I was pretty sure that it would be high temps making him skittish. Don't know anything else to tell you, except to keep handling him, even when he assumes the strike position or (heaven forbid) actually should bite you. If you don't,then he will keep doing it.
sue
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sue

I'm new here, and by no means an expert, but here is what happened with my corn (Kernel). I noticed that Kernel was WAY more active than I had ever seen him. He was all over the viv, all day long. I thought he had just gotten more comfortable (I got him in Dec '02).
Well, then I went to feed him, and up until this point he would easily eat 1 to 2 mice per sitting. This time, however, he ate one right away, then didn't want the second one. Okay, I thought, no biggie. The next time I went to feed him (about 5 days later) he didn't even want one.
I started to think about any changes, and the only thing I could think of was how he was always out cruising around. I came to the conclusion that he had outgrown his hide cave, so I put a cardboard shoebox in with a hole cut in it, and he went into it pretty much right away and I didn't see him for a day or two. Needless to say, next time I was at the reptile store, I bought him another cave that was bigger than the first, and he is now back to hiding/poking his head out for most of the day, and he cruises around at night. He is also back to normal with eating.
Anyways, sorry this is so long, just posting my experience, and thoughts on the subject. Hope it helps.

Vic