Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You

BTS not eating

buffysmom Aug 16, 2004 11:46 AM

My BTS gets fed every 3 days, mixed foods (ground turkey, Chicken, Iams cat food, assorted fruits, veggies & greens, worms, etc). He'll normally eat all or most of the meal. He has refused the last 2 meals, hasn't even touched them & looks like he'll do the same today. Each meal has been different but is the same general type of mixture I've always fed him. He appears normal in all other habits/ways right now. He is getting ready to shed, but has never fasted prior to shedding before. His hot spot is about 96 & the cool side around 76 degrees. I've switched him to Carefresh substrate shortly before he stopped eating.
Any ideas, suggestions?
-----
1.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John & Helmut Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

Replies (12)

Tigergenesis Aug 16, 2004 02:36 PM

I've only had my baby for a short time, but while she was shedding she ate very little. I was assuming/wondering if this was normal.
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"

0.0.1 Crested Gecko
0.0.1 Irian Jaya BlueTongued Skink

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

riiotgrrl Aug 16, 2004 02:55 PM

Griffon stopped eating when he had mites. Not eating is a symptom oof something bigger, i would look a bit more closely at your skink, and possibly have him vet checked if he doesnt start eating soon.

-----
"i wasn't born with enough middle fingers"

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
0.1 partial stripe ghost corn- Raven
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.0.2 Red american toadlets with 0.0.7 legs total (er, i have one w/3....)
0.0.1 gray tree frog toadlet
0.0.6 land snails
0.0.2 millipedes of unknown species from TN
0.0.1 spotted slug
5.3 bettas
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
2.3 ratties Rizzo, Bounce, Bree, Blitzkreig, and Zelda

newherpaddict Aug 16, 2004 08:13 PM

Maybe he needs to settle in to his new substrate. My guys go on and off a little and I never really need to worry about it. You shouldnt worry unless you see declining health. Try spreading some raw egg over the food!

-----
1.1.1 Blue tongue skinks- Sausage the IJ, Don the Indo, and Sebastian the Tanimbar
0.0.1 Green Tree Python- Verdi
0.1 Western Hognose- Piggy
0.0.1 Sonoran Gopher snake- Toro
0.0.1 Ornate Uro- Spike
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise- Tank
0.1 Albino Leo Gecko- Sasha

Zachariah Aug 17, 2004 07:08 PM

How did you get rid of the mites?

btorgy Aug 16, 2004 09:06 PM

I tried the Carefresh, and my male Northern stopped eating well, too. Seems like it should be good, but he just didn't like it! Before investing in a vet bill, I would switch back to whatever bedding you were using before.
Beth

NomadOfTheHills Aug 17, 2004 06:39 PM

Carefresh holds humididty, that migth be somethign to look at. Also give him some time, mnie stops eating sometimes, but then in a few days hes ravenous!
-----
0.0.1 Eastern Painted Turtle
0.0.1 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink
0.2.0 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Northern Water Snake

newherpaddict Aug 17, 2004 08:14 PM

I thought carefrsh was very dry? Who cares, cause aspen is perfect!!!
-----
1.1.1 Blue tongue skinks- Sausage the IJ, Don the Indo, and Sebastian the Tanimbar
0.0.1 Green Tree Python- Verdi
0.1 Western Hognose- Piggy
0.0.1 Sonoran Gopher snake- Toro
0.0.1 Ornate Uro- Spike
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise- Tank
0.1 Albino Leo Gecko- Sasha

7serpents Aug 18, 2004 12:57 AM

No matter which subsrtate used, a humidity box with Sphangus Moss must be present at all times and misted daily. Moist moss but not soaking wet. I do not recommend feeding raw egg or meats due to Salmonella issues. Canned Adult Maintenance Dog or Cat food is good when mixed in with fresh vegetables and fruits. Offer a small dish of "Whiska's Original" or "Crave" dry cat food. NO Blue Tongue will refuse this!
Out of all the substrates I have used in 20 years, Aspen (Large shavings) is the all time best. It allows for burrowing and absorbant enought to spot clean feces. At the same time it is not so absorbant that it drys the skink out as CareFresh sometimes does. You may want to check cage size for quality of life, three and one halF times the lenght of skink for lenght of cage, two times the lenght of skink for width of cage. Mine are housed individually in 54"L X 36"W X 18"H Visions. Housing is used on GIGAS, INTERMEDIA, TILIQUA SCINCIODES SSP. Growing Skinks will sometimes stop feeding due to inadaquite cage size. What is your setup, diet, cleaning regiem? also mites can be controlled by spraying cage and aspen with Provent-A-Mite and/or Black Knight.

newherpaddict Aug 18, 2004 06:29 AM

Humidity Box??????? I've never heard of having to have a humidity box.

-----
1.1.1 Blue tongue skinks- Sausage the IJ, Don the Indo, and Sebastian the Tanimbar
0.0.1 Green Tree Python- Verdi
0.1 Western Hognose- Piggy
0.0.1 Sonoran Gopher snake- Toro
0.0.1 Ornate Uro- Spike
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise- Tank
0.1 Albino Leo Gecko- Sasha

buffysmom Aug 18, 2004 07:54 PM

Thank you all. He ate this most recent meal in its entirety & shed yesterday. I don't use aspen because it makes him sneeze, but he seems to really enjoy burying himself in the Carefresh. I've started using Vitashell cream on him, which seems to be helping w/ the drying effect Carefresh has on his scales.
-----
1.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John & Helmut Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

NomadOfTheHills Aug 22, 2004 10:37 AM

np
-----
0.0.1 Eastern Painted Turtle
0.0.1 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink
0.2.0 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Northern Water Snake

NomadOfTheHills Aug 22, 2004 10:37 AM

np
-----
0.0.1 Eastern Painted Turtle
0.0.1 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink
0.2.0 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Northern Water Snake

Site Tools