Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just a reminder (to some), and possibly new info to others:

Some (not all) of our snakes that don't seem to want to eat this time of year will eagerly accept smaller prey items. If you have a snake that has "graduated" to larger food and it isn't eating (and you don't, for whatever reason, want to brumate)...
try downsizing. This is easy if, like me, you thaw several sizes each feeding day. Today my largest ratsnake, who could easily eat two rats this past summer, refused a rat fuzzy but gladly accepted two mouse fuzzies. One of my other ratsnakes has not eaten in two months, so she'll probably wind up in the basement (or cold closet) soon. So, as you see, the smaller prey will not always work. But I have seen it work many times over the past few years. I offer all of my snakes meals every week, varying the prey size if needed. Those who seem to feel it's time to chill no matter what I do...Well, they get their wish. And they have always come back up hungry. Duffy

Question, Last your my cal king refused to eat. She is a 02 female.
So i placed her in a cold closet. This worked fine. Here we are again and she is refusing her weekly meals. My question is could she develop eggs. This was a concern of mine last year. But she did not.
Have you heard of this happening to females that have not been introduced to a male. I have no desire to breed her and I might give the smaller prey size a try.
Thank you
Chuck

I have heard of females dropping eggs when they were never introduced to a male...But I really can't give you any idea how common or likely it is. It would be an excellent learning question to post in both this forum and the one specific to the snake in question. As for trying smaller prey: I would be interested to know if she goes for it. If the snake is generally healthy, I don't cool them until they have refused to eat for a good two months. That's just what I have done, and I may go a few weeks longer with one of my ratsnakes this year,as she is really "fat & sassy" and no worse off from her current hunger strike. I have found that even 3 weeks of modest cooling and darkeness can cycle them back up, and that might be short enough to prevent her getting all reproductive on you. Good luck. How long has she gone without eating so far.

She last fed on Oct.4th. She has good body weight so i will wait till Dec.1st. Last year she brumated for about 60 days. She came out
with little weight loss. But i may try the smaller size prey and see if she goes for it.
Thanks
Chuck

Yup...This time of year, some will go off feed altogether, while many will do smaller, less frequent meals if given the option. When I first got into snakes, 3 weeks without food seemed like a big deal. Now it just seems par for the course. I like to wait until December anyway to brumate, since that's when the days are the shortest. By the time you bring them back up the days are getting gradually longer, and I think the snakes respond to that when they have influence by natural light (a window). One of my snakes may go to "the cooler" next month, however, as it has already been 2 months for her. Am I worried? Not a bit. I keep offering her food each week, and she keeps ignoring it, but she was a pig all summer long, and she's nice & fat. Let me know how the smaller meals work out. Duffy