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I have a 3 year old female Cal. King that is very healthy. This last year I have always fed her 3 mice a week, which she eats just fine. About 2 weeks ago she shed and after I gave her a mouse, which she downed no problem, but then after that she wouldn't eat the other two. They both died and so I waited a week and tried againg a couple days ago, but she still won't eat. I am worried because this is very strange for her. ANY advice will help, Thanks!
p.s. her cage is clean and warm so that shouldn't be a factor.
Recent photo after shed 3 weeks ago

It is not unusual for a snake to decline to eat for seemingly no reason and at any time. I personally own snakes that:
a.) will eat while opaque
b.) will not eat while opaque
c.) will eat multiple small food items but appear to be afraid of mice.
d.) will eat a food item and then will regurge - apparently because they are gtting ready to enter the shed cycle (opaque).
e.) will not eat until hours after the lights are out.
The list is endless of reasons why snakes sometimes stop feeding and this is countered by the majority of snakes that will eat from your hands at any time food is offered.

BUT, I have left mice by mistake for a few days here and there with snakes (it can happen when you care for over 150). I am curious as to how two of your mice could have DIED while waiting to be eaten by your Cali King. Please elaborate. I have left mice, by mistake, for over two days in a snake cage with no problems... what did you do to these mice? Please do not tell me that they died a slow, languishing death with no food or water. You have to treat animals with more respect than that.

- Peter

Well good news... at about 12 last night just before going to bed I tried the mouse again and she finally ate it, I guess she just was on a diet for a few weeks or something.
-Peter, I had the two mice in a separate container with a water bowl and food( well I though there was food) and one day I opened it up and one of the mice had like exploded or something, its bottom had opened up, but the other one was fine. But since my snake wouldn't eat it I had to eventually kill it. So I try to keep them happy (I also have a rat so I can sympathize), but I guess weird things can happen.

Look, I am no bleeding heart.

BUT, you can't put animals in cages - and did not know if they had access to food or water. I don't care if they are mice, rats, snakes, birds, whatever.

This makes me sick. The mouses bottom "exploded" huh? Sounds like the animal died and was decomposing. How much time elapsed between when you put the mice in the cage and when you checked to see if they had food?

How would you like to be put in a cage with no food to slowly starve (or thirst) to death?

You ought to think about these things. Perhaps you do not have the maturity to own pet animals.

Peter

That actually sounds like one mouse killed the other one and started to eat it. I've heard of that happening when mice don't have enough food or water. I haven't had it happen to me, but I've seen it a couple times with people's pet mice, and once when a friend of mine's mouse water bottle got clogged.

Peter,

Your post makes me sick. You know very little of the situation and are making all kinds of assumptions with little knowledge. Grow up man, she said she keeps them happy. She aint no idiot.

Peace - Matt

Matt,

Just read the post, ok? She put the mice in a cage and left them - unsure if they had food or not. Upon checking on them (who knows how much later) she finds one mouse turned inside out.

I do not need someone to tell me how to connect the dots - and I can make assumptions.

Peter

Peter
This HE doesn't feel very bad about what happened, so you can stop the lecture. First of all I take very good care of ALL my pets, but these FEEDER mice were just that, FEEDER MICE. Yes I felt bad that it(olny ONE!) died, but it was going to die one way or another. And it's not like I waited weeks for it to die, it might have been 5 days since I checked, but that's why I was checking...TO FEED IT! Excuse me for not being a mouse expert and knowning how often to feed them, oh, that's right, I raise SNAKES...NOT Mice! I think it's funny coming from a snake owner who feeds mice to an animal that SLOWLY strangles its prey, you know...that does kill them. So please stop with the whole self-righeous guilt trip and worry about your own animals.

p.s. Thanks for sticking up for me Matt, I appreciate it.

What I don't get is why you would let those mice die instead of feeding them too optimize their nutrition level, then saving them for the snake's next meal. Sounds like such a waste.

By the way, mice can't survive for more than a day or two without water, so waiting 5 days to check on them doesn't cut it. My guess is that one of them died of thirst and released its excrement when it died. Then the other mouse was attracted to the urine, nibbled the other mouse's bottom, thus was able to gain the source of moisture he needed.
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chickabowwow

Look, I am not looking to pick a fight here.

Yes, I feed mice to snakes. That is different than letting one slowly starve or thirst to death. You know that so don't makle excuses.

I bet letting even a mouse slowly starve to death is illegal in most or all states. Watch yourself. If I knew where you live I would call the ASPCA on you, I am not kidding.

I am tired of this thread, please - I am not going to read your responses any more (Hanibal or Mattcbiker).

Peter

She's likely picking up on the change of the season. Dozens of people here have reported their california kings going off feed over the past month, so you're not alone.

Mine too, a 2 year old, went 6 weeks without feeding, starting in late August. I moved her cage to a different room where I control the light cycles artificially. After a week of being in the new room, she ate 2 f/t mice.

I don't claim moving her to the new room with controlled light cycles is what caused her to resume feeding -- it could be complete coincidence. But sometimes tweaking a variable like light cycles or other environmental elements can help.

In the photo, yours appears to be a healthy girl who should have no problem going a month or two or more without eating. As I'm sure you're well aware, kings have a mind and will all their own. So we their loyal subjects can only serve them as dutifully as we can.

Continue offering food weekly. Of course, if you suspect health issues or notice a significant weight loss, take her to a herp vet. But given the number of cali kings going off feed this time of year her behavior doesn't sound abnormal by any stretch.

I have 2 pyros that have all of sudden just quit eating, and I think it is the changing season. Even if their cages are warm enough, they know because daylight starts to get less and less. Derek