Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello all,

my '02 male eastern has gone off food for the first time in two years. he last ate 10/15, then went into opaque, has since cleared, but has not shed yet.

in the past he has never skipped a meal, even during peak opaque.

do males go off feed as the breeding season commences? i have noticed once or twice he has moved in that familiar jerky way that i've observed before in excited male snakes. but otherwise, he has been more lethargic than usual, so it doesn't seem to fit the "i want sex, not food" hypothesis.

the temps are a bit cooler, but he has access to warmer temps in parts of the enclosure.

advice/comments welcome.

thanks,
matt

Some of my breeder males eat through breeding season, but much less often...and I have one male (ny best breeder) that stops eating in November and doesn't start eating again until after breeding is over, usually mid-January.

Yep...he's probably looking for love.

If you want him to eat, I would keep him away from females, and keep the light cycle in a spring / summer mode.

He may "know" anyway...but it's worth a shot.
I wouldn't sweat it too much though.

thanks for your reply dean.

he has yet to shed and i'm hoping that may trigger a feed response from him. however, his lack of activity is a little unsettling.

matt