Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone have any hints on how to get an '03 nonfeeding Suboc to eat? She will eat every once and awhile but it is so sporadic and this is the longest she has gone, nearly 4 weeks. I keep her in a rack with the rest of my colubrids so I know heating isn't an issue. I keep her very dry, with a small water dish and a few hide spots. I breed my own rodents so I have offered different arrays of food from pinks to small hoppers. Please let me know if there is something I am just not getting with this species.

Have you tried rat pinks? I don't have any personal experience with these guys but I've heard from a few different people that they have had trouble feeding mice, but not rats.

A lot of subocs go off food this time of year for the winter. Also, I've observed that some younger subocs (from yearling to maybe three years) will take long breaks in feeding. I don't know if that is the rule as opposed to the exception, but I have now seen this in three of my subocs.
As long as you don't see any appreciable weight loss or dehydration, you should be alright until the snake decides it's hungry. I just had one take about six weeks off, but it never lost weight and shed twice during that period.
If you can't stand it, take it to the vet and have him (or her) give the snake a shot of Flagyl. That usually stimulates their appetites.
Good Luck!

Definately give Rat pinks a try, one of my 02's will only eat them,
wont touch anything else.
Merry Xmas

You might try to feed him/her at night time, subocs are nocternal, when ever mine has given me trouble feeding i either cut the lights out and throw a black t-shirt over his cage, or just wait until night fall, but generally cutting the lights out and a good dark shirt or towel does the trick, hope that helps

JR

Thanks for all the replys. Every time she has eaten for me in the past it was late at night when I left the fuzzy in the cage all night. I was considering putting her into hibernation for a few weeks with all my other snakes, including other subocs. I will try a rat pup first though.

I had an experience wherein one trans pecos rat snake of mine refused to eat for nearly six months. I discovered that he just didn't want rodents. I offered him birds and he went crazy for them! After a few months, he began accepting rodents. However, he always went nuts for the birds!

I must say that in ten years of keeping subocs, I've never heard of one eating birds. Anyone else have success with birds?

We have kept subocs for years, and one thing we have noticed with "some" of ours, is that they prefer a higher heat than the other colubrids we keep. I would try increasing the heat in that particular cage, especially since this animal appears to be a picky eater. Might be what's missing.