Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had a gopher for a month he won't eat I have tried braining, paper bag, he is aggressive so using that to my advantage but no he either constricts and leaves or just bites and leaves. I have tried leaving a pinkie in his cage and have tried small spaces how else could I get him to eat? thanks josh

I would suggest you go and read Melissa Kaplan's article on hard feeders in the resource page of kingsnake.com to begin with. It covers just about all the options. Also are you trying frozen thawed or live pinks? Are you using a deli cup as far as the small space? If the little guy is as agressive as you indicate, he is probally getting so upset that food is the last thing on his mind.

Sometimes you have to think outside the box to get the job done, for instance I had a san deigo gopher last night when I was feeding that was really upset, striking, hissing the whole 9 yards and I could not get him to eat. I finally fed all the other animals and went into the house for a couple of hours and then slipped into the snake house In the dark and put a dead mouse in his cage. I checked him 30 minutes later and he had taken the mouse with no problem. A little comical with me slipping around in the dark to feed one silly gopher, but it worked.

I would also check my husbandry as far as temps, traffic around the cage etc. to get a handle on the agreesive behaviour.

John Cherry
Cherryville Farms

Cherryville Farms - Reptiles

We have two albino Southerns that earlier this year would grab her food and then not eat it. Over the next couple weeks, they stopped even paying attention to a dead mouse. Upon offering alive one, she ate it like it would be her last meal. She's been eating pre-killed again ever since. We also have a black pine that did this a couple of years ago.

From the sound of your case, though it may be nervousness. Although I have some Sonoran babies that will hiss and rattle WHILE they're eating, many may not be so bold, so you may want to follow John's advice about operating in the dark. Another thing that works is to just drape a towel over the cage so they aren't distracted.
P&S Pituophis

My albino southern is a touchy freaking punk when it comes to eating. I have to put the food in his cage without either waking him up or barely making any kind of disturbance. If I don't..he does not eat.

It seems that southerns can be very touchy.

Billy

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Genesis 1:1