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I just got a new Kingsnake who I believe is fully grown a few days ago and I was told he was due to eat today, I got a mouse for him and he wont eat it. Its been cold lately and hes not as active as he was when I got him, could that be the reason hes not eating?

Give it a few days in warmness, 79-86 degrees, and then offer it food again.

Mike
Michael's Place

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thanks I will try that.

You should use an underheat source and not a light bulb/lamp for heating.

You can pick up an under the tank heat pad at most pet shops that carry snakes.

I already have a heater under the tank and I dont use lights but the problem is he's not showing any interest in his food at all.

Some adult Kings are "mouse shy" meaning they are a bit reluctant to feed on live prey... I have a six yr old adult male cali king that stopped feeding on live after 5 yrs of both live, pre-killed and f/t; you may want to try pre-killed.

The other thing is some snakes take a while to settle in to their new environment... is he in the same enclosure he "grew up" in? He may just need some time to settle in.

Good luck

~ZF

I would like to add onto what Zenny said and say that it could be in brumation mode as well. Sometimes when a snake is in a colder climate the indoor temps don't fool it. This may well be the case with your king and he is shut down for the winter.

If thats the case unplug the heat and plug back in around beiginning or April.

>>I just got a new Kingsnake who I believe is fully grown a few days ago and I was told he was due to eat today, I got a mouse for him and he wont eat it. Its been cold lately and hes not as active as he was when I got him, could that be the reason hes not eating?

he could be "in shed"--are his eyecaps cloudy? Even if they're not, snakes clear up for a few days between that cloudy condition and when they shed, and many of them will not eat during either period.

but i'd vote with the other guys' beliefs it's temp and environment related,

also, i'd suggest you read the care sheet for kingsnakes avilable on kingsnake.com

good luck!

terry

I have another small Honduran Milksnake and he eats every week with no problem at all, I guess all snakes are different but the small one even ate though the winter, which was cold and I didnt have a heater then and he also ate through the shedding process as well. The King was kept in cedar shavings by the pet store for at least a month although there was hairy feces in the tank (sorry I know that sounds gross)do you think that would have anything to do with his eating problem, and should I take him to a vet?