Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently bought a 2 year old Brazilian Rainbow Boa, she was a very good feeder for her former owner, but is giving me trouble for a few weeks now. anyone got any tricks to offer?

Snakes can go off feed for any number of reasons. Correcting the situation is often just a matter of methodical problem solving. Your situation is most likely something simple. It could be the snake has not yet acclimated to the move yet.

The first thing I would do is contact the previous owner and find out exactly what it was fed on. A change in food item might confuse the snake even if the new item is a normal prey for the species. I once received an adult Gopher Snake that would not eat rats apparently because it had fed exclusively on mice in captivity for a long period. I eventually introduced a rat into his mouth while he was swallowing a mouse and afterwards he fed on rats readily. You also want to find out what size of food item the snake was used to, how often, what time he was fed, and any other feeding circumstances that may have been consistent.

The second thing to do is go back to square one and trouble shoot your husbandry. Check temperature including night/day fluctuations. Evaluate light/dark periods. Offer the snake more security such as a hide box, place it in a lower traffic area of the home, relocate it away from any loud audio equipment or appliances that might be producing stressful vibrations and anything else you can think of. Avoid unnecessary handling or disturbances until it adjusts to its new home and is feeding regularly. In short look at every aspect of its immediate environment and outside influences on its environment and systematically adjust them. Check all these items with its previous environment.

Finally there may be a pathological problem like a disease or parasite. If the snake appears healthy, was feeding properly and behaving in a manner consistent with its species in captivity up to the point you took possession of it then the problem is probably a discrepancy in its new captive environment or else temporary stress from the change.

Bottom line: If the snake was thriving in captivity it probably will continue to do so unless there is a detrimental health problem you are unaware of. Makes sure its captive needs are being met, give it some time to acclimate to its new home, and it will probably get back to normal.
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Randy Hallman

Wait, it's very comon for an adult snake to go off feed when moved to a new location or environment. Sometimes owners panic and create more problems or stress on the snake with disasterous results. I would give him a month, before trying to feed him again, and try not to handle him until he starts eating.