Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Greetings! I have an interesting issue. My leucistic Texas Rat Snake, MacLeod, is about 20 inches long. He shed earlier today and, after shedding, he displayed his normal "I’m now starving" prowl, so I tried to give him a fuzzy... but he didn’t go for it. So, I fed the fuzzy to my Florida King. However, after I put Mac back into his cage, he immediately went back into "hunting" mode. I tested him by putting my finger against the glass so that he can only see the tip of it (not my arm). When he saw it he immediately went to investigate from all the way across the tank. So, I decided to try 2 pinkies. He went for them with GUSTO! He had them down in less than a minute.

Now I know that he is indeed hungry when he goes into hunting mode, but why is he only taking pinkies? He has eaten about a half dozen fuzzies (one every 5-7 days), so I know he can handle that size... but he only went for pinkies this time. Is this a problem? Assuming he again refuses a fuzzy, how long can I continue to give him pinkies? I was thinking that perhaps I should take a pinky and rub it on the head of a fuzzy to transfer some of that scent. What do you all think?

I also posted this on another forum, so that I could get whatever good advice I could. Thanks!

Sounds to me like he relaises it is winter. They usually prefer smaller food items this time of year. It is very normal. If he takes the fuzzy he takes it, if not no worries.
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

I thought about that because I've read about that happening on several forums and threads. It is interesting that he does that despite the fact that I have the lights on a 12 hour timer (all my snakes are babies, so I didn't want to brumate any) and the temps are consistently between 72 (low side) and 87 (high side).

Its also a PAIN because I ordered 100 large pinkies (which he also wouldn't take) and 200 fuzzies from RodentPro.com. Now, I gotta go to the local pet store and buy HIM small pinkies. LOL. I should change his name to Mr. Finicky...

Scenting the larger mice with the pinks is a good idea. I have done that with my adults that get picky. The other thing is to check your temps. Most people think that since they have not changed the wattage of their lights or that they have the same heat pad that the temps are the same. Simply your overall air temp changes in the winter as well as the humidity. Try misting on a regular basis and moving up one size in bulbs and he might go right back to eating everything. Good luck.

Later Jason

P.s. Is he a Highland lucy???

Just had to add real quick, that is a gorgeous abbott's okeetee!
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

Yeah one of the bonuses from living in Florida was going to Lee directly. He had different pairing that turned out some smokers. This one ain't shabby but it is not one of the best by a mile. I have a female that is a year older that is nicer and I have seen some of his turn out amazing. Put it this way I saw him turn down $500 for one of his adults about 4 years ago. I think it was the main sire but still... for a corn...

Later Jason

At first, I didn't get your question... then realized it was a "pun" off of his name, MacLeod. Geez, got caught up in my own joke!

I just named him after Duncan MacLeod "of the Clan MacLeod" after one of my favorite TV series. I had two lavender speckled KS that I eventually traded away that I had named Connor and Heather MacLeod from the Highlander movies too!

Talk about watching too much TV! LOL.

Dude... "Highlander" was a movie well before it was a TV show. If you haven't rented it, do so. It included Sean Connery as the older immortal. Just don't waste your time on any of the sequels.

There can only be one...

Walt

Yeah, I know. I've got all of them. Love Connor MacLeod, but for some reason, "Duncan" MacLeod stuck (plus my kids only know Duncan MacLeod from what they've heard on T.V. - they don't watch -- too young and the show's too violent).

Didn't like the way it ended, though... HATED IT!

Ahhh??? Duh Come on man. What are ya doing over there?? LOL Yeah that is a great movie. You have his cousins to name snakes after too. If you get a musker you can name it after the one who peed his kilt the first time he went into battle. Then you can use all his alias'. Yeah you got room for that collection to grow.

Later Jason

This is a TX Ratsnake, not a mandarin. I don't accept pickiness by my snakes. I find that if a snake doesn't want to eat the reasonable food item I have to offer, it ends up missing that feeding. You can't be that strict with all species, but a Texas Ratsnake WILL eat fuzzies or hoppers. In fact, I think I would offer a hopper to a 20" TX rat.

I have found that if you let them miss a few feedings in a row they suddenly they find that fuzzy very appetizing! See who can last the longest. A few weeks without food isn't going to hurt the snake.

This female baird's rat decided this summer that she didn't want to switch to weanling rats from 3 mice per feeding. I decided she was going to since I have a freezer full of rat weanlings and not that many adult mice. It took about a month for her to realize how tasty these small rats really were. Now she eats them twice a month.

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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

In my anger at him not eating, that's what I thought about doing. I've also seen that others have come to use your same "eat-it-or-else" technique.

I know that letting him "mull-it-over" on an empty stomach won't hurt him, so, perhaps I'll have to give this a try. How long would you allow him to go without eating? How long is too long?

Here's a Pic of my finicky eater... MacLeod.

Messed up that one. Here he is (I HOPE!)