Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Haven't been on here in a while. Finally done with grad school!

Xerxes, an arizona mountain king, is about 12 and a half, healthy, but lately hasn't been eating with any greater frequency than once a month. The last time I fed was Dec. 15th. I offered a mouse on the 5th of January, hoping he would shake the habit, but he rejected it. Just offered another one today, and he rejected it. So this will push past the month mark.

My apt's cold, but his tank has an undertank heater on one side and full spectrum heat lamp on the other side (only on during the day).

A kid at the petshop was shocked when I went in to get mice (they were out, so I had to get a baby rat; luckily he managed to eat it...this was the december feeding) that the snake was only eating once a month, and said something about 'you know when you haven't eaten in so long that you're not hungry?'

um...?

So, does anyone know have any input? Is this normal as snakes age? How much does feeding frequency normally change in the winter? (He didn't have a quirky breeding season interruption this year, so I guess sometimes things I think will be clockwork end up changing...) One clue. Right before I fed him, he was in his water bowl (which is in the middle of the tank, so the coolest part). Humidity in here is 44%. I've since let him out and he's filed himself in a file cabinet, right near the window, so it'll get pretty cold...like 50s. I didn't really understand what yankeeslover meant w.r.t. cooling their snake down so that it would eat, but am I on the right track? How does this work, and how can it be accomplished safely/effectively without leading to brumation?

Apologies for the rambling. Thanks in advance,

-xb

Sounds like your pyro is "Wanting" to cool down for the winter (brumate).

Feeding responses generally diminish towards the end of Fall as the snakes prepare to winter (not always the case, I have had pyros that shut down as early as July, while others don't want to stop eating). I have had great success in cooling my snakes every winter- this has improved feeding responses during the "on" season.

So, does anyone know have any input? Is this normal as snakes age? How much does feeding frequency normally change in the winter? (He didn't have a quirky breeding season interruption this year, so I guess sometimes things I think will be clockwork end up changing...) One clue. Right before I fed him, he was in his water bowl (which is in the middle of the tank, so the coolest part). Humidity in here is 44%. I've since let him out and he's filed himself in a file cabinet, right near the window, so it'll get pretty cold...like 50s. I didn't really understand what yankeeslover meant w.r.t. cooling their snake down so that it would eat, but am I on the right track? How does this work, and how can it be accomplished safely/effectively without leading to brumation?
He filed himself in a filing cabinet? LOL! Seeking out the proper brumation temperatures is to be expected by this montane species, although I would suggest he brumate in a cage with a water bowl within easy reach, as they do drink water during brumation. Prior to brumation they should have empty guts for at least three weeks so food will not rot in the gut at low temps, During brumation they do not feed. Brumation lasts generally from November to March but can vary with individuals.

A nice thing about brumation is it will save a lot of money on feed, heating, and so forth ( speaking as keeper of 24 pyros assorted ages). In the spring when the snakes become active again it is like getting a whole bunch of new animals!
www.repvet.co.za/herp_photoperiod_hibernation_brumation.php
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Thanks Bob. He's back in his cage now, everything's off, and I made him a brumation box. He seems to like it, but I'm still a bit scared. Feb 15th will be 2 months without food and 1 month brumating. He's already looking skinny. I don't think I should push it into March, but I'll just try to pay attention to what he "tells" me. !! (Actually, he just came out of his box a second ago...hmm..)

I guess he came out because the temp was sneaking up to around 62. I let him out, and he found the coldest spot in my apt again, so I moved the whole cage over, and let him back into the brumating box. It should stay in the 50s in that corner.

Since he is seeking the coldest places, he probably is not yet ready to come out of brumation. If he seems thin you can begin warming him up in mid February and start feeding him, small meals to start with.

Brumation is a tactic to conserve resources during the winter months when food is scarce. The snakes' metabolism slows way down when it is cool, so they barely use any energy, unlike warm blooded animals that rev up the calorie burn to stay warm.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Xerxes started warming back up on 3/20, and still hasn't eaten. (So, to put in to perspective, he hasn't eaten since 12/15)

I keep offering mice each week and he rejects them; doesn't even try to eat them. His original owner suggested I scent the mice with an anole. It sounded like a good idea, but when I went to our local petshop (it's a good one, not a chain), the owner was too worried about parasites to recommend using other reptiles for feeding.

So far, the best he could do was tell me to try braining next. And if that didn't work, to take him to the vet. I'm not sure what the vet can tell me that I can't see for myself. They'd need a stool sample to test for parasites, and since he won't eat, that won't happen. Aside from not eating and being a little thin after brumating, he's generally healthy looking, but seems to be searching for something (not sure if this is the mating-crazies that he's had in the past; this year it seems different as he's not doing a lot of strange undulating and coiling).

If braining doesn't work, I'll try a live fuzzy or two. (He's 12, so it would be like baby food.) No idea what I'll do with them if he rejects them...

Does anyone have a better idea of what might be wrong?