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I've had my Kingsnake Loki since January. I'm not certain on his age just that the vet I took him to when I first got him said he thought he was somewhere in the 4 month range. So maybe he's around 8 or 9 months now. I've never had issues with him eating, he has always been a good eater, but Friday when I tried to feed him, he simply looked at the mouse and tried getting out of his container. I thought perhaps he was just not hungry, although it had been a week since he ate last, so I attempted to feed him again Sunday and today but he just tries to get out of the container. I noticed he's got this odd twitch, kind of like his body is jerking randomly. He's not had any accidents or falls so I'm not sure if I should attempt a trip to the vet or wait it out and see if he decides to eat. He's my first snake, so I'm pretty vanilla and only know what I've read in books or found on-line.

Any suggestions would great! Thank you!

how often had you been feeding and what sized prey?

how do you have him housed?

how often do you interact with the snake?

personally if a snake refuses a meal or two, i dont worry. some snakes dont eat when shedding or just sometimes dont eat when shedding. some snakes will just pick a random time to not eat. a lot of males will not eat or eat sparingly during the summer. some snake will stop eating in the winter even if they are not cooled.

lots of reasons for a snake to not eat and most arent a cause for concern. as long as the snake's needs are being met (quality cage with secure places for the animal to go, proper thermal gradient, clean water, etc) i wouldnt sweat it.

if you think there is a reason for this, such as something about the snake's captive life changing, then go back to how things were.

maybe try live vs FT for one or two meals, or even just leaving the FT mouse in the cage over night.

i have one king that only eats at night and I have a blanchards milk that only eats if i violently shake the mouse in front of him. so you can try lots of tricks.

if the snake looks to be losing weight, has abnormal waste, behavior changes, or 5-6 weeks go by with out food i think a vet visit might be in order.

you could always take him in sooner... your call. they may want to do a fecal float so hang onto the freshest gift he has left you. some vets will take them frozen and others want it ripe and juicy. haha.

good luck. very nice looking king.

does he twitch only when the mouse is in the container? if so, nothing to worry about.

if he's twitching all the time and it's recently started, sounds like a problem.

any exposure to extreme heat or cold? any chemicals sprayed near your home for pests or weeds? sprayed any new air freshener type products in your home?

if anything like that has happened... vet asap imo.

hopefully FR or Bluerosy will chime in soon as they have much more experience than me.

I've been feeding him adult mice, once a week. He's living in a 18inch x 24inch terrarium. I have a heating pad on one side and a light on the top. Large enough water dish for him to fully lay in, a place to hide and a large branch that he easily climbs. I recently moved from Oklahoma to Missouri, and wondered if perhaps it was the change in humidity that has caused his disinterest in food. He's only ate once since I moved.

As for the twitching, he only does it when I'm holding him. He's never done this before and he's certainly not head shy at all. I try to handle him once a day, and he has never tried to bite, no hissing, not even a shake of his tail. I've noticed tonight also that he was half arched up with his body on the floor and his head inches above the ground just looking straight ahead at the doors on his terrarium.

I thank you for all the suggestions and will give some of them a try with the mice. I feel like an overly worried parent atm.

Is "he" a male? You referred to him as a he , so I will assume male.

It could be he has other things on his mind besides food..

It may be he is in breeding mode.. Males twitch when trying to breed a female.

do you have any other female kings in your collection? Could be his smells their phormones.

I ask this because some male kingsnakes shut down feeding during breeding season.
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FR quote:
"Doing the same things over and over expecting to learn something else, is the definition of insanity"

As I read this thread I was thinking the same thing as ststed by BlueRosy. You may not think he is big enough, but he may have other ideas. I have 2 male yearling kings that went off feed for about a month. They both accepted food again just this week.

--Dennis

Yes, I agree, Its that time of year, males go nuts, and hopefully its a male. If its a female, that can be a huge problem. If she forms eggs and gets stuck with them you will have to see a vet. Again, Hopefully its a male being a male.
If its not feeding from so other reason, you will have to show the cage setup and temps and other important information.

I was told he was male, but when I took him to the vet for a check up when I first got him, he told me that the snake was too young to sex. So I've gone with the assumption I have a male. I do not have any other snakes, could he still go into breeding mode without a female near? I've noticed him watching his reflection in the glass a few times, along with strike at it once (this was this morning that he tried striking his own reflection). That's the most aggressive I've ever seen him.