Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a one year plus female florida king that I am having difficulty feeding. All my others eat f/t but this one is causing a problem. Currently, it will take the f/t mouse and constrict, but it won't eat it. This goes on multiple times during each feeding session. After multiple times I just leave the mouse in the enclosure hoping to find it gone the next morning, but this hasn't happened. I find it lying in the enclosure the next morning. The snake hasn't eaten in about 3 mos. now; however, prior, she would occasionally take f/t, but always preferred live. I don't want to give live. I need to go a considerable distance to get a live mouse and I don't want to breed them.

Any information, suggestions, advice will be appreciated.

Thanks,
JMo

try smaller food items and more of them. If that doesn't work, get live. Its your responsibility to feed that snake, its in your cage. Its not about what you want. Or give it to someone who will do what it takes.
In most cases, husbandry is evolved with picky feeders, normal healthy kings will eat anything. Check your husbandry. Thanks

I have a Blanchard's milk that does the same thing (grabs and constricts, but won't eat)... the only way it will eat is if I hold the mouse just right so that when he strikes he ends up with the mouse's head in his mouth. So sometimes it's just a matter of trying things and experimenting to find what is going to work for a particular animal. Don't expect them to all operate the same way.

Try this.

After it constrict leave the room.

Outside movement sometimes distracts this snakes and it goes looking for whatever is moving outside the cage.

Feed and leave the room so no outside motion is visble to the snake.
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FR quote:
"Doing the same things over and over expecting to learn something else, is the definition of insanity"

My experience has been the exact OPPOSITE of that described by Markg. I have kept Kingsnakes sine 1992, several species, several individuals. Some were part-time projects for a few months, others were intended "pets" that did were later exchanged for a better individual, some were rescues which I later passed onto other Stewards for care.

Cal Kings have been the most predictable in my experience. Males tend to be quite active & curious, and generally calm during handling. Most become quite aware that feeding time is separate from handling or outside exercise time.

The only Kingsnake that I never tamed was a Florida Kingsnake wrongly sold to me as a Speckled Kingsnake. I named him Saruman - for good reason. He simply could NOT be trusted. He routinely attacked my fingers or hand to constrict. He never understood that I am NOT prey, and that I am too big to even consider as prey.

I handled often, did all the right things, and he once stopped biting for 10 days. I thought that I had made progress, and that his behavior could be changed. Then he tried to constrict both my hand & arm. It took several moments of holding him under running water to get him to release his death grip.

He never figured out that very large objects should not be attacked. He never got better. His feeding instinct was too strong, and it overrode all other actions. He was a constant risk to handle, and I rehomed him for my current Desert Kingsnake - my most cherished kingsnake ever.

Our local Craig's List advertisements for snakes currently have a Florida Kingsnake kept in a classroom that also has an aggressive feeding response. The teacher is rehoming it after 8 years. This is the first such post that I've ever seen; many other posts involving many snake species did NOT mention long-term feeding problems. Coincidence?

Be patient like I was, but in the end, you may find out that this individual (and possibly subspecies) is one to avoid for long-term keeping.

I have NEVER experienced such a change in behavior, in any animal nor person. This snake was so unpredictable & prone to biting that I had to rehome him to a friend near me. My friend was always afraid of him, and fed & handled him using gloves.

My situation changed across time and I wanted to swap back. His replacement, a Desert King, was a shy, timid feeder with poor hunting skills. I contacted my friend and asked about the possibility of swapping back, as my prime concern now is feeding, not handling. We made the swap back, and when I retrieved him from his "reform school", two things were noted:

1. His head was pressed up against the glass with such a forlorn look that he actually looked repentant! With a single water dish and hide spot, he was also very bored.

2. I could pick him up with ease, with no gloves, with no jerking, biting nor musking from him.

Back at home, it's like I have a completely different snake. He is active day & night, feeds like a champ on anything offered, and even seems to like interacting with me.

In my room, he explores for up to an hour as I clean or rearrange his 100-gallon vivarium. While in my room, he often climbs on or explores the rock or branch that I need NEXT in my setup. Yesterday, while I was on the floor for a moment, he explored me and climbed all over me for moments before continuing on his way to explore under some furniture.

His personality is not only calm & predictable, it reminds me of a dog in the way he explores and expresses himself. He's not only puppy-dog tame, he's puppy-dog eager.

His behavior change from Saruman, the wicked wizard, to Sardaukar, the loyal trooper, was a complete turnaround. He is amazingly active, curious & fun. It's a joy to handle and interact with him. He is the most active, curious snake that I"ve ever kept - of any species.