kingsnake wont eat

[scrattypatty]

please help. i just got a kingsnake last sunday. i have offered it pinkies about 3 times and it just wont eat. any help, suggestions???

 

[Mike Greathouse]

Jason,
How about some details?

What kind of kingsnake is it?
How old is it?
Was it eating prior to your purchase?
How do you have it set up?
The more details, the better.

 

[scrattypatty]

hey, i got him from the reptile show. the label said california king, its a male, only a coulple months old, and they didnt say if he was eating or not. i have it in a 10 gal, with heat light, water dish, and something like hampster bedding, but for reptiles. any help you give is gerat.

 

[tarantulakeeper]

Here's what worked for me this week.

I just got a new hatchling kingsnake. Same genus, different species. Here's what works for me.
1. The pinky needs to be very small. One day old are about half the size of 4 day olds, so smaller is better.
2. Slightly warmed. I place mine in a plastic baggie in warm water for 3-4 minutes.
3. I put the snake and the pinky in a separate small container. Right now I'm using the tupperware sandwich container. I place this container in a dark place and leave it alone for an hour or so.
4. I haven't had to do it yet, but I've been advised that piercing the skull with a pin can help with reluctant feeders.

I think the biggest thing is a small container, dark place.

Hope this helps, good luck

John

 

[scrattypatty]

thanks very much. im goin to give it a try and see what happens. have been doin everything but the dark place, so will do, if not then i will try the peircing thing sine he still hasnt eaten and its been over a week since ive had him.

 

[darkbloodwyvern]

Hey there

I sent you a PM, but I'll post here too. Sometimes snakes will go off feed for a little while. It is something you shouldn't worry about because it will eat when it wants to eat. Make sure he/she's in a low traffic, nice a quiet area, that it has a decent hide and is able to settled in and used to its new place. You may want to just give him/her a week to "reset" and chill out and try again at the end of the week, using the deli cup feeding method.

here's a short caresheet, there are better ones online, but this has a pretty decent rundown. as long as you meet its needs, it will eat for you. next snake or herp you get, make sure the breeder will garuntee that it is healthy and feeding and that you get a bussiness and phone number so you can call them and ask any questions... Good Luck!

http://www.reptilia.org/care_sheets/Snakes/csheets_snk_common.htm

 

[JFS321]

Hi, I would also try making the snake more comfortable. Try using Repti-bark or something as opposed to hamster shavings, give him some natural wood for hiding, and maybe even a couple of houseplants. I find living plants in the cages really seem to boost the snake's spirits.

 

[densnake1]

Hi, the heat light could be stressing himout also. A 10 gal sounds small to have a heat lamp in. Do you have an undertank heater?, it might work better for him. Hope it works out.
Dennis Cook

 

[lovemygreyband]

Hi Jason,
Did it work? I am sorta in the same situation. I bought my greyband hatchling from a breeder that did not feed her. I'm trying everything! I tried tailing also but it still seems she tries not to eat or accept the tail. Please let me know how you made out.

Thanks much
Michelle

 

[aliceinwl]

Hi Jason,
Did it work? I am sorta in the same situation. I bought my greyband hatchling from a breeder that did not feed her. I'm trying everything! I tried tailing also but it still seems she tries not to eat or accept the tail. Please let me know how you made out.

Thanks much
Michelle

Graybands are typically lizard feeders in the wild. I recently got my lyre snake (another lizard feeder) converted to rodents. I used scenting with western skink to get mine eating. Skinks are reputed to be a grayband favorite, but they may be hard to get this time of year.

I set my lyre up in a small reptile ranch (small cages can work well for shy stubborn feeders since they will be in close proximity to their food and won't be stressed by the move to a feeding container). About 3/4ths of the cage was covered by a cork slab which the snake hid under during the day. Secure / tight hiding places are important to rock dwellers. I observed my lyre out cruising around in the evening. I kept mine on aspen shavings but I know of some people who prefer to use aged newspaper since fresh aspen can mask scents. I happened to have an old openned bag that I'd been using for my other snakes. The back 1/4 of the tank was heated via an under tank heater.

I went out and collected some skink tails (I just held their tail about half way up until they dropped it and let them go). I took a frozen thawed pinky and washed it with soap to remove the mouse scent, dried it, and put a 1/2 inch section of skink tail down its throat and put it at the edge of the cork where I could see the snake hiding. I did this at dusk and the pinky disappeared.

If I recall correctly, I had to use skink tail for the first three feedings. During this time, I did not handle the snake and kept disturbance to minimum. Food was offered weekly. After those feedings, I took a washed pinky and rubbed it on my pet western skink (if you're not interested in a pet you can use a frozen lizard) and offered it to my lyre. I offered scented for several more feedings then switched to washed unscented and then to unwashed. Now my lyre will readily take live or pre-killed pinkys.

Once I was satisfied that my snake was eating well, I upgraded it to a 10 gallon. I use my snakes for educational displays etc. so I also started handling it (infrequently) at this time. You may have the seasons stacked against you right now since many snakes are going into winter mode. One of my friends who breeds kingsnakes finds it necessary to give some of his hatchlings a lizard to get them eating and then scents them over to rodents.

Good luck!
Alice

 

[DAND]

Update?

Jason,

Were you able to get your new addition to eat?

 

[carterbrandee]

Im not sure how these forums work or if this is where I should ask for help or not but Im trying it anyways. My husband and I bought a Grayband kingsnake last friday and I cant get it to eat she is only 3 weeks old

 

[Mike Greathouse]

Brandee,
Normally, you would start your question as a new thread in this forum.
Since the topics are related however, there is no problem addressing it here.

Baby Grey Banded Kings are notorious non-feeders.
Did the person who sold you the animal state that it was feeding?
Very often, baby Greybands will need to be started on scented pinkies.
Essentially, you will need to find an anole or fence lizard and rub it on the pinky to transfer some of the scent.

This method will work for many babies.
Keep us posted on your progress. If the scenting is unsuccessful, there are other methods which can be tried.

Good luck.

 

[Cat_72]

Another thing to consider...if you just got it 4 days ago, it may need some time to get acclimated to its new home before it will be willing to eat as well. Try giving it a few days to settle in unbothered before the next feeding attempt.

 

[carterbrandee]

thank you for the responce

I did try a scented pinkie from the pet store where we bought her the guy who sold her to us didnt tell us that graybands were impossible to feed she is adorable and $100.00 is alot of money to throw away I do know she has never eaten and she is exactly 3 weeks old I dont know how many or if she has even had her first shed yet Im sure she has though because her coloring is like a bright gray almost blue looking I dont know much about snakes My first snake was a cornsnake and I have only had her for about 2 months but she will eat right out of my hand

 

[Mike Greathouse]

Another thing to consider...if you just got it 4 days ago, it may need some time to get acclimated to its new home before it will be willing to eat as well. Try giving it a few days to settle in unbothered before the next feeding attempt.

Good call Cathy. I guess I should read a little closer. I was thinking that Brandee had the baby for 3 weeks.

Cathy is absolutely correct. Give your baby another couple of days to settle in and then offer it a very small pinky. The whole ordeal of the relocation can be very stressful. Additionally, a 3 week old baby snake has probably only had one or two meals ever. Don't push her too much.

 

[Mike Greathouse]

I do know she has never eaten and she is exactly 3 weeks old I dont know how many or if she has even had her first shed yet Im sure she has though because her coloring is like a bright gray almost blue looking I dont know much about snakes My first snake was a cornsnake and I have only had her for about 2 months but she will eat right out of my hand

It is very irresponsible for a pet store to sell a baby Grey Banded King that has never eaten. They either do not know what they are selling, or care about nothing but the money. Either way, find a new pet store to deal with.

At three weeks of age, you need to get this girl eating soon. Give her another day or two to settle in, but then she needs to get some food in her.

 

[carterbrandee]

are you still there this is my first time on any kind of online forum other than email

 

[Cat_72]

We're here and there Brandee, lol.

 

[Mike Greathouse]

are you still there this is my first time on any kind of online forum other than email

Brandee,
If you have other questions and are uncomfortable in the forum atmosphere, feel free to email me directly at [email protected]

I'll help you any way that I can.