Caesar's not eating

[EL Ziggy]

I dont know what's going on but Hannibal Caesar didnt eat again tonight. He ate a week ago so I figured he'd be chomping at the bit when I offered food tonight. Last week he ate his first mouse but refused the 2nd. He's normally a beast when it comes to feeding so I'm a little concerned. I tried feeding from the tongs but he didn't take. I just covered his tank and will see if he eats overnight. Temps are spot on- 78 on the cool side, 88 on the hot side. Sasha Fierce is in deep blue so I didn't try feeding her. Any ideas on what could be wrong?

[drumcrush]

Oh no! Try leaving him in his feeding container and put a towel or a blanket over it. Works for me all the time:)

[SSSSnakes]

Missing a few meals is not a problem. Don't worry and don't stress him out by trying to feed him to often.

[drumcrush]

Missing a few meals is not a problem. Don't worry and don't stress him out by trying to feed him to often.

^^^ I agree. Over winter, my Mbk went almost 3 months without eating. As soon as spring rolled around, she was hopping on those mice pretty fast! Haha

[EL Ziggy]

Thanks guys. Should I continue attempting to feed once a week?

[SSSSnakes]

Thanks guys. Should I continue attempting to feed once a week?

Once a week is fine, but not more than that.

[EL Ziggy]

Missing a few meals is not a problem. Don't worry and don't stress him out by trying to feed him to often.

Thanks Jerry, I was definitely starting to worry. I'll try again in 7 days.

[EL Ziggy]

^^^ I agree. Over winter, my Mbk went almost 3 months without eating. As soon as spring rolled around, she was hopping on those mice pretty fast! Haha
Nice to know DC. I've heard of other snakes going off feed for periods of time but this is the first I've heard of it with kings. I hate wasting the mice but at least I feel reassured that nothing's wrong with Caesar. Good thing we just got a new supply of mice :D. Sasha Fierce should finish shedding in a couple of days. Hopefully she'll be hungry. I'll keep everyone posted. It's getting cooler here but still in the 70's during the day and low 60's at night. No big changes in temps in their vivs though. This will be my first winter with the snakes, anything else I should prepare for?

[drumcrush]

Nice to know DC. I've heard of other snakes going off feed for periods of time but this is the first I've heard of it with kings. I hate wasting the mice but at least I feel reassured that nothing's wrong with Caesar. Good thing we just got a new supply of mice :D. Sasha Fierce should finish shedding in a couple of days. Hopefully she'll be hungry. I'll keep everyone posted. It's getting cooler here but still in the 70's during the day and low 60's at night. No big changes in temps in their vivs though. This will be my first winter with the snakes, anything else I should prepare for?

Oh sweet:) all I can say is to just keep your eye on those temps.

[sharthun]

Keep us posted!:)

[EL Ziggy]

Keep us posted!:)
I will definitely keep everyone posted Steve. Have any of your snakes ever gone off feeding for a while? I guess this is technically just Caesar's first missed feed so I won't worry too much.

[sharthun]

I will definitely keep everyone posted Steve. Have any of your snakes ever gone off feeding for a while? I guess this is technically just Caesar's first missed feed so I won't worry too much.

Yeah Augustus is finicky sometimes and will not eat while in shed and has refused food while not in shed a couple times. I'm lucky though, I just feed the mouse to Dawg! lol the garbage disposal! I had a BCI back in the day and she would go off feed sometimes. I wouldn't worry too much. Just wait another week and try again. Is his behavior any different other than refusing to eat? Your temps sound good btw.

[EL Ziggy]

Yeah Augustus is finicky sometimes and will not eat while in shed and has refused food while not in shed a couple times. I'm lucky though, I just feed the mouse to Dawg! lol the garbage disposal! I had a BCI back in the day and she would go off feed sometimes. I wouldn't worry too much. Just wait another week and try again. Is his behavior any different other than refusing to eat? Your temps sound good btw.
His behavior is pretty normal. The only thing that's changed is I was feeding him in a separate feeding bin but I started feeding him in his viv about a month ago. This is the first time he didn't eat besides his last feed when he didn't want seconds. I guess it happens sometimes so I won't worry. I'm just used to his normally voracious appetite. I'm sure the animals and insects in the woods behind my apartment will enjoy the discarded mouse. :D Let's hope Sasha Fierce eats when she finishes her shed in a day or 2.

[sharthun]

His behavior is pretty normal. The only thing that's changed is I was feeding him in a separate feeding bin but I started feeding him in his viv about a month ago. This is the first time he didn't eat besides his last feed when he didn't want seconds. I guess it happens sometimes so I won't worry. I'm just used to his normally voracious appetite. I'm sure the animals and insects in the woods behind my apartment will enjoy the discarded mouse. :D Let's hope Sasha Fierce eats when she finishes her shed in a day or 2.

Yeah, Sasha will be ready! We also have 2 cats so if i discard a mouse, they bring it right back in! lol Doe's Caesar follow the mouse with the tongs? I make mine follow the mouse for a little bit of hunting skillz lol.

[sharthun]

I dont know what's going on but Hannibal Caesar didnt eat again tonight. He ate a week ago so I figured he'd be chomping at the bit when I offered food tonight. Last week he ate his first mouse but refused the 2nd. He's normally a beast when it comes to feeding so I'm a little concerned. I tried feeding from the tongs but he didn't take. I just covered his tank and will see if he eats overnight. Temps are spot on- 78 on the cool side, 88 on the hot side. Sasha Fierce is in deep blue so I didn't try feeding her. Any ideas on what could be wrong?

Any luck with the feeding?

[EL Ziggy]

Any luck with the feeding?
Steve- Thanks for asking, I just posted a thread wondering if I should attempt another feed. I was planning on feeding again tomorrow even though Sasha Fierce still hasn't shed, but she is post blue so it should be any day now. Caesar also looks and acts like he's going into pre-shed now. He's always eaten during shed before but after his refusal last week I wasn't sure if I should wait until after he sheds or maybe try to give him a small meal tomorrow. Any thoughts or advice?

[bluerain]

^^^ I agree. Over winter, my Mbk went almost 3 months without eating. As soon as spring rolled around, she was hopping on those mice pretty fast! Haha
^this^
What age is your snake???
All my red milks, variables and mountain kings go off feed from now till about feb...even if i dont cool them down. I wouldnt worry, just keep offering smaller than usual meals..say two fuzzies ...and see how it goes ;-)

[EL Ziggy]

^this^
What age is your snake???
All my red milks, variables and mountain kings go off feed from now till about feb...even if i dont cool them down. I wouldnt worry, just keep offering smaller than usual meals..say two fuzzies ...and see how it goes ;-)
Hi Blue- I've had Caesar since Feb and he was just a baby when I got him so I'm assuming he's 10-11 months. From a lot of what I've been reading lately it doesn't seem like anything to worry about. I weighed him last night and he's not lost any weight. I'll keep offering smaller meals weekly until he picks up eating again. I just ordered a new supply of frozen mice so I don't want to waste the shelf life on those.

[bluerain]

Hi Blue- I've had Caesar since Feb and he was just a baby when I got him so I'm assuming he's 10-11 months. From a lot of what I've been reading lately it doesn't seem like anything to worry about. I weighed him last night and he's not lost any weight. I'll keep offering smaller meals weekly until he picks up eating again. I just ordered a new supply of frozen mice so I don't want to waste the shelf life on those.
Yeah..i think you will find he will either eat small meals..or...just start up again in the spring.
I always save some pennies over the winter in my feeding bill...so..thats one good thing..hahahahah ;-)

[Chris72]

One trick I have had success with to get fasting animals back on food is to put the rodent on a little corner paper towel for an hour before you put it in the hot water.

Then when you are going to thaw & heat the rodent...toss the scented paper towel in with the snake. (Near the hide opening)

Hopefully by the time you come back with the rodent your animal with be looking for something to eat.

(Good luck)

[EL Ziggy]

One trick I have had success with to get fasting animals back on food is to put the rodent on a little corner paper towel for an hour before you put it in the hot water.

Then when you are going to thaw & heat the rodent...toss the scented paper towel in with the snake. (Near the hide opening)

Hopefully by the time you come back with the rodent your animal with be looking for something to eat.

(Good luck)
I'm going to try this tomorrow Chris. Thanks for the tip.

[Lankyrob]

Just hope the snake doessnt eat the paper.............

[EL Ziggy]

Caesar refused again last night. Presented a nice warm fuzzy and he showed no interest whatsoever. This makes 3.5 weeks. He seems to be fine otherwise. Not losing any weight, still moving around but maybe not quite as active as normal. Temps are dropping quite a bit outside, especially at night but the viv temps are still low 70's on the cool side and 82 on the warm side. Should I bump them up a bit, maybe to 86? Even though he doesn't spend much time in his warm hide. Sasha Fierce didn't take either. I accidentally punctured the mouse with the tongs so it was a bit bloody but I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it. I'm not really worried about her though since she ate double fuzzys last week. She also pooped shortly after I discarded the refused prey. I'm thinking she just wasn't hungry yet. I'll try them again in 5-7 days.

[sharthun]

Yeah I keep my warm sides around 85 to 87. You might try bumping that up at bit. Good luck and thanks for the update!

[Concept9]

I wish my Kings would go off feeding once in a while. My little pigs are at their doors waiting 3 days before feeding day. :)

[EL Ziggy]

I wish my Kings would go off feeding once in a while. My little pigs are at their doors waiting 3 days before feeding day. :)
I love it when my snakes eat heartily. I want them to grow as big, strong and healthy as possible. I hope this fast ends SOON!

[shaunyboy]

I love it when my snakes eat heartily. I want them to grow as big, strong and healthy as possible. I hope this fast ends SOON!

please don't worry too much as plenty snakes go off their prey for the entire breeding season

also in winter i only feed my Carpet Pythons 2 to 4 meals

my Diamond Pythons only get fed 6 months of the year

i've also had a Carpet hatchling not eat until it was 10 months old without issues

i'm NOT being cheeky but your worrying yourself too much mate

imo most people tend to overfeed in captivity

i keep all my Carpet Pythons lean and muscular and they're all thriving

cheers shaun

P.S.imo the only time you should worry,is if the snakes rapidly losing wieght,in which case a vet would be required

[EL Ziggy]

please don't worry too much as plenty snakes go off their prey for the entire breeding season

also in winter i only feed my Carpet Pythons 2 to 4 meals

my Diamond Pythons only get fed 6 months of the year

i've also had a Carpet hatchling not eat until it was 10 months old without issues

i'm NOT being cheeky but your worrying yourself too much mate

imo most people tend to overfeed in captivity

i keep all my Carpet Pythons lean and muscular and they're all thriving

cheers shaun

P.S.imo the only time you should worry,is if the snakes rapidly losing wieght,in which case a vet would be required

Thanks Shaun, I kinda figured I was worrying too much. I've only been keeping these snakes for about 8 months and this is the first time they haven't eaten. There hasn't been any noticeable weight loss or other issues so I'm just going to relax and let nature take it's course. He'll eat when he gets hungry. I'll keep offering food every 7 days till he's back on track. Thanks again

[revent]

Well damn. Zippy and Aurora both refused food tonight. They both just came out a shed today and Zippy is usually starving after a shed, I don't know about Aurora tho its her first shed with me. Fortunately Leviathan ate so I don't feel like a total looser.

[sharthun]

Well damn. Zippy and Aurora both refused food tonight. They both just came out a shed today and Zippy is usually starving after a shed, I don't know about Aurora tho its her first shed with me. Fortunately Leviathan ate so I don't feel like a total looser.

Well darn!

[sharthun]

EZ, how's Caesar?

[EL Ziggy]

EZ, how's Caesar?
Steve- Caesar seems to be doing just fine. He hasn't lost any weight, he's right at 105g, and he's been moving around his viv quite a bit. I'm going to try feeding him and Sasha Fierce tonight. Got my fingers crossed that they'll both eat. I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me well.

[sharthun]

Steve- Caesar seems to be doing just fine. He hasn't lost any weight, he's right at 105g, and he's been moving around his viv quite a bit. I'm going to try feeding him and Sasha Fierce tonight. Got my fingers crossed that they'll both eat. I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me well.


You bet Bro!;)

[sharthun]

Just checked my google spreadsheet and it's feeding time at my house tonight!

[EL Ziggy]

Oh well, 4 weeks and counting since Caesar last ate. Sasha Fierce destroyed her hopper.

[sharthun]

Well darn! All three of mine fed. Medusa inhales 2 small mice now lol

[sharthun]

Well darn! All three of mine fed. Medusa inhales 2 small mice now lol

Sorry EZ! Hope I didn't make you feel bad!;)

[EL Ziggy]

Sorry EZ! Hope I didn't make you feel bad!;)
Of course not brother Steve. I'm happy to know all your critters are happy, healthy and well fed. Sasha Fierce seems to be eating just fine. I guess Hannibal Caesar is on a fast for some reason. As long as he's not losing any weight I'm not going to worry. I have been thinking of trying a live mouse, or scenting a f/t mouse with tuna, to see if that gets him riled up to eat. I'll give it another 2 weeks or so and see what happens.

[sharthun]

Of course not brother Steve. I'm happy to know all your critters are happy, healthy and well fed. Sasha Fierce seems to be eating just fine. I guess Hannibal Caesar is on a fast for some reason. As long as he's not losing any weight I'm not going to worry. I have been thinking of trying a live mouse, or scenting a f/t mouse with tuna, to see if that gets him riled up to eat. I'll give it another 2 weeks or so and see what happens.

Cool! Your eating machine will return soon!;)

[Chris72]

Of course not brother Steve. I'm happy to know all your critters are happy, healthy and well fed. Sasha Fierce seems to be eating just fine. I guess Hannibal Caesar is on a fast for some reason. As long as he's not losing any weight I'm not going to worry. I have been thinking of trying a live mouse, or scenting a f/t mouse with tuna, to see if that gets him riled up to eat. I'll give it another 2 weeks or so and see what happens.


Zig,

Some people use chicken broth (like from a bovril cube) to scent the f/t rodent also. I have never needed to do either so can't comment on which is best.

Did you try the scented paper towel "pre-feed" like I recommended to try and get him hunting?

C.

[EL Ziggy]

Zig,

Some people use chicken broth (like from a bovril cube) to scent the f/t rodent also. I have never needed to do either so can't comment on which is best.

Did you try the scented paper towel "pre-feed" like I recommended to try and get him hunting?

C.

Hi Chris, I did try the scented paper towel, unfortunately to no avail. Its been 5 weeks but he still hasn't lost any weight so I think I'll wait him out. One of the other members suggested I increase his daylight cycle by leaving the light on longer. Im doing that and if he still doesn't eat in the next 2-3 weeks I'm going to try a live feeder.

[Primal Rage]

Hey El-Ziggy! How old is Hannibal? If its his 2nd or 3rd season he might be going thru puberty? When my larger male hit his 2nd "winter" he went off feed for a couple months and came back a "changed" snake. He did not become anymore aggressive, he just went on a eating and growing rampage! He literally almost tripled his weight and doubled his sized in the months after his "fasting". Give him a couple more months to come around and make sure you have some mouse hoppers/ rat fuzzies ready! Good luck man! Oh and good to be around some more Georgia folks too!

[EL Ziggy]

Hey El-Ziggy! How old is Hannibal? If its his 2nd or 3rd season he might be going thru puberty? When my larger male hit his 2nd "winter" he went off feed for a couple months and came back a "changed" snake. He did not become anymore aggressive, he just went on a eating and growing rampage! He literally almost tripled his weight and doubled his sized in the months after his "fasting". Give him a couple more months to come around and make sure you have some mouse hoppers/ rat fuzzies ready! Good luck man! Oh and good to be around some more Georgia folks too!
Thanks PR- I appreciate the tip. I'm thinking this is his 2nd season. I got him in Feb. 2013 and he was pretty young. He was an eating machine until 7 weeks ago. I guess he's got other things on his small mind now :D. Like I said he's only lost 1g in the last 6 weeks and other than not eating he seems perfectly fine. Maybe not quite as active as usual but I wouldn't say lethargic. So you say give it another month or 2 before I panic? Don't try that live feeding just yet? Thanks again. Nice to have you with us.

[Concept9]

I wouldn't worry about it too much Ziggy, snakes are known for this, this time of the year.

I never read this whole post, so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned. But you can raise your warm side temp about 5deg and brain a mouse when you try next time.

[EL Ziggy]

I wouldn't worry about it too much Ziggy, snakes are known for this, this time of the year.

I never read this whole post, so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned. But you can raise your warm side temp about 5deg and brain a mouse when you try next time.
Thanks MBK- I tried braining a few weeks ago with no success. I ordered (2) new t-stats and got them yesterday but the one for Caesar's cage was defective so I have to return it to Amazon. I'm sure it'll be a few more days before I get another one. I have a UTH and the warm side is reading 86-88 most of the time but I'll raise it to 90 once I get the new thermostat. I used the operational t-stat on the infrared bulb in Sasha Fierce's viv and it's set to 88. Her UTH malfunctioned last week so I used the 75 watt infrared bulb to heat her tank until Zoomed sends me a replacement. She seems to be quite active the past few days even though she just ate Sunday. I wonder if snakes are more active with an overhead heat source as opposed to a UTH. Any thoughts?

[Concept9]

Not sure if they will be more active because of the extra heat per say. The more heat you have the faster they digest so in a way I guess they would be because they will be out hunting more.

I run Taz's basking area at 92deg and his cool end at 75deg.