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Dealing with Difficult Feeders
It can be a frustrating, and sometimes concerning experience when your favorite snake (or several snakes) in your collection suddenly refuse to feed for weeks or even months at a time, especially when considerable weight loss occurs. What should you do? Why is it occurring? In this "mini-article", I will touch upon several common contributors to anorexia in snakes. Of course, obtaining a quality captive born snake from a reputable source greatly reduces the number of feeding problems seen in snakes from other sources, such as wild-caught snakes
I will start off by saying it is simply not necessary to feed your snake in a container outside of its regular enclosure or rack. The common rationale behind this belief is that if fed inside the enclosure, the snake will learn to associate the cage opening with food and be "cage aggressive". I have found this to simply be untrue, If you are opening the cage to do regular duties besides feeding (such as changing the water bowl, routine handling/hook training, or cage cleaning), your snake will not develop this association! Secondly, if you have many snakes (20, 50, or more), it largely becomes impractical! I'm not saying feeding outside the cage should be avoided or condemned however; if that is the way you prefer to feed your snake(s) then more power to you.
With that said, let's examine several possibilities, which are meant to be an overview of more commonly encountered situations:
1- If your non-feeder is a neonate or juvenile, read this section. Neonate and juvenile snakes may be particularly choosy feeders and some methods for enticing them to feed are not for the squeamish! Oftentimes, they must either by started off on live pinky mice or rats or pre-killed rodents which have been sliced open in the cranial cavity. For neonates of some species (such as hognose snakes or gray banded king snakes), initially scenting the prey item with a small lizard or frog may be necessary. Most keepers, however, want their snakes to switch over to feeding on pre-killed unscented rodents, which can be done with some effort, time, and patience. To switch a snake over from scented to unscented rodents, reduce the amount of scenting you apply to the prey item over the course of several weeks and feedings, until your snake is accepting food that has not been scented at all.
2- Temperature plays a large role in the overall biology of snakes, as well as all other reptiles. Snakes, being ectothermic, are unable to successfully consume and digest their meal in temperatures which are too low. Low or inadequate temperatures can not only spur on the onset of anorexia, but many other diseases and disorders. When keeping snakes, an appropriate heating device to create a thermal gradient should ALWAYS be provided.
3- Sometimes refusal to feed appears to have seasonal linkages, such as during cooler wintertime months. Some snakes may go off feed or feed only sporadically even when provided with the necessities during this period. This is not necessarily cause for concern so long as the snake does not lose a considerable amount of weight. The snake will feed again when it is ready.
4- Yet another possible reason for anorexia in snakes could be something in the surrounding environment causing stress to the snake. If this is the case, try leaving the prey item (pre-killed) in the enclosure overnight (and/or with the room's lights off) and ensure that there is little to no traffic in the room. A hidebox should also be provided if you haven't done so already. A snake, as with many other species, will not feed if it feels vulnerable to predation or attack. Certain species may also prefer to feed only at night or during dusk hours, in addition.
5- A fifth possible reason a snake may for refuse to feed may be that the snake is "opaque", or is in other words, in the pre-stages of sloughing of the skin. This is an entirely natural process. During this time, your snake may be duller in appearance, and may have cloudy bluish eyes. Snakes in the pre-sloughing stage may become more defensive during this stage as well, since its vision is impaired. It is my experience that many snakes will feed readily again after completing the sloughing process.
If the cause of anorexia cannot be identified, or if all of the previous methods for enticing the snake to eat have failed, it may be necessary to seek out a qualified reptile veterinarian to diagnose the problem.
As a last resort,
If all other methods for enticing the snake to eat have failed, and the animal's health continues to decline, it may also be necessary to force feed the snake. Force, or assist feeding, should be undergone only as a last resort when other measures have not worked in getting the snake to feed. If you absolutely must force-feed an animal, but are inexperienced or uncomfortable in doing so, seek out a veterinarian who treats reptiles, or attempt to locate an experienced keeper in your area through your local or state herpetological society, to do it for you.
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