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Screensize: 640 x 480 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024 UserName: Password: Format Mode: Basic  Help  Prompt  Format: Font Andale Mono Arial Arial Black Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Georgia Impact Lucida Console Script MT Bold Stencil Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet MS Verdana   Size 1 2 3 4 5 6   Color Black Red Yellow Pink Green Orange Purple Blue Beige Brown Teal Navy Maroon LimeGreen Message: * HTML is OFF * Forum Code is ON Smilies [quote][i]Originally posted by lee2308[/i] [br]As a owner of a kingsnake you may encounter times when your snake wont eat,this can be for a number of reasons and the most important thing to remember is don't panic. A snake can go long periods without food by choice (natural fasting) which is common during the winter months and breeding season and causes more stress to us than them. If your snake has stopped eating the first thing to do is to start making a record of their weight,if they are holding their weight ok then don't get worrying just make sure that they have fresh water to drink. [size=3][green][font=Impact]POSSIBLE REASONS FOR NOT EATING[/font=Impact][/green][/size=3] [red]1..Have you recently bought or moved your snake[/red]..if you have it is recommended to give your snake a week or 2 to settle into it's new environment with out handling it at all as a move can be stressful [red]2..Is it due to shed[/red]..this can make a snake very uncomfortable and blind during the blue stage of shedding.in the wild a snake would curl up in a hole and not resume feeding until the shedding process was completed. [red]3..Are your temps at the correct levels[/red]..snakes need steady and correct temps to regulate their bodies,if they are not right they will be unable to digest their meal therefor wont eat it. [red]4..Vivarium set up[/red]..(husbandry)if your viv is too big or not enough or right size hides and foliage a snake may become stressed by open spaces and not enough coverage for it to hide. [red]5..Size of prey[/red]..if your offering prey that is way too small they might not see it as prey and just ignore it..if it's too big they may become threatened by it and shy away. [red]6..Illness[/red]..If your snake is showing any kind of illness take it to a vet asap. [red]7..over handling[/red]..Over handling may put some snakes of there food to,so avoid handling during periods of not eating [red]8..change in diet[/red]..Your snake could simply bored of the same prey,you could try varying their prey [font=Impact][size=3][green]WHAT SHOULD I TRY[/green][/size=3][/font=Impact] There are many methods to try and get your snake to eat,they are not guaranteed to work but well worth trying[;)] [red]1..Super heating[/red]..really heat the prey and pay more attention to the head using a hair drier,also make sure the prey item if fully defrosted and heated before offereing it. [red]2..braining[/red]..this involves slitting the skull from the back of the head to the nose to expose the brain.[xx(] [red]3..Leaving prey[/red]..leave the prey in the viv on a piece of paper with a hide covering it for 24hours with out looking. [red]4..Take for a drive[/red]..taking it in a tub for a 15-20 min drive might stimulate the stomach juices [red]5..scenting[/red]..you can try scenting with other prey items such as mice, rats, gerbils, chicks, multis, rabbits. wash the prey item under warm water to remove as much of the natural scent as possible then rub all over with the item you're scenting with, paying particular attention to the prey item's head. you don't need to buy a gerbil to try gerbil scenting, for example, ask a keeper or pet shop for some of their hair or faeces to scent your prey item with. [red]6..Alternative prey[/red]..other prey items are available such as mice,rats,gerbils,day old chicks and multis amongst others. There are loads of methods to tempt non-feeders, the most common are listed here but please ask if you're still struggling. [font=Impact][size=3][green]AS A LAST RESORT[/green][/size=3] [/font=Impact] After trying these methods and your snake is losing a lot of weight you can try these methods as a last resort. [red]1..live feeding[/red]..This should be done under strict supervision as injury could be caused to your snake and in the privacy of your own home and not in front of a audience.There are serious legal impliaction if these guidelines are not followed [red]2..assist feeding[/red]..this is where you assist the snake by gently opening his mouth and placing the head of the prey in to start him off. [red]3..Force feeding[/red]this is where the prey is forced down the throat of the snake. [red][size=6]I RECOMMEND THAT STEPS 2 & 3 ARE ONLY DONE UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF SOME ONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING[/size=6][/red] [/quote]   Check here to include your profile signature.