Well the title pretty much gives you the general idea... this guy is usually a pretty good eater but 77 days ago I guess he just had a thought and he's still thinking it. He's looking pretty damn slim now and I'm a little worried. He did breed last year but nothing came of it. I guess my thought is he's getting a whiff of some of the girls in the room. I wasn't planning on breeding him but I went ahead and threw him in with one of the females thinking maybe if he got some he'd start eating again? Thoughts? *confused face*

I had a boa used to go off feed from December till march every year. March first or so. He would start eating like a pig.

Well I have some that do that, if not worse...

One male hasn't eaten since April and has lost about 100 grams so I am not that concerned yet....I have offered everything on a weekly basis but nothing...I even moved him away from the females for the summer but still nothing....if they are losing alot of weight then I would try the different stuff like different cage location, car rides etc...

Same story here...My worse case is my 02 Het Pied male...He only eats 6 months out the year - Doesn't matter what you try...Believe me - I've tried everything...He drops about 100 - 150 grams each year but always gains it back...What can you do?

So it's been what, August since he's eaten?

My first question is........do you have a scale so you can keep track of any weight loss? I woudn't be overly concerned unless he's dropped a considerable amount of weight. The record for 'not eating' with these guys is about two years. I've had one go 13 months with no ill effects and only about 300 or 400 grams weight loss in that amount of time. And my old female typically goes 7-9 months out of the year without.

Does he normally eat live or FT/PK? Try feeding live every couple weeks. At least offer , whether he takes or not. Good luck and keep us informed.

Quig

I had a male that was off feed since early April. Just started feeding again. He lost about 100 grams maybe a bit more. But I tried a different tub and thats when he started eating again.

The longest I have had one go was a little over a year but he started finally. He still goes off feed but not as long. I have a few like BT that go off for about six months at a time. I know it is tough and when my pieds went off for six months I was ready to kill myself....... :)

Normally I don't get too worried because I do realize that mature animals just do this from time to time... however, and I know this is comparing apples to oranges, but I had a chondro once that went off feed for 6 months and just dropped dead... I don't want that to happen with this male... He was already a slender snake to begin with but now he's reminding me more of a coloubrid than a ball python. He's locked up with the girl I put him with now... just hoping that when he unlocks he'll want to eat?

Thanks for putting up with me! :P

I guess there really is no answer.... he'll eat when he's ready. Maybe the breeding will help or maybe not.... it's frustrating playing the waiting game.

One thing I have done with some success is offer smaller and smaller meals to ones that just stop eating or are a pain. Sometimes they'll take a small meal over eating a regular sized rodent burger

Good luck either way :)

Thanks Scott, I have noticed the same thing with some snakes I've had that have been trouble in the feeding department. I'll try a younger rat next time and see how that goes.

Have you tried African Soft Furs. I had a male like that. I was almost ready to start force feeding him. Then i got some ASFs and he ate the first time I offered one. He has now switched back over to rats.

Thanks Scott, I have noticed the same thing with some snakes I've had that have been trouble in the feeding department. I'll try a younger rat next time and see how that goes.

Good luck with that, let us know how it goes :)

Good luck getting him to eat. I have a male that stopped eating in august also.. He was still refusing at the beginning of october, so I threw him in with one of my females that had been cooling herself quite a bit and refusing food as well. They locked up, and both ate after they were separated. I think that he was refusing because some of my girls started "doing their thing" early this year and he could smell it and was getting a bit too horny. If he doesn't eat after you separate them, I'd suggest moving him to a different room, so he's not so close to the females.

Have you tried African Soft Furs. I had a male like that. I was almost ready to start force feeding him. Then i got some ASFs and he ate the first time I offered one. He has now switched back over to rats.

Yes I did throw an ASF in with him a couple weeks ago but he wasn't interested. Just keeps roaming his tub - won't sit in ambush.

Good luck getting him to eat. I have a male that stopped eating in august also.. He was still refusing at the beginning of october, so I threw him in with one of my females that had been cooling herself quite a bit and refusing food as well. They locked up, and both ate after they were separated. I think that he was refusing because some of my girls started "doing their thing" early this year and he could smell it and was getting a bit too horny. If he doesn't eat after you separate them, I'd suggest moving him to a different room, so he's not so close to the females.

He's been locked up with that girl for a couple days now, I hope he eats when I separate them.

Good luck.

Alan

It's been my experience that a male that wants to breed is a male that doesn't want to eat -- You know the old say about guys and their one track mind -- I would take him out of the snake room set him up nice and warm and quiet away from the girls (and probably give him a good bath as well just in case there is some lingering smell).

Good luck!

77 Days, that is nothing. I wouldn’t worry about it since he will eat again when he feels like it.

The longest I have had one go was a little over a year but he started finally. He still goes off feed but not as long. I have a few like BT that go off for about six months at a time. I know it is tough and when my pieds went off for six months I was ready to kill myself....... :)

My Pied Male bred once last year (definite lock) in January, and I guess he decided he didn’t like it. :machinegun: Then he decided to stop eating in February. He just started eating again three weeks ago. He had three meals and then went into shed. He shed yesterday and is scheduled to be fed tomorrow. We will see.

Guess who finally ate tonight after he got him some!!!

Guess who finally ate tonight after he got him some!!!

LOL... nice, congrats!

Guess who finally ate tonight after he got him some!!!


Congrats Diana!

weird how that happens...
you come on here 'cause you just can't take it anymore.
bare your soul for anything that may help.
do what your heart told you to do in the first place.
and bam ! that little bastard finally freakin' eats !
why does it always have to come to this ? !
glad all turned out okay for 'ya,
ck

Thanks everybody... ck that was great...

He ate again this morning... I thought I might as well try to get a couple meals in him now before he goes on strike again.

Like I said before, I know they can go many months and even years without eating with no ill effects... but that also depends on what size they were to begin with... this snake already had the "athletic" look to him, and I'm not sure if he would have survived over 6 months without eating.