What different things make snakes not eat for several months at a time?

Answer 1

There are many things to consider when your snake isn't eating. Here is a few, though not all by any means.

1. Stress: If the temperature or humidity in the tank has changed drastically, or has been changing a lot over a period, the snake may stress itself enough into not eating. Make sure the temperature and humidity are regulated.

2. Shedding: When a snake is getting ready to shed, or is shedding, it will not eat. Has your snake shed recently, or are the eyes milky, indicating that it will be shedding soon?

3. Mating: A snake that is laying eggs, or gravid(for livebearers) often will not eat. Is there any indication your snake may be a female?

4. Not happy with the food: What did the snake eat before? Has it grown? It may not be happy with what you are providing it. Try the next size up of food. If you are feeding frozen/thawed food, try something live. Sometimes live food excites the snake's hunger, and it will begin eating as normal.

We recently adopted a Kenyan Sand Boa that was reported not to have eaten for at least four months. They told us that she was eating f/t fuzzies, had just had babies, and finished a shed. After another month of not eating with us, we tried a live adult mouse and she ate immediately. Now she's on f/t adult mice, and we've found that we just needed to find the right food, and get her interested again to get her eating. It's been four months now, and she eats like a champ. :)

Answer 2

Stress will do it. If the snake does not feel safe, it is handled too much, if the temps are too cold or too hot, those are all reasons you could fix that can cause a snake to go off feeding. About this time snakes go off feeding to get ready for their cooling period, hibernation. Large body snake will go off feeding just because, for no reason at all.

As long as your snake is a good weight you don't have to worry about it.

Mites won't do it unless in is a serious infection. An internal parasite may do that but you will also notice dramatic weight loss. Just to be safe take a fresh fecal sample to your reptile vet to be tested for parasites.

Answer 3

Mainly stress. Also some snakes fast for a couple months because they generally hibernate in the wild and in captivity they don't have a winter to hibernate through but instinct kicks in and they may not sleep but they do fast as if they were hibernating. Some lizards do it too. My savanna monitor fasts for 2 months in the summer time every year, he is 15 yrs old now and always stopped eating for 2 months for the last 12 years like clockwork. Just check temp, humidity, bedding, and for possible parasites like mites to reduce stress levels.

Answer 4

i'm figuring this is a captive bred shop bought snake , if no longer that must be your concern between some others - like this is terrific and bigger to feed them maximum suitable of their living house / vivarium no longer taking them out which additionally might reason rigidity & reptiles do no longer do properly whilst under pressure, tho healthful snakes can pass with out nutrition for now and returned months with out any issues, the significant be conscious there is ' healthful ' they should have suitable habitats ( timber with glass fronts for viewing ) coping with ( which isn't too lots coping with ) & heat temperature of around ninety degree's F for land from an overhead incandescent lamp. Dry, barren area sort reptiles require little or no humidity tho a soaking bowl is sturdy to furnish for the snake to soak in or drink from in the event that they opt to, being s prairie snake i'm guessing it is greater the dry land sort of snake. Now if this is a wild caught, odds are it is not healthful, may well be carring micro organism & parasites that are risky to human beings or different pets & hardly do they stay to tell the tale captivity, extraordinarily in say tanks / aquariums yet it is actual of and for many all LAND reptiles besides !! Take Care

Answer 5

i have an albino burmese pythin. i notice that he will eat less or sometimes not at all during the winter season, or if the temprature is not rigth in his enclosure. so check out both. also he might have swallowed somerthing maybe like a teddy bear. that would cause him not to eat. you need to be very carefull with snakes. they will eat just about anything. well so of them will. you shold go to a vet if nothing works but do some reasearch on line. could just be your species mating behavior. bottom line is your the pet owner so your responsible for that baby. take care of it.

Answer 6

some friends i know own about 7-9 snakes and they had at least 1 of them die b/c of some genetic thing. 1 never ate, eventually died. i think they had another one that ate regularly, ate good-sized meals, and never grew at all. but from what i understand, snakes pretty much stop eating right before they shed. maybe yours is having problems shedding? you could try calling a specialised vet (one that treats snakes and reptiles) and see if they have any specific advice.
hope this helps.

Answer 7

Our ball python will go months without eating when its cold outside. My husband said it has something to do with barometric pressure.

Answer 8

Check your snake for mites. If it has mites it will not eat, but it is easily treatable.

Answer 9

What Jenn (above) said, and increase the temperature of the cage

Answer 10

Death.