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I found this snake in the wild, and it readily crawled around me and my friends that day. The next day, I purchase some frozen pinkies from a pet store and thawed one. I tried to get him to strike and take the warm, thawed pinkie, but he would not take it from my hand. A few hours later, I noticed that he had consumed the pinkie. I was impressed, as, again, this baby had just been caught the day before!! However, for the past 2 days since he has eaten, he has stayed in his burrow abd stayed sort of semi-coiled. Is this normal after a young snake has consumed food? Again, I was very impressed at how soon he ate after just be subdued to captivity. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I do not want anything to happen to this beautiful baby reptile!!

2007-09-23 12:39:07 · 6 answers · asked by 50 1 in Pets Reptiles

6 answers

Yes. First off, I'm glad it ate for you, and yes, snakes do get lethargic after they eat, usually, to digest. With little snakes, make sure it's tank is "snake-proofed", they can be escape artists. I use screen tops, with a rock or weight on each corner with little snakes. Good Luck with your snake!!!

2007-09-23 12:45:21 · answer #1 · answered by Connie B 5 · 2 0

As answered before, it is normal for snakes to take around 2 days before they become active again because of their slow digestive process. The only problem is that its a wild snake. Wild snakes tend to have many problems in captivity.
1. Feeding problems (although you obviously don't have that problem).
2. Parasites--anywhere from internally to externally (mites) or disease.

If you do have any other snakes besides the king snake, I'd advise not putting them together or near, for if the snake does have parasites or diseases, it could be given to your other snakes.

I also seen that you tried to put it in your hand and feed it to him, not a good idea. Once you have the scent of the mouse on your hand, your hand can easily be mistaken for a meal (have already experienced this one). The best thing to do is to just sit the mouse in the cage with him and watch.

2007-09-24 07:39:28 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

As Connie said, it's perfectly normal for them to take some time to digest food. Do you have a heat source to help him accomplish this? An under tank heat pad regulated with a cheap thermostat is usually the easiest way. Make sure if you're feeding in the tank that you have no substrate that can be ingested along with the mouse. You can cause impaction that way. Looks like you've gotten lucky with your new wild caught animal in that it's eating for you already. Make sure you do some research so that you know you're providing the proper environment for him or her. Also be sure your state allows the possesion of wild caught snakes. Some states like Georgia for instance, makes it illegal to catch and possess any wild species of snake without a permit.

2007-09-23 14:34:54 · answer #3 · answered by gallianomom2001 7 · 3 0

I would also say make sure you have an under tank heat mat, and a probe thermometer to monitor temps (85 on the glass). Best not to handle snakes for at least 48 hours after feeding to prevent regurgitation. Feed every 4-5 days.

http://www.kingsnake.com/rockymountain/RMHPages/RMHkingsand.htm

2007-09-23 16:06:21 · answer #4 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0 0

snakes sleep while they digest their food. the bigger the meal, the longer it takes and some snakes only eat every few days. get a book on snakes so you know what to do for your new friend.

2007-09-23 14:45:01 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Here is a link for care sheets for your snake they should help you.
http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/Kingsnakes.html

2007-09-23 15:27:14 · answer #6 · answered by maxevans256 3 · 1 0

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