art & science

Snake Ownership Tips: Why isn’t she eating?

My california kingsnake, Saturn, hasn’t eaten anything for a couple of months now, which sounds like it should be a problem but is perfectly natural for cold-blooded creatures. Still enough to make this mammal quite worried, however! Information on this kind of behavior seems to be scattered, but I’ve done some digging and for my benefit (and hopefully yours) I’m posting my research here.

I’ve determined that a snake will stop eating for many different reasons. They could be unhappy with their living conditions (cage too small, not enough heat in the basking area, no good places to hide,) they could be about to shed (look for transparent edges on the scales or blue milky eyes,) they could be reacting to seasonal cues (shorter days, colder temperatures might trigger hibernation,) or if they are female they might be ovulating. In Saturn’s case, it’s ovulation!

In this post I’ll cover how to figure out if your snake is female, how to tell if she is ovulating, and what to do about it.

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Snake Tips addendum…

Some species of snakes only have one lung.

So take them to a veterinarian if they get sneezy!

Snake Ownership Tips:

Snakes make awesome low-maintenance, low-cost pets. There are some things to consider though, like…

Snakes can live for over 10 years in captivity.

The internet says California Kingsnakes grow to 3-4 ft long. It lies. Two years after the picture above, that snake is 6ft+.

Get a cage with strong clasps or the snake will try to muscle out of it (as pictured.)

A good rule of thumb for feeding - Use a prey animal (completely thawed at room temperature, not frozen or live!) no more than one and a half times as round as the largest part of the snake. Feed it (in a separate cage!) a few days after it poops.

Snakes are quick to react, but slow to think. They can startle easily and may strike or spray goo if they are suddenly handled or woken up (especially when they are young.) Give the animal time to notice you, then slowly and firmly pick it up from about a third of the way down from its head.

The most important parts to watch on a snake are the head and the tail. If the head and neck are straight and the tail is waving slowly, that is a relaxed snake. If the head is perfectly still and the tail is gripping something, that is a nervous snake. If the head and neck are pulled back to an S shape and the tail is rattling, that is an angry snake.

A snake may strike with its mouth closed and bump you as a warning. If it is very angry or hurt, (or if you smell like food because you didn’t wash under your nails after making hamburgers,) it may try to actually bite you. If it gets you, stay calm! Pulling away could rip it’s teeth. Instead, grab it a third of the way down and rub its scales against the grain. It is uncomfortable and the snake will let go to try and get away from it.

When the snake sheds, it is important that all of the dead scales come off. Especially from the tail tip! If the shed scales are ripping or sticking, try more humidity or a water bowl big enough for the snake to soak in.

That’s all for now… Feel free to ask questions!