# King snake gone off food



## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

its been two weeks now and my king stil hasnt eaten ive tried everything that has been said in the feeding posts hairdryer/braining/going for a drive etc etc.


im getting slightly worried he hasnt lost weight at all and is a very placid snake but this doesnt stop me worrying.

all the temps are correct as i have followed guide lines to a T!

do you think maybe turning the lights off for a day or something may make him see the heat and go for it?

any help would be much appreciated



also i had noticed that his skin is quite a dull colour and under light looks like a transparent film over his scales yet his eyes are not the distinct blue/grey colour accociated with a shed.

he is an adult choc/banana king snake :sad:


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## carliz (Jan 22, 2009)

*i think*

he my be due to shed i wouldnt worrry yet as you say only missed 2 feeds my cali king does same i know there ment to be <pigs> but by looks if colours dull an a change in her eyes then she s shedding , or wait 10 days till you next feed i never catch my calis eyes going murky but she sheds lol


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## Ally (Mar 8, 2006)

2 Weeks really isn't anything to worry about with snakes.
Only try to feed once a week (I'm guessing that to have tried all those methods in just 2 weeks you've been trying more often than that) otherwise you'll stress him out and that in itself will make him more likely to refuse food.

He may well just be coming up to shed, the eyes often go clear again a day or so before the skin actually comes off.

Stop worrying (especially as he's behaving normally and not losing weight) and offer food on your normal feeding day. If he refuses, just wait until next week.


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

cheers guys i will follow what you have said and get back to you


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

ive now been told three different things about my temps and am getting a wee bit confused could anyone tell what the temps should be for an adult king?


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## jaysonc3 (Nov 20, 2008)

as long as they are below 33 celcius and above 23 at the hot end they will be fine


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## Ally (Mar 8, 2006)

jaysonc3 said:


> as long as they are below 33 celcius and above 23 at the hot end they will be fine


Being a bit more specific... 28C is ideal, with 26C to 30C ok.


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

yeah thats what mine is..... :/


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## Ally (Mar 8, 2006)

edgley said:


> yeah thats what mine is..... :/


Sounds fine then, seriously don't worry!

He'll eat again when he's ready, it'll probably only be next week or the week after. I bet he'll surprise you by shedding in the next day or two.


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

does yours get a oily effect to the colour of the skin just before shedding and the skin look kinda greyish under light


can you tell me what your set up is like as i dont use heatmats i have overhead heating via lights....?


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## Ally (Mar 8, 2006)

edgley said:


> does yours get a oily effect to the colour of the skin just before shedding and the skin look kinda greyish under light
> 
> 
> can you tell me what your set up is like as i dont use heatmats i have overhead heating via lights....?


Thegreyish colour describes a pre-shed snake very well, with or without the opaque eyes.

I use heat mats on thermostats, but bulbs work just as well providing they are on a thermostat and guarded to prevent burns. I'd only use ceramic or night bulbs though as I prefer to keep them heated overnight too. 
Obviously the don't get heat at night in the wild, so a lump of slate under the heatlamp will heat up and retain a bit of heat overnight too.


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

see i dont use a heat met but i leave the light on all night and this has worked well for all snakes i have had before....

the lights are on a thermostate but do you think i should turn them off over night?


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## Ally (Mar 8, 2006)

edgley said:


> see i dont use a heat met but i leave the light on all night and this has worked well for all snakes i have had before....
> 
> the lights are on a thermostate but do you think i should turn them off over night?


I hate to leave lights on overnight as is really disrupts their sleeping time, that's why I prefer mats or low light bulbs - ceramics or moonlight ones for nocturnal species.


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

i may change my bulb then that may be the problem....


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## PrimalUrges (Dec 10, 2008)

Get a ceramic heater... No light to worry about.


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

do they come as a bayonet fitting.... i do like have my lights though makes it look a lot better if nothing else


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## Bats (Jan 26, 2009)

edgley said:


> do they come as a bayonet fitting.... i do like have my lights though makes it look a lot better if nothing else


I believe ours is a screw fit. At the end of the day, if your snake is nocturnal, it's better to have a ceramic than a lightbulb for warmth. Your concern should be what your snake needs over what you as a keeper want.


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

How long have you had the snake? And how old is he?
Breeding season is here and a lot of adult male snakes have other things on their minds besides eating.


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

ive had him about a month now all i was told is that he is around 4 years or so old as he was a rescue so the exact date isnt known


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

Bats said:


> I believe ours is a screw fit. At the end of the day, if your snake is nocturnal, it's better to have a ceramic than a lightbulb for warmth. Your concern should be what your snake needs over what you as a keeper want.


 

i didnt mean it to sound like i wanted to have it as it looks pretty... its what i have at the moment pay day is a veryu long time for me and the last round of stuff that i had on my viv broke this is just a keep sake until i can buy all new equipment


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## sandmatt (Oct 25, 2008)

I think its the time of year... mine used to do exactly the same around this time.


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## Adam98150 (Jan 12, 2009)

edgley said:


> do they come as a bayonet fitting.... i do like have my lights though makes it look a lot better if nothing else



If you do change over, which you should, make sure you get a ceramic fitting too, a plastic lamp holder will simply melt. : victory:


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

cheers guys keep it coming


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## Ally (Mar 8, 2006)

If he's 4, then it's just the time of year! But that also means don't expect him to eat until the weather warms up again, 2 months or so without food is normal for breeding season.

For now stick with your heat bulb, just switch it off overnight. As long as your room doesn't get really cold, it's only what he'd expect in the wild.


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

your a diamond cheers dude


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## jaysonc3 (Nov 20, 2008)

If you buy a 80-100 watt reflecter bulb and keep it on for 12 hours or so during the day and off at night it will better simulate its natural environment as it gets colder at night in the natural habitat and also it will have a photo period


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## mike12 (Aug 30, 2008)

edgley said:


> ive now been told three different things about my temps and am getting a wee bit confused could anyone tell what the temps should be for an adult king?


I keep all my kings around 29 degreess celsius in the hot end, iuse heat mats as its just easier for me that way ceramics sound like they would be your best bet mate or switching to heat mats. Sounds to me like your king is going to shed i have a banana king that looks the same when it is in shed. Also as others have said it could be the time of year. i would defo only give it 12 hours of light to make it feel more comfortable if you know what i mean :2thumb:


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## edgley (Feb 7, 2009)

thanks alot guys i turned the lights off last night and as soon as i turned them on this morning the little (big) critter was all over the place!


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