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What different things make snakes not eat for several months at a time2007-11-24 2:03:19Answers:

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. :)

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Death.

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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.