My Bull Snake won't eat, help!
Denise Gaertner
I have recently bought a bull snake. At first he wodn't eat
for one week past the time he was suppused to, then he
finally ate two mice. It has been three weeks since he was
last supposed to eat and I am very worried. He is supposed
to eat every week. I havn't had any experience with this
kind of snake before, and I'm trying to avoid taking him to
the vet. Please help!
Jessica
Michael Smith
which are on-target.
1. how big is the bullsnake?
2. what sort of cage is he in - is there a hidebox? what is the
temperature in the cage (really use a thermometer if at all possible)?
3. how often is the snake handled?
4. how are you putting food into the cage? alive? prekilled?
5. is the snake active and alert when handled, having strong muscle tone
and frequently flicking his tongue?
Some of the first things to look at are temperature (should be at least in
the upper 70s in the cage but not hotter than 90 - and don't use a "hot
rock") and whether the snake feels secure. Feeling secure means having a
close, confined place to hide and not being handled too often or too
roughly. Also, was the bullsnake healthy when you got him? If it is a pet
store bullsnake, there's no telling if it's been appropriately cared for
before you got him, and he might even have an illness. For example, some
snakes not kept in good conditions get a sort of infection in the mouth in
which cheesy-looking gunk builds up around the gums. Such an infection is
treatable but is serious if not caught and treated.
So, there are a lot of possible issues to look at, and if you can give more
info, you'll get better answers. Also, look for a small book in the
bookstore or even the petstore called "What's wrong with my snake?" by John
& Roxanne Rossi. It has a lot of good information.
One more thing -- it's getting late in the year and some of the bullsnakes
will get more finicky when it's normally time to hibernate. You don't
necessarily have to hibernate him, but you may have to work harder to get
him to eat.
Good luck,
Michael Smith
Denise Gaertner <gaer...@postoffice.worldnet.att.net> wrote in article
<36371BB3...@postoffice.worldnet.att.net>...
Reptidude1
if I am, because I don't care :-)
Aren't Bull snakes and gopher snakes like in the same group? I think they
are, just depends what part of the country you are in as to what they are
called. My gopher snakes don't eat much this time of year because they want to
hibernate. The person to ask is John Schmitt (mh...@gte.net) he knows more than
I do on this.
Brian
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http://members.aol.com/reptidude1/snakepage.htm
Denise Loving
> Aren't Bull snakes and gopher snakes like in the same group?
Yes, same genus, Pituophis.
>I think they
>are, just depends what part of the country you are in as to what they are
>called. My gopher snakes don't eat much this time of year because they want to
>hibernate.
My Pacific gopher (P. catenifer catenifer) stopped eating early last
month.
Denise