• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Concerned about my King, should I be??

Asbit

Asbit

So Many Morphs...
I am wondering, what exactly does beginning stomatitis look like? My king ate perfect for me, never missed a meal from Feb 13, 2010 (first feed after purchase) to May 11, 2010 (aside from one which was because the heat tape spiked to 101 and once I got it regulated, it was back to feeding like a champ). This king even eats in blue and has never been picky as to the color of it's prey.

This hunger strike started on May 11, 2010 with it weighing 51g, now because it was on a 5 day feeding cycle I have become concerned. I have checked the flex watt heat tape and made sure to adjust for our fluctuating temps here in Saskatchewan, Canada and have it stabilized between 84-86.

It was feeding on 7g fuzzies which only left a small visable feeding lump, which was gone in 24-36 hrs with the snake out and roaming around by then.

I have tried to feed it on:
May 11, 2010 weight 51g, refused 6g fuzzy (1g smaller than last meals eaten)

May 18, 2010 weight 49g, refused 5g fuzzy (2g smaller than last meals eaten)

May 25, 2010 weight 48g, refused 6g fuzzy (1g smaller than last meals eaten) Removed water bowl so that it would hopefully get thirsty and want to eat a wet meal.

May 27, 2010 weight 47g/48g, refused 3g of fuzzy cut in half lengthwise, I also tried a 2g pinkie (so those are 4g less and 5g less respectively than the meals eaten previously). Both of these offerings were wet.

All of these meals have been fed in a small container (smaller then previously used) and covered by a tea towel, have been heated really warm, tried at various times of dawn, day and evening. I have even left the container in the viv overnight. I have also tried removing the water dish, different colored prey, wet prey, dry prey, damp prey, different sized prey, and even longer spaced and quicker spaced offerings of food.

Keep in mind I have a daycare in my home and this snake has willing fed with or without children watching at various times of the dawn-night. It has had 13 feeds and 3 perfect sheds while in my possession.

I did not look in it's mouth upon purchase as with my corns, and so I really do not know it's proper coloration inside of the mouth. It has shown interest in the meals but then not eaten them. After this last refusal I carefully checked into his mouth and did notice a small dark area at front of the roof of his mouth. There is no redness, swelling, "cottage cheese" substance or obvious injuries.

Could this be the start of mouth rot? Could it just be a stubborn hunger strike as I have heard some kings will do(please correct me if I am wrong)?

Other info, 2 warm side hides, 2 cool side hides, aspen deep enough to burrow into, fake plants, almost daily sunshine through the bedroom window. Temps are checked by a digital probed thermometer and double check with infrared temp gun, water changed every 3-4 days, warm side generally 84-87 regulated by rheostat, heated by 11" flex watt and cool side generally from 67-75.

If anyone thinks I am missing a potential problem please let me know as I am worried, esp. as it has lost 4-5 grams already. :eek:
 
Everything sounds good to me, but that brown spot is a possible concern. By chance, was a previous meal perhaps too hot and he got a slight burn on the roof of his mouth? Something like that could easily put any snake off eating a similar meal. My snakes get warm meals, and I admit to using hot water, as hot as it can be out of the tap, to heat them, but with as many as I have to feed, and the fact that I weigh each snake first and clean their vivs before they get their meal, the food items aren't burning hot anymore by the time they get them. However, I can see that happening on a rare occasion, such as I am ready to feed and find the meals are too cold and need to be reheated, and I get an eager-beaver, like a food aggressive king (which I've had), that grabs it freshly hot without the meal having a chance to cool.

I've no real experience with mouth rot so can't tell you if that brown spot could be the start of a case or not. I have had wonderful eaters go off their meals for awhile for no apparent reason, but once I offer something extra special, like a brained, a washed or a live meal, they go right back to eating regularly. Give those a try and see what happens.

And I also hate to say it, but sometimes, things "just happen" and snakes don't make it. We often never find the reason why and end up falsely blaming ourselves for something we may have done, or not done, that caused the loss. Learning to simply accept these losses is difficult, but something every herper eventually needs to understand.
 
Thank you so much for your swift reply Susan. I will leave "him" be for another week and offer "him" another meal. All meals are brained here and all snakes are weighed at each meal as you do. I will try washing it in mild dish soap (and give a small one?). Do you think that I should maybe try the live or rat instead of mouse?

I would really hate to loose "him". If I can not get him to eat between now and the 24th of June(next day off that I could travel 3 hrs to the herp vet) I will take "him" in for an appt. If I see his mouth look different then I will have to find a way to take "him" sooner.

It is such a nicely tempered king and I just hate to see anything wrong with any of my snakes or other animals.
 
It hasn't been that long technically 2 of mine just went 3 weeks without food for no reason other than they didn't feel like eating- it happens:) Heck my boa went 2 months without food and then I caved and gave him a live feeding which unfortunately he seems stuck on now:( I would wait awhile maybe try a larger meal, tuna juice, chicken juice, or leaving him overnight in a small container with room for him and his meal- it's worked for some of mne. Hope he eats very soon for you:)
 
Ok thank you as well danielle. This is only the second king we have had here. The first was my teens and he accidentally left the screen top open a little, it escaped never to be found.

I really like kings and thought that I had heard they sometimes hunger strike for no reason. I will avoid live at all costs. I will also try the scenting with various juices. As well as the deli cup as it is the smallest feeding container I have and he will have no way to move away from the meal then!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top