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not eating well Hibernation?

randj

randj

New member
Hello Everyone, We are new to cornsnakes but trying to learn as much as possible quickly. We have an approx. 8 yr old male that was at my daughter's high school. Long story short, looks like he is ours now. We got him in September and he was eating well at first. In October, my daughter's room where his vivarium is located started to get cool. He does have an undertank heater at one end. His appetite dropped off in Oct. So far in November he has eaten only one hopper (was on adult frozen/thawed when still eating properly), and has not pooped since taking it. The heat has been on in my daughter's room for a month now and the temp away from the heater is 73-75, over the heater it is 91 in warmest area, 82-85 for the rest. I have had him to the exotics vet and she did not find anything obviously wrong (and checked his sex for me).

A couple of snake owners have suggested that he is hibernating/brumating--whatever the proper term is. Is it possible that the cooling off of the room in October has encouraged him to do this and even though it is warmer now he is still in hibernation/brumation mode? If so, my understanding is that we need to cool things down for him so he does not lose weight while in brumation. I don't know if we should keep things warm and keep trying to feed him (suggested by the vet that we try him with fresh killed mouse to stimulate his appetite)--but if he is truly brumating I am concerned that it would not be digested well even if he did take it--is this true? Or should we assume he is in brumation, cool things down and not feed? And what about the fact that there has been no defecation since the last small meal?

He is drinking, does move around some, but since we are new snake owners I do not know how much moving around is normal.

Your thoughts on what you think is going on would be appreciated, and suggestions on next steps also.

Thank you very much for your thoughts!
 
It's very difficult to get temps low enough for brumation, inside a house where humans are living. It needs to be much cooler than we'd find comfortable, for sustained periods of time.

If the floor surface is around 85 at some point (91 is a wee bit too warm), then the temps are fine for him to digest, so don't worry on that score.

As for moving around, it's an individual preference. Most will spend the day asleep and be more active during dawn, dusk or overnight. Some can be active at any time.

Just double-check those temps and keep offering his normal food at weekly intervals. Here's the FAQ on how to deal with problem feeders:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28342
 
OK, Thank you, Bitsy. Will work on feeding. What about the lack of defecation--should we be concerned about this? I have read on this forum that some owners have them do a bit of swimming in a (free of soap, etc) bath tub and this often encourages pooping. What do you think of trying this? Our water is city water--do we have to be concerned about the chlorine? His drinking water is treated with the liquid used for preparing water for fish. Should this be added to the bath as well?
 
I use an evian water bottle to fill up from the tap. Pop it in the sun for an afternoon with the cap off will generally zap what little chlorine there is. I put the cap on when I get home from work and put it in the fridge and that's his water for his dish for generally the week.
 
What about the lack of defecation--should we be concerned about this?
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Well if there's very little going in, then there's very little to come out. Generally constipation will be accompanied by a visible swelling near the cloaca, but I don't think you actually have a problem in this situation.

I have read on this forum that some owners have them do a bit of swimming in a (free of soap, etc) bath tub and this often encourages pooping. What do you think of trying this?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't. If your snake is already reluctant to eat, adding a new and potentially stressful activity could make the eating issue worse. As above, I don't believe that he's constipated.

Our water is city water--do we have to be concerned about the chlorine? His drinking water is treated with the liquid used for preparing water for fish. Should this be added to the bath as well?
Click to expand...
Mine have drunk chlorinated water straight from the tap all their lives and I've never seen any ill-effects. My eldest will be 25 next year. I wouldn't worry about it for drinking water and I wouldn't bother with the bath at all.
 
OK, we will carry on with the feeding and review temperatures again, no bath and worry minimally about the chlorine. Cool that you have one that is 25!
 
Glad to hear he ate, like Bitsy said I doubt it's brumation if you keep your house heated. Sometimes during the cold months they just eat less so I wouldn't worry if it happens again.
 
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