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Snake stopped eating. (gerbils)

M

magicalsnakestick

New member
Hi My snake has stopped feeding for the last two weeks or so. As yet I'm not worried

I've been trying with her, (1 year old corn) every three days. maybe thats a bit much but he really won't touch any food.

in that time I haven't (she was feeding fine) changed a single thing. how ever flat mate has recently gone and brought some gerbils. It is only since the Gerbils have been in the flat has this been an issue. She fed on the first weekend he got the gerbils but not since.

My theory is that the snake would rather eat the Gerbils so won't touch her food (frozen/thawed mice.) As yet I'm not too worried and hoping she is going to settle down and start eating soon.

short of allowing the snake to eat the gerbils, has anyone got any suggestions?

P:s the gerbils are quite sweet, but the snake is queen!
 
:eek: You are feeding a 1 year old corn every 3 days?!?!?!?! That is a little over board! For the ones smaller than 1 year old I would say that it would be right to feed about every 5 days. over one year I would feed them every week. I only use three days for the feeding frenzy before breeding, and its one year old, so I don't think its going to be breeding this year. Now to the gerbels: A ONE YEAR OLD SNAKE SHOULD NOT EAT A HUGE JERBIL!!! I guess it depends how big the gerbils are, but I don't think they would be the right size for a one year old snake.
 
oh, and I forgot to add that he may be going into the shed cycle.
and I am aware that i am double posting
 
I've been trying with her, (1 year old corn) every three days. maybe thats a bit much but he really won't touch any food.
Click to expand...

Perhaps the trick is to get her a bit hungry. Try leaving her alone for 10 days apart from changing water and spot-cleaning, then offering some food. As long as she's otherwise healthy, that won't be a problem for her. Two weeks without eating isn't a big deal for a healthy one year old.

If you keep offering food at frequent intervals, she might associate it with being stressed, which could put her off eating even more.

Might she be coming up to a shed? Some will refuse in the time leading up to shedding.

Also, might "she" be a "he"? One year old is a bit young, but mature males can go off their food at this time of year as it's the breeding season and they only have lurve on their mind!

I don't really know if the gerbils are relevant. Their arrival might just be a coincidence.
 
no no, I've been feeding her once a week, but I've been trying to get her to eat every three days (with constant rejection) since she stopped! gerbils are still pretty small, I'm not worried about her eating them, I'm more worried that she won't accept food.
 
Cornsnake124, I think magicalsnakestick meant that he's offering his snake food every 3 days while it's refusing food, and that his snake may be distracted by the gerbil PETS being kept by his room mate.


I wonder, how close are their two cages? Close enough for the snake to see or smell them? If not, then I don't think it's likely the gerbils are causing your snake's hunger strike.

If she's distracted by live prey, you could always try the zombie mouse dance with a pair of tweezers or tongs so she thinks her meal is alive. I would also suggest covering the snake's feeding container with a cloth so they can't see anything outside to be distracted by.
But in all honesty, I doubt the gerbils have anything to do with it, unless their cages are right next to each other.
 
Sorry.

Don't bother her for 10 days. Don't try to get her to eat or anything. Just leave her be and in 10 days she'll try to eat your hand off.
 
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