Zoo-pedia > Feeding problems in captive snakes

Feeding problems in captive snakes

By Kevin Stevens - tips and tricks on how to avoid and rectify.

Introduction...Feeding problems in snakes are often down to levels of stress the individual is coping with. Reptiles generally speaking require optimum conditions, in that every aspect of their needs are catered for. Without this they suffer from stress related illnesses which often in the early stages manifests itself in lack of appetite.
Some of the commonest stress related problems include...
Over handling
Housing in too large a vivarium
Keeping at a too warm temperature.
Keeping at a too low temperature.
Over crowding.
Housing in unsuitable vivaria
Kept at incorrect humidity levels.
Not providing hides.
Bright lighting.
Do's & Don'ts... Snakes should only be handled minimally, and never just after feeding as regurgitation often occurs. Many snakes are very sensitive to being housed in large vivaria. House them by using the general rule of snake length should equal the length of two sides of the vivarium. Many new keepers are surprised by how little space snakes prefer to live in. Unsuitable vivaria often include glass fish tanks which the snake can see out of but cannot understand why they cannot get out. Often they will settle better if either wooden vivaria with one glass side are used or if three sides of a fish tank are covered leaving only one side the snake can see out. Correct temperatures are vital, for example many species of python refuse to feed if temperatures fluctuate away from around 32?C, the optimum temperature for Corn snakes is around 28?C. Many snakes will also regurgitate their meal if incorrect temperatures are given after feeding. The minimum that should be provided within the snakes vivarium should include a water bowl and a form of hide. Without a hide some snakes become so nervous that no food will be eaten, this is easily rectified. It is best to house snakes singly, they often have better feeding responses. Another plus point of housing them alone is they cannot be fed together as it has been known for snakes to eat each other at feeding times. Humidity can be important, especially for species such as the Royal Python. At low to moderate levels of humidity they often refuse to feed, I often provide a humid area within the vivarium to rectify this. I find many species of snake feed better if provided with no bright artificial lighting, diffused natural lighting is far superior.
Illness... As mentioned lack of appetite can be indicative of ill health. Common illnesses connected to poor feeding include;
Mouth rot
Internal parasites
Internal blockages
External mites and ticks
Various serious organ failures
Under no circumstances should the keeper attempt treatment, seek the advice of a veterinary surgeon.
Peculiarities... Sometimes poor feeding can be attributed to all manners of peculiarities of individual snakes. Some snakes will only take certain colours of rodents, this can be due to colouration of their natural food item. A common problem is only feeding on live rodents. This is not acceptable, injuries can occur to the snake and it is not ethical. Most individuals can be weaned onto dead, but this can take some time. The first step is to offer fresh killed rodents, then onto warmed defrost (a hair dryer is useful for this), sometimes this will have to be wiggled in front of them and eventually they should feed alone. A technique known as splitting, and another as braining are useful in many cases. This involves splitting the abdomen or head of the rodent and spreading the contents to increase the scent. Scenting can be important in that many individuals will only take lizards, frogs or fish. As these prey items are not as convenient the rodents can be washed and artificially scented with commercially prepared scents or by rubbing on the preferred food items. This fools the snake into believing he is eating another type of animal. Offering food at different times of the day or night can be useful, some snakes will only feed in the evening, others just in the morning. Placing of the food item within different areas of the vivarium can be useful, snakes often prefer to eat their food in their hide.
Last Resorts... Occasionally some snakes will defeat all attempts to convince them to feed. Some documented methods are of dubious nature, some authorities have suggested keeping the snake at very high temperatures (close to their lethal maximum) for short periods of time. They state reasonable success, but the risks far out weigh the benefits. Assist feeding can be useful, the mouth is gently opened and the food item latched onto the teeth. A reflex action should then take over, the snake should begin feeding, often this is not the case and several attempts may be necessary. A more risky method is force feeding where the item is pushed further back into the throat, where hopefully the snakes muscles will take over and carry it to the stomach. Again a procedure requiring some experience and a lot of patience. A final resort can be to use an implement known as a pinky pump, which in the right hands can forcibly fill the snakes gullet with pre-minced day old rodent. Only the experienced should use this piece of equipment