eating problems

hey every 1 i need some help my california king wont eat he just sheded on sunday so i gave him 2 days and then now i have a pinky in his cage cuz hes not tooo big about 1 foot and 3 inches but really skinny soo hes not really interested in he hasent eaten in about 2 weeks any suggestions???

Are you feeding live or frozen thawed?

What are the temps and humidity in the cage?

Is the cage in a high activity area?

My best advice from my picky new world Colubrid days are as follows
-a 6 qt tub with paper towels and a small water bowl
-Keep the hot side at about 84-87 with a cool side much lower
-Leave be at all times and drop a live pink in with him over night. If he doesn't take it by the morning, take it out and freeze in. In another week, leave it in thawed over night. Try again every week.
-Try feeding in a deli cup in a dark quiet spot over night with a live pink, next try f/t.
-Braining, a common practice in colubrid keepers, Basically you use a pin and poke a hole in the head and squeeze some brain matter out of a DEAD mouse.


A quick question for you, do you know if he has ever eaten before you got him?

Hope this helps

From what I've read, with some kings, if they won't take a pink, may take a small lizard (anole). I've mainly heard this with the Greyband kings, though... At a foot and some, he's certainly large enough that he's eaten before.

How long have you had him? Who did you get him from? Was it a petstore or a breeder or a friend? Someone you can ask about his feeding habits/patterns? Sometimes they like you to dance the food around in front of them, if you're feeding just frozen, or you could try with a live pink as the other posters suggested.

He may require a vet visit if he's still not eating for too long to see if something else might be wrong.

Good luck with your li'l fellow! I hope he eats soon. :snake: