Any tricks to get stubborn males back on food?

[carlisleishere]

Okay. Thanks for all the help.

[kitedemon]

I have a suggestion it is a long shot. I have been watching weather patterns and you might try increasing the humidity to 70% for a time (make sure you have correct ventilation.) I wonder if breeding is not linked to rainy season so dryer entering wet may trigger an end. Perhaps... it is simply a guess one of my problem feeders is still on strike from jan. It sucks but she is and has always been a problem any way. (WC, mouse eater... super timid... neglected rescue...)

[interloc]

I needed to do live for my dude. He was off for 6 months. Now he eats live no probs. I'm hopeing to switch back to f/t soon.


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[carlisleishere]

You know what kitedemon, you reminded me of something.... I can't believe I didn't remember this. He grew up in a tub that was usually 70-75% humidity, but he outgrew it and I moved him to a larger tub that had lower humidity (60-65%). He's only eaten 3 times since being in this tub, so maybe humidity does have something to do with it? I'm going to try live anyways and add some humidity. Thanks for your suggestion.

[Anatopism]

Has he been around any breeder females (not necessarily with them or breeding, but nearby)? Our big albino boy wouldn't start eating again for us until we moved him across the snake room in his own tub, completeley seperate from the rack where I his females were before. He then didn't start eating again until a couple months after his last lock (and a month after moving to his own area/further from the girls).

[Vypyrz]

Has he been around any breeder females (not necessarily with them or breeding, but nearby)? Our big albino boy wouldn't start eating again for us until we moved him across the snake room in his own tub, completeley seperate from the rack where I his females were before. He then didn't start eating again until a couple months after his last lock (and a month after moving to his own area/further from the girls).

If you are using paper towels, or newspaper as a substrate, you might try switching to Aspen for a while. I don't know why, but sometimes it works...

[kitedemon]

In the wild most royals lay eggs in a 2 week period. That means the breeding season is triggered across the range by an environmental change. Many breeders do not cycle the light and still get breeding so it isn't a light trigger and I know others whom do not change temps and still have breeding. That leaves humidity. the rainy season marks the end of breeding and if there is rain or no rain the rivers and basins fill with water and the average RH goes up. I have no idea if this is the trigger but it as a possibility of it and may have some influence. I notice during our winter with central heating even in a RH controlled room mine either stop feeding of slow down less aggressive feeding. The summer comes and the humidity increases and presto they mostly start again. Aggressively in some cases. My big female whom has been kinda iffy on eating pokes at the FT rat for a while and noses about before striking if she does. She is back to hitting like a freight train. Last night she struck so hard she broke the hind legs of a rat (F/T) I was offering her. I am just guessing but if it helps ...

Sometimes the 'teenagers' just go off for no reason and for long times. Nothing you do will get them to start until they are ready, then watch the fingers... LOL

[MasonC2K]

Sometimes feeding them something smaller than what they are used to works.

[rlditmars]

Have you tried leaving the rat in overnight. You say that he is showing interest so perhaps giving him some extra alone time may get him going. Make sure the rat is well thawed aand properly warmed. Make sure to scent the room when you are readying the rat. You can warm it with a blow dryer and have the scent going right in the snakes tub/cage. Offer it but if he doesn't take it right away let it be overnight. Like someone else posted, use a slightly smaller prey item until he gets back on feeding regularly.

[MrLang]

He has eaten FT before, recognizes it as food, and doesn't seem to be stressed by other factors.

I agree adjusting the humidity and removing 'the scent of a woman' might help.

It's his body - he does what he wants. Maybe he decided he needs to slim down to have the energy he needs with the ladies this year. I have heard fat snakes don't breed well. Maybe they are able to regulate this on their own