And when a snake that would normally brumate in the wild is offered food in late fall or winter, it's NORMAL for them to "act afraid of it" and reject it.
They instinctively know that to eat at the wrong time of year can mean death (in the wild), since getting caught with a belly full of food when there is no hope
of digesting it means it will spoil in their stomach & can kill them. Over many years, natural selection has killed off those that didn't "listen"...and you now have
a snake that "knows" how to survive successfully.
Not all colubrid pet snakes are this adamant about not eating in winter, but when they are, you need to listen. I have corn & various rat snakes that eat all the
time. I also have a Western longnose snake (similar to a small king snake, from TX) and a rosy boa (native to CA deserts) that do exactly what your milk snake
is doing. I do not brumate these 2...they go about 3 months without eating & are fine. But I have brumated a number of snakes in the past when I also bred a
few & they required fertility. Based on the behavior you describe, I would personally brumate your Pueblan.
FYI, my longnose snake is now 16 years old, and my rosy boa is 16 years old too. Both have good body weight & do this every year.
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