Very Strange Feeding Night

[frankykeno]

We had the oddest feeding night of our whole snake owning time. A straight across the board refusal...every snake...every BP...even the BCI refused to eat....only little Emi the milksnake took her f/t mouse fuzzy.

I think I know the reason though so just looking for confirmation or comments on my suspicions. The BP room is on an outside wall with three windows in it. The BCI's enclosure is in another room but it has a full bank of windows on one wall in that room. We had extremely unstable weather last night...rain...then no rain...then more rain and so on. Also Toledo has a lot of events going on and put on a HUGE fireworks show last night despite the weather. It was not far from us and the booms were very audible (to the point it bugged my ears). I'm remembering that Adam said that sudden barometric pressure changes bother snakes so could that have been the reason for this odd refusal to eat from all the snakes?

Should we have just not fed last night considering all these factors? Should we just wait till next week or feed tonight since these factors are not in play now? A refusal here or there is no biggie but it's odd that all the snakes outright refused prey and in fact most hid in their hides or under their newspaper and refused to even consider hunting with their usual vigor.

[xdeus]

I'd wait until next week to feed. I think you're right on about the weather and maybe the fireworks, but by next week they should all be a little more hungry and ready for their meal. I can feel your pain, though. Some weeks it seems like half my collection get picky for whatever reason, but then they make up for it when they all chomp them down and still seem to want more. I'm sure yours will do the same next week.

[frankykeno]

Thanks Lawrence. I figure it might be that weather/heavy booming noises since we've never had a full collection refusal like this before and all the snakes were acting odd - hiding and refusing to hunt. Probably best as you said to just leave them the full week until next feeding night.

[ladywhipple02]

What??? Sev didn't eat???? The world must be coming to an end!

This weather in the mid-west has had everyone screwed up lately. It had me laid up for a week with strep-throat. I would imagine they'll be good and hungry next week, though, and will eat with no problems.

As for the colubrid eating, they have better feeding responses than even BCI's, I think. I know that Jeff, the little milk snake that Jamie sent me, has never once refused a meal, no matter what the circumstances.

[iceman25]

I'd try again next week. Maybe they miss Rauri.

[cassandra]

I'd try again next week. Maybe they miss Rauri.

Awww...

[elevatethis]

Thats pretty crazy. Hopefully its just a fluke of a coincidence. I am a total believer in snake's and other reptiles ability to sense weather patterns and whatnot...last summer we had a few bad tstorms come through and noticed erratic behavior on the part of some the larger monitors we had at the time.

And flip to your situation, it was downpouring 2 weeks ago on my feeding night- lighting, thunder, heavy rain, you name it- not a single one of my guys refused. Go figure.

[frankykeno]

Yep even Sev refused Lynn and Malachi the male BP who never refuses, that's what sort of made me think it must be something up with all changing weather patterns (it was changing fast from rain to sun to overcast to rain and back again) and then that stupid booming fireworks so close to the house.

[kavmon]

i'm sure you have, but you might want to double checkall your temps everywhere? is the ac in your house cranked up(chillin)?


vaughn

[frankykeno]

Everything looks good Vaughn and we don't have A/C. If anything it's a bit sweltering hot in the house but nobody's tank has condensation or anything like that. The BP room has windows so I can create a cross draft if need be and I've got an Acu-Rite stuck on the wall so I can monitor their whole room's temps and humidity. I hope it's just a freak thing. Never happened before so of course it's bugging me completely. LOL