Not eating...

[Bojangles37]

I know that this gets asked all the time, and I know that this is a time that snakes would generally stop eating, so I shouldn't be worried, but my dad has me convinced that there is a problem, so I figured I would just ask.

Let me preface by saying that my conditions are not IDEAL. They're not BAD, but my temps and humidity are not spot on. I don't really want to get lectured on how I need to fix it, I am working on creating a setup for my two snakes and when that is done, conditions will be better.

Anyhow: I have two snakes right now, a larger female, I haven't weighed her in a while, but I would assume she's close to 800 grams. She eats small adult rats. I also have a younger, smaller, unknown sex. The larger of the two was difficult to get eating when I got her, and skinny, full of parasites and mites. That is now completely taken care of and she has been eating MOSTLY regularly. Her temps are a little cool, but she spends the MAJORITY of her time on the cool side of the tank. Once in a while she skipped a meal, but lately she is RARELY eating. They both eat F/T. I gave her a mouse last night and the smaller prey didn't have any effect. The younger, smaller snake will eat anything you put in front of it. It eats adult mice and would eat one a day if I fed that often. Both snakes appear healthy, hydrated, and not skinny. They moved about two months ago and around the time of the move is when the female stopped eating. She HAS eaten once since then, a small rat. Since the move, I would say that husbandry has IMPROVED, not gotten worse.

Should I actually worry? Should I not worry at all? How often should I offer her prey if she's not eating at all? I bothered her yesterday and she was out and about for a while. The other one, who eats like a pig is NEVER out.

[Kaorte]

about how old are they? Are they being housed seperately?
I know you don't want to be lecture on your hsbandry but that can be a big reason for why we is not eating.

[Spaniard]

Disregarding your husbandry issues, what size is the enclosure? The timing of the move and the fasting would indiciate to me that stress is the reason they stopped eating. With that said its been 2 months and they have not started eating so I would worry a bit as snakes that size should be eating voraciously. The problem could be a combination of your husbandry issues and perhaps insecurity if you're using a big enclosure; along with the catalyst of the move which triggered it all off. Seems to me like they need your husbandry issues corrected in order to get over the stress of the move.

[Bojangles37]

The smaller unknown, which is eating fine, is in a 10 G but is getting large enough to move up soon.

The larger female, who is about 1.5-2 years old (and may be larger than 800 grams) is in a 20 G long, which she has been in since the day that I got her, when she was skinny as a worm. I know that she is smaller than most at her age, but she got a late start in growing due to parasites and the like, she's a pet shop snake. It was my first snake, so I just thought they grew slowly. After treating the parasites, she's grown at a regular rate. If anything, I've made her enclosure more secure (better hides, better coverage) since she moved. She has eaten once since she's been here and she is equally as active as she has been her entire life with me.

Thanks for any help!

[Kaorte]

Do you have proper hides on the warm and cool side for her? She could just be stressed from the move and still not feel secure.

If you haven't already, you can cover 3 sides of the tank with dark paper of foam board.