My first posting to this site= I hope someone can shed some light on this. The hubby and I have an older snake- Red Tail Boa- approximately 20 years old, female, about 15' long, 50-70 lbs (haven't weighed her in a while, I don't know for sure). Problem is this- not eating. Hubby says she hasn't eaten since December (yup, December of 03). I think it's been not so long as that. Either way- it's been a while. She has her own cage (old closet with bathtub surround and tree, dark box, etc). She's long surpassed mice and rats. She's on rabbits. Big ones. Live ones. We've had a rabbit now for a good two months. The rabbit and snake are now co-habitating! Dog (that's the snake's name) will come down from her perch to drink, and go back up without ever bothering the rabbit. She's never really eaten regularly. Instead of once a week or month, she's always eaten once every couple of months. But now she isn't eating at all. What could be the problem? Why would she not eat the rabbit and choose to live with it instead???? Hubby is concerned.
First off welcome to the site! Now for the problems... NEVER, EVER, LEAVE LIVE FOOD IN A CAGE WITH A SNAKE! Sorry to be so blunt, but a rabbit can kill your snake in no time flat! The rabbit being in the cage with the snake is probably a major contributor to the reason your snake is not eating. Get that rabbit out of the snakes cage then we can move on to getting it to eat again...... Is your snake a BCC (boa constrictor constrictor) or a BCI (boa constrictor imperator)? What are your cage temps, Hot Side: Cool Side: How long has the snake been in this cage? How much floor space does the snake have? Is it showing any signs of loosing weight? Is there a lot of traffic around the cage? Snakes are solitary creatures.... they like nothing more than a dark tight spot that they can curl up and hide in. If the snake is being forced to reside in a tree because of a rabbit that is hanging out on the floor then the snake is going to be stressed out. The first sign of stress in a snake is not eating. Once you get all of the stress issues worked out, make sure the temperature in the cage is correct for proper digestion, and offer food in the right manner the snake should eat without any problem at all.
Thanks for the lesson in herpatology. I know a live animal can kill a snake. So does the hubby. As I have mentioned, we have had this snake for 20 years. We are not new to this. No- the rabbit is not forcing the snake to live in a tree. The snake actually prefers her shelf over the floor. She is very solitary, always has been. Her hide is on the top shelf. There is a window in the door, so we can check on her, a light (that we never use), venting, 60% hum, heated (88 to 80-82), etc. Just like the zoo. She is BCI. SHe has been in this cage ( 3 X 3 X 12) for almost four years. No- not losing weight. She has never been an active snake. Always preferring to stick to her hide, unless she comes down (out of the hide, off the shelf, down the tree) to get water. Like I said- we know her habits very well. She is OLD, and has always been 'lazy,' even for a snake. Never been bred. This is a new problem- her not eating. Nothing has changed (cage wise otherwise) to indicate she is stressed. That's why I have posted. It has us stumped.
Then why do you choose to leave this live animal that at a minimum is causing your snake stress in the cage with it. The first step in getting your snake to eat again is to find out what is causing it not to eat. Stress and improper husbandry are the two most common causes. Where in the cage are you getting the temp measurements? What kind of thermometer are you using? Does the snake have access to some sort of belly heat? Is there some abient light getting in to the cage? 3x3x12... is that 3' wide x 3' deep x 12' high? Have you added any cats, dogs, or other animals to the household? Do you have a child that may have started to "visit" the cage?
Why do I get the feeling that you are stuck on the rabbit being in the cage? Calm down a little! (think about whether you are 1- trying to get me to see your point of rabbit living in the cage is wrong, or 2-actually trying to help me figure out this quandary) Now- to answer the questions- There are two ESU Reptile Humidity & Temp gages in the cage. One placed high, one placed low. Ceramic Heat Tile at the top. Absolutely NO hot rock (they can get hot spots and burn the snake). As for lighting, as I mentioned, there is one in the cage, but we might as well take it out as we never use it. The window allows us to see in, but since we never turn on the light, we usually do not see much (especially since she is in her hide most of the time). Light from the living room can enter the window, as that is the purpose of the window in the first place. Her hide is above the door though, so she stays out of the light/view. (btw- did you mean to say ambient light? Since abient means to withdraw or avoid) Yes, the dimensions are correct, 3W X 3D X 12H. Have we added any other animals, well, yes. But I do not see that as being part of the problem. We have four new kittens. My Children are older and do not bother the snake.
I am perfectly calm and I am trying to help you....... The first thing that you are going to need to do before getting your snake eating again is to get it to a point where it is not stressed and feels comfortable enough to eat. A snake that feels threatened will not eat. Yes I am stuck on the rabbit being in the cage AND I am trying to help you get your snake eating again. I have seen too many cases of snakes being severly injured or killed by prey. Why risk it, even if it is a small risk, with an animal that has been a member of your family for 20+ years. Pics are from ravnos.org Once the stress issues are taken care of everything else should fall in to place and the snake will start eating again. When I first built the 6 wide x 2 deep x 2 high cage for my female BCI enough room to "stretch out" and set it all up in my bedroom she wouldnt eat regularly. Prior to this she had been a regular eater. I double and triple checked everything and could not find a reason why she wouldnt eat. Up until she went in to the new cage she was in a separate room that we use for our herps. She would eat only every 6-8 weeks and I started to get worried. So I got to thinking... what has changed.... and came to the conclusion that it was the cage location. I moved the cage into the herp room a year ago and she has not refused a meal since. What it turned out to be was the little bit of traffic that was passing by her cage was causing her to get stressed out and stop eating. Kids, kittens, dogs, and any number of other things can cause the same thing. With the cage location where it is with a lot of traffic passing by and a lot of movement around the cage you snake is stressed. I would almost be willing to bet that if you moved the snake in to a new cage with the proper room to spread out and less activity around the cage that it will not only start eating again, but would probably starting eating regularly. Oh and I did mean ambient not abient... darn typos can get you
Well, glad to have cleared that up. BUT- I think there are a few pieces of information that have been overlooked, or not noticed. "Dog" has been in this cage, in the location it is in, for almost 4 years. The new kittens are three weeks old, and in another room. Dog usually eats every 2-3 months. The rabbit only co-habitates with the snake while she is IN the cage. (She doesn't actually LIVE 24/7 in the cage with the snake (sorry for that misconception being perpetuated-but I couldn't resist We have only had the rabbit for two months. There is nothing different about temp or humidity. Dog's last meal was December 03 (according to hubby's records). Now- given that info- that her surroundings have not changed, no one is bothering her, the rabbit doesn't live 24/7 in the cage, and that she quit eating seven months ago..... unless of course Dog knew we would have a rabbit for her five months BEFORE we actually had one, and she started her hunger strike early?? (sorry- dry humor there) Anyway- if there is a problem with the rabbit, would that be a possibility? (I don't know of one, just guessing at this point) Could it be that she is just 'tired' of rabbits and wants a change in menu?
Have you contemplated seeking veterinary advice? If you've had this snake for 20 years, and there've been no problems until recently, and no change in the snake's care, there may be something less obvious going on. Btw, the damage in the image below was done by a MOUSE. Not a rat, not a rabbit, just a lowly MOUSE. (Not my snake, not sure where I originally found this image) Don't mix prey and predator unless you are actually attempting to feed. Do not leave the prey unattended with the snake. If the snake does not eat, remove the rabbit completely.
First, she's 20 years old, it could be that she's sick/geriatric (for lack of a better word) and wasting, or beginning to. It could be that she just doesn't like rabbits. Rabbits are large prey, and it's not uncommon for snakes to go wihtout eating for extremely long periods of time, but I would think she would have eaten by now. Over a year since she ate, won't touch the rabbit, then there's something physically wrong. I won't start about leaving the rabbit in the cage, I have a feeling you know exactly what we're talking about and are just trying to provoke people on that matter. If you seriously have concerns about your snake, take her to vet that is experienced with reptiles and their diseases.
what's the record for not eating? You are mostly correct. Thank you for being so astute. We do understand about prey living inside the same cage, and would not do that. (Although PROVOKE would be too harsh a word- Refer back to the postings, I only mentioned ONCE that the rabbit was in the cage. Subsequently, I cleared up that fact that it is not 24/7, only when we try to get Dog to eat.) I too, believe she may just be geriatric and on the downhill slide. I also think she might need to go to the Vet. We have a good country doc out here whom I am sure would take a look at her. The main problem with that right now is cash. Hence, the posting to see if anyone else may know of something. It's not actually been a year since she last ate, I think more like 8 months. I agree that is a long time. Does anyone know what the record is for a boa not to eat? Anyone know what the age record is for a Boa in captivity? I, once, almost gave Dog to our local zoo. The herpatologist wanted her bad as they did not have a Red-Tail on display. Anyway- the hubby feels that he would 'die' if he beloved pet were not nearby, so that nixed that idea. I personally am not a snake lover. But the hubby has had Dog two years longer than he's had me, and I understand the whole bonding thing! LOL
Well, I gave away our fluffy white rabbit friend a couple of days after my first posting. She now lives in a hutch just outside of town. As for Dog (the snake), she is still the same. Not eating. We've had her checked out. Can't find a medical reason. I told hubby that 'maybe she just doesn't like white meat?' I'm thinking maybe she truly is just geriatric and on her downhill slide.
Rave, just cuorius, but what substrate are you using? Being 70 or so lbs it would be quite a chore to move the snake to a different enclosure to feed.
I'm not an expert by any means, but if she is that old maybe she has a hard time taking on a rabbit now. Have you tried other smaller prey. Maybe she would eat a couple of rats or a guinea pig? Takes a lot of energy for an old snake to come down and take on a rabbit. I don't know, just a thought.
I am thinking age as well. While I have not had a boid that old, I currently have an 8' female that don't know the age of as I adopted her. From everything I have read, which is a lot I might add, age is probley the issue. The other idea I had was a seasonal issue. If the lighting is from natural sources and the hours of daylight have been reduced, she may be reacting to the change. Just a thought....
