2yr old Stim not eaten in 5 months

[Chantilly]

I am a desperate mum of a 2 year old Stimmy. We live in Mackay so it gets to about 7 degrees at night but it is still warm during the day up to about 25 degrees and warming up over the nights just in the last couple of days. Olive has not eaten since BEGINNING OF MARCH so now it has been 5 months which I am told is around the time to start being concerned. We have a 100 watt bulb and I know she is warm.

Over the first couple of months we found her curled up in her water bowl but with no mites and we tried feeding her every two weeks at least, she was never "interested" and would run to her cubby hole. Then decided to stop trying at about beginning of June, we closed the blinds to make it darker and switched off her lamp and heat matt. During the first four months she was out nearly every couple of days so she was active, though getting thin she still is and has been nice and glossy. At the begining of July we completely left her, but checked every now and then to see her stick her head out of her cubby hole.

About 3 days ago I went to the pet shop and got her a 100 watt red bulb and put it in her home and opened the blinds so she could distinguish day from night again. Oops... thought maybe that was our mistake as to y she wasn't eating. But tonight we tried to feed her again and she was initially uninterested. We thought that we should be persistant as she would strike it every now and then. However, she would not open her mouth so we believe this was only to defend herself.

Please help! I think I am getting post-natal depression, it makes me sick and it breaks my heart. We don't have a vet close by that is familiar with snakes... What is next for us to do? She never did this last year when we bought her around this time and she ate without a fail once a week till old enough for chicks and mice.

Thanks

 

[wranga]

what temps are your enclosure at? hot end, cold end, how cold dose your house get at night? has your snake ever fed for you? what are you offering as a feed and are you sure that you have warmmed it properly?

 

[ihaveherps]

Dont do anything. Stimmys are notorious for going off their food early, they often turn themselves off the feed when sexually mature, and as long as it isnt losing any condition, just wait it out till i would guess August and they will generally come back onto the feed with a vengance.... My guess is that you wont take this advice, no skin off my nose though.

 

[snakehandler]

Several of our stimmies are not eating now, as ihaveherps mentions there is nothing to worry about

 

[deebo]

my first snake, a childrens python, at the age of 18 months went off his food in feb and didnt eat again till september. In that time he lost 10 grams but was still very active etc and he ate when he wanted to I guess. Have you been weigning your snake during this time? The same thing happened agian this yr for me wth both my childrens stopping eating in early feb and have just started to feed again last night. I wouldnt worry to much about it.

Also, have you tried just leaving the food item in overnight?

 

[beeman]

Why would you want to make it darker and colder if you are worried about her?
Remember snakes DONT hibernate they brumate which means they remain
alert enough to be able take advantage of any heat provided to re-warm thier bodys for the cool night ahead.
You should be offering normal day time temps during winter and no heat for night!
As for your stimmie going of its food for 5 months thats normal for them to do that
from autumn onward.
We have one male that only eats for 3 months out of the year and he is perfectly
fine doent loose condition at all and is mating his little heart out as i type this!
As Ihaveherps said it will start to eat again in the spring!

 

[Chantilly]

Many Thanks

Thanks everyone! This all really does help, I appreciate the good advice and ressurance that she is OK.

No we haven't weighed her but we could definitely do that from now on every now and then for sure.

I guess with Hybernation, people who are new to snakes are under the false impression that they are like bears, in that they completely hide away and would not come out during that time. Which is why we did the silly thing of trying to make it nice and dark for her, thinking she would "sleep". But, that is not true as we are finding out just now.

Is there a type of behavioural or characteristic like thing we should look out for that will indicate she is ready to eat again or is do we just try again in late August?

And would it also mean that she would be fertile if she has been in this form of hybernation? How do we find out if she is ready for breeding? Actually I can look it up. LOL

Thanks again very much to all of you

 

[Chantilly]

Oh... pretty sure we warmed her food properly...? I almost throw up from the stench every time. Seeing as though you have mentioned hot and cold temp too, I will definitely grab that termomiter probe to be sure and yeah she ate everything we fed her once a week from July last year to March this year.

 

[FAY]

None of my older stimmis are eating and haven't for a few months now.