Re: please help! green snake still not eating

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Posted by hotshot on January 22, 2003 at 13:18:34:

In Reply to: please help! green snake still not eating posted by snakebait on January 22, 2003 at 00:42:44:

Green snakes can be very picky eaters, and they stress very easily. I kept a green snake for a couple of years and he would not eat when I first got him.

It took him about a month to start eating, and then he would still go off feed for a couple of weeks every now and then. I fed mine crickets. I would pull their back legs off so they couldnt jump away from him, made his feeding easier. I would put 7 or 8 crickets in at a time and by morning, most if not all, the crickets would be gone.

Double check your temps, green snakes are very easy to go off feed due to temps. If it is too hot or too cold they wont eat. I always tried to maintain the warm spot between 78 and 82 degrees. I used a 40 watt light bulb during the day to maintain the ambient air temp, and kept the cool end around 74 to 76 degrees. I finally had to put 4 different temp guages in its cage to maintain the temps at a constant "good" temp. I had 2 on the floor on both the warm and cool end, and then 2 more just below the top of the cage on either end. I positioned them so they were at the same level as the hightest point of greenery the snake perched in. I maintained the ambient air temp at the higher point between 77 and 80 degrees.

I found that if the ambient temp fluctuated higher or lower, he would go off feed. Also if I handled him more than 2 or 3 times a week he would go off feed.

I finally got tired of this much work, and not being able to handle him, and sold him to a breeder.

I really enjoy looking at green snakes, very beautiful animals, but IMHO, they dont make that good of a pet. Maybe I just had the exception to the rule, but I dont think I will ever keep another one because of my experience with that one.

Hope this helps and I hope he survives.

But if this one doesnt make it, and you still want to get another snake, but dont want a larger snake, such as a corn, rat, or king, can I make a suggestion?

I have kept DeKay's and red bellied browns with no problems. They both are a small snake and only eat worms or slugs. Not as pretty as a green snake, but are an easy snake to care for. If in the future, this is a possible route, let me know and Ill certainly help you as well as I can.
Hope this helps, and good luck.
Brian

:My snake still isn't eating. I've tried mealworms, no use. I've been checking all the pet stores around me for the last week or more, and no one has anything but crickets and mealworms in stock. My snake is losing weight, although he still moves around, sleeping in his hide box at night and hanging out in the plants during the day. He seems weak and slow now, though. Is there anything I can do to help him? I'm afraid he'll starve to death before I can find wax worms or anything else, even supposing he'll eat those. SHOULD I try to help him, or should I take the 'humane' option?
:Thanks

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