My big girl refuses food

[Roedstroempen]

Well - like the title says: she won't eat, my T. s. parietalis female.

I have read that they tend to refuse food, when they are too fat in the summer periods, so I guess that can be the case? I introduced the young male in the last weekend of July, and she has refused food ever since - even though I have seperated them again. She weighs 375g at the moment, and is around 110 cm. Yes. She weighs too much.

She is active, strong and the tounge is flicking like always, but acting like "Damn, it is brumation time! I need to dig...A LOT!" - I have read about this "problem" before too, but girl, we are in August!

I run the heat with a heat mat and a thermostat + timer and checks the temps. The light runs on a timer - 13 hours a day. Not UVB. But it is summer - and the temperatures are high(Even some days in little Denmark). She has her water bowl to cool down if she feels like it.

She have had a bad shed, but ate well, until I introduced the horny little male. I regret that I introduced him. Gah!

She had a short brumation period 14/15 - maybe it confused her too much?

Should I worry?

/Charlotte and her silly Redstocking

[guidofatherof5]

Any chance the male and her locked up?

[Zdravko092368]

Wow 110cm... do you have any photos? That would be an absolute monster of a parietalis, that's huge even for T.s.sirtalis and they get larger on average than parietalis.

How long has it been since she last ate?

[guidofatherof5]

43 inches, WOW!

[Tommytradix]

my axanthix plains 39in and I thought she was a beast this thing must be huge! pics please...

[Roedstroempen]

They could have locked up, but I haven't seen anything. At a point, my male lost a little interest and ate well and all, but he was in shed a short moment afterwards. Do they refuse food that early, if they are pregnant?

I will take a picture as soon as possible. But most sites mention they can reach a 120cm?

She ate in the weekend around June 20th. But she was also lazy = too fat?

[Albert Clark]

My female cconcinnus and marcianus just decided they want to go on a all you can eat buffet. Haha. They're both eating everything that I offer.

[Albert Clark]

She probably is gravid! The brumation you speak of was that 14/15 days or 1 day? She may get the record for scrubs if she is gravid at her size.

[Roedstroempen]

Girlie with hand and Canon 18 - 135 mm lens cap for scale.

12493


And my young male staring me down. "I don't care if my female won't eat. I'll eat ANYTHING!!"
12494

[Roedstroempen]

The brumation period was a little over a month. Not very long. But she haven't been together with the male before June. But she have had babies a couple a years ago.

[Zdravko092368]

Thanks for sharinghttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/#47546553) the photos, that is the biggest parietalis i've seen, it is very uncommon for them to get 100cm+. She's beautiful btw!


The max size is 120-130cm but that's extremely rare to get that size and usually for sirtalis from southern Florida where it's very hot almost year round so they get bigger. I've never seen a parietalis over 100cm.

[Rushthezeppelin]

Wow, she is absolutely gargantuan for a garter. Very beautiful too.

[Roedstroempen]

Thank you. I haven't seen any other adult garter snakes in Denmark, so I don't have anything to compare with. :P

[Albert Clark]

When she had the babies a couple of years ago do you recall if she went off food? Most gravid females will at some point stop feeding. Has she gained weight?

[Roedstroempen]

I don't know. I got her last year in June. I don't know who the breeder was.

She has lost weight since June 27th. She is also very active in her viv.

[Roedstroempen]

Update: she just ate two pinkies. I am so happy! She still looks nice and behaves like normal.

[guidofatherof5]

Take it slow but keep offering. Many garter will go off food when they need a break. Nature doesn't allow for these breaks in the wild. Captive garter are living the food dream and can afford to take a break.