Males: Picky or Full?

[Zephyr]

Okay, I've been getting pretty annoyed the past few weeks.
Most, if not all, of my males are off feed or are sporadically eating.
My question is if they are just dang picky or if they digest/process/use the nutrients from smaller meals more efficiently than females. Honestly, I'll feed one of my eastern boys ONE rosy red and he won't eat for another 2 weeks!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I am not exactly sure whats the matter with your males... but mine wills tuff themselves weekly like little sausages!!! I highly doubt your males digest food any differently than your females. It could jsut be that your males are more interested in finding mates right now. I would not worry about it.

[Zephyr]

But it's ALL of them. Except for the albino checkered. I'm thinking age may play a role here somewhere...

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

or the fact that checkered garters are totally the msot eatingest snakes that ever existed

[ssssnakeluvr]

or the fact that checkered garters are totally the msot eatingest snakes that ever existed

You haven't seen Cariad eat lately, or my aneryxgolden parietalis!!!! my 2 hypermelanistic wanderings seem to pound food faster than any others....and then there's my normal eastern I got a few years ago....she grabs the food before I can set her in her cage!!

[Zephyr]

Well of course there are my good eaters, but...
The other day I thought my albino checkered was on a food strike, I took him out and offered him food but nothing. I was putting him back in with the boys when the light shone through him; I saw what I think to be his heart and few lumps of dark further down his body. That's what made me think about the slower-processing thing.

[jitami]

Kyle, I'm sure you've thought of this, but are the temps in the boys' tank(s) any cooler than the girls? Do they all get adequate basking time, etc?

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

haha, are you sure they werent his kidneys!!! or his liver? I love holding up my albino leucy texas rat snake and watching his heart beat... it is SO COOL!

[Zephyr]

Kyle, I'm sure you've thought of this, but are the temps in the boys' tank(s) any cooler than the girls? Do they all get adequate basking time, etc?

They get "weather dependent" basking time, seeing as when it's sunny I move their tank out doors and when it's rainy/cold they're in my room.
I guess it is considerably cooler, but more natural.
Also, the gals outside seem to have somewhat less voracious appetites.

Very good point, I guess it may be the Michigan weather. :P

[Lori P]

Kyle, my three boys are pathetic eaters. Whereas Mrs. Mordecai (finally solved the gender issue there lol) will eat until I swear she's going to explode, the boys pick... and nibble... and look at the food, go for a stroll, yawn, go back, sniff a bit, taste something, go for a stroll... you get the idea. About once a month, Reed, the ribbon snake, will go all piggy. But then he'll skip 2 weeks again. And Curious is on a worm-only diet right now-- in fact will grab a piece of fish or a pinky by mistake, drop it, and go back for a worm.

So yeah, my boys are slow eaters too.