None feeding garter

[drache]

the "cup feeding method", I think, refers to a practice of putting the snake with the food item in a very small container, such as a deli cup transport container, and to leave them like that over night - in a temperature appropriate location of course
I have gotten snakes to eat that way a few times, so it's definitely something to try
I myself don't feed live rodents, but for those who do: this should never be done with live rodent prey

[ConcinusMan]

Seems rather dimly lit. This just may be a perfectly normal fast, but you might encourage your snake to eat by adding some more florescent light. Prefererably a natural spectrum such as a reptisun 2.0 or something similar. I've observed that this helped a lot with appetite and activity on more than one occasion.

Often times, keepers get overly concerned when their snakes go off of food. Most of the time it's nothing to be concerned about. perfectly normal. Hard not to worry though. My Amy (albino plains) has always been such a good feeder than one day stopped eating. After about 5 weeks I was starting to worry. About week 7 he started eating again. He didn't lose any weight during his fast. I worried for nothing.

One more thing, sometimes it's not that your snake isn't hungry. They do tire of the same food after a while and just want something different. Might give that a try. Amy does that to me all the time. Goes through periods when he only wants fish. Other times, he won't eat anything but worms or rodents. Try different foods.

[amaterasu]

the "cup feeding method", I think, refers to a practice of putting the snake with the food item in a very small container, such as a deli cup transport container, and to leave them like that over night - in a temperature appropriate location of course
I have gotten snakes to eat that way a few times, so it's definitely something to try
I myself don't feed live rodents, but for those who do: this should never be done with live rodent prey

Ah ok thanks, I've given that a shot a little while ago but I'll definitely give it another go soon.

Seems rather dimly lit. This just may be a perfectly normal fast, but you might encourage your snake to eat by adding some more florescent light. Prefererably a natural spectrum such as a reptisun 2.0 or something similar. I've observed that this helped a lot with appetite and activity on more than one occasion.

Often times, keepers get overly concerned when their snakes go off of food. Most of the time it's nothing to be concerned about. perfectly normal. Hard not to worry though. My Amy (albino plains) has always been such a good feeder than one day stopped eating. After about 5 weeks I was starting to worry. About week 7 he started eating again. He didn't lose any weight during his fast. I worried for nothing.

One more thing, sometimes it's not that your snake isn't hungry. They do tire of the same food after a while and just want something different. Might give that a try. Amy does that to me all the time. Goes through periods when he only wants fish. Other times, he won't eat anything but worms or rodents. Try different foods.

Cheers, I'll just get something ordered up for her then, it'll make the enclosure look nicer anyway.

It's hard not to worry though, but I'm not worrying so much now that a lot of other people experienced the same thing. I'll just have to keep an eye on her, hopefully it's just a random fast.

I've been trying her with a variety foods, but I'll try her with as many different things as I can.

[ConcinusMan]

Sometimes people forget that garter snakes are adapted to seasonal fluctuations. Sometimes 6-9 months is spent at cool or cold temperatures and not feeding at all.

They say this period isn't necessary but quite often what happens is that their are subtle cues that the snake is reading as time to stop feeding, shut down, and prepare for winter. It's really built into their physiology and a perfectly natural part of their life cycle. Sometimes they give you no choice but to cool them way down, let them go through their period of fasting and inactivity so as to "reset" their biological clock. Bottom line is, if you skip providing seasons, sooner or later, they are going to stop feeding. Garter snakes are infamous for this. If it becomes a long term fast and the snake begins losing weight and still won't eat, it might be in their best interest to cool them way down for a month or two and shorten their day. Upon warming back up, they'll usually start eating again.

Increasing the intensity of their light and giving them a more balanced color spectrum will often shake them out of it. I really think your snake is probably trying to prepare for winter. The light might convince him that winter is not coming on after all. In addition to adding a balanced spectrum florescent, you might also try increasing the day length by a couple of hours. If he still doesn't eat after a month of that, a cool down is likely in order.

If he finally does start eating, giving him a probiotic after a long fast sure can't hurt.

[amaterasu]

Just a wee update, around a week ago she took a trout piece and she took another bit yesterday so Im really chuffed, just so long may it continue... I did order a reptisun 2.0 but it didnt turn up until 3 days ago so I wasnt able to use that for her however I did increase the day length. I'm going to install the reptisun anyway cause it can't do any harm and hopefully it'll encourages her even more.

Sometimes people forget that garter snakes are adapted to seasonal fluctuations. Sometimes 6-9 months is spent at cool or cold temperatures and not feeding at all.

They say this period isn't necessary but quite often what happens is that their are subtle cues that the snake is reading as time to stop feeding, shut down, and prepare for winter. It's really built into their physiology and a perfectly natural part of their life cycle. Sometimes they give you no choice but to cool them way down, let them go through their period of fasting and inactivity so as to "reset" their biological clock. Bottom line is, if you skip providing seasons, sooner or later, they are going to stop feeding. Garter snakes are infamous for this. If it becomes a long term fast and the snake begins losing weight and still won't eat, it might be in their best interest to cool them way down for a month or two and shorten their day. Upon warming back up, they'll usually start eating again.

Increasing the intensity of their light and giving them a more balanced color spectrum will often shake them out of it. I really think your snake is probably trying to prepare for winter. The light might convince him that winter is not coming on after all. In addition to adding a balanced spectrum florescent, you might also try increasing the day length by a couple of hours. If he still doesn't eat after a month of that, a cool down is likely in order.

If he finally does start eating, giving him a probiotic after a long fast sure can't hurt.

Thanks a lot for the really informative post, it seems like everythings fine at the moment and cooling isn't going to be necessary. However it's got me thinking, I'm fairy sure it was due to winter that she stopped eating and I think brumation would be beneficial to her. It's definitely something to really considering for next year.