How Long Can a Snake Go Without Eating? By Species

How long can a snake go without eating? Most adult pet snakes can go a few weeks to a few months. Some fast longer in winter or breeding season. Babies can't go as long. In one university study, snakes went about six months without food. Track weight, not days. A loss of more than 10% of body weight means it's time for a reptile vet.

When your snake is ready to eat again, call or text Mike at (520) 451-4380 for the right size.

How long can common pet snakes go without eating?

Vets and care guides rarely give a hard limit in days. They describe what's normal and when to worry. Here's what they say:

A few notes on the table:

• Hognose brumation is planned. ReptiFiles describes it as an advanced technique. It says not to cool a hognose younger than 12 months. Western hognoses brumate about 3 months, December through February. Eastern and southern hognoses brumate about 2 months.
• Corn snakes and colubrids. PetMD warns that they "often become ill if they don't eat for extended periods."
• Ball pythons have their own guide: how long can a ball python go without eating.

Surviving isn't the same as doing well. ReptiFiles puts it this way: there's "a significant gap between 'surviving' and 'thriving.'" The Vet Desk agrees. It says not to "test how long your snake can go without eating."

Why do snakes stop eating?

Most fasts have a normal cause. VCA Animal Hospitals lists several "benign" reasons a pet snake may not eat:

• A new or disrupted home
• Noise or lack of privacy
• Wrong enclosure temperature
• Hibernation (brumation)
• Shedding
• Pregnancy
• Breeding season

Season plays a big part. ReptiFiles says even well-kept snakes often fast "during cooler times of the year." Our post on ball pythons not eating in winter covers the cold months in Tucson.

A move counts too. PetPlace says a snake shouldn't be fed for at least seven days after any kind of transport. That gives it time to settle in.

How do snakes survive so long without food?

They slow way down.

A University of Arkansas study, reported in 2007, followed 62 snakes. They were ball pythons, ratsnakes and western diamondback rattlesnakes. The snakes went about six months without eating. Some cut their resting energy use "by up to 72 percent." And they "continued to grow despite the lack of food."

The University of Melbourne explains why that works. Snakes are cold-blooded and "generally have a very low metabolism." When they fast, they can slow it "by a further 70%."

That's a survival skill, not a feeding plan. A pet snake still needs regular meals to grow and stay in good shape.

Weight is the signal, not days

Counting days can mislead you. Weighing tells you what's going on.

Use a kitchen scale that reads grams. ReptiFiles suggests weighing ball pythons once a week. Skipped meals are no cause for worry if your snake looks well and isn't losing more than 10% of its body weight. ReptiFiles uses the same 10% line for hognoses during brumation.

Here's what to watch:

Need a weight to compare against? Our ball python weight chart shows typical ranges by age.

Waiting out a fast? Get batch alerts. Mike will email you when a new batch is ready. Then the right size is easy to get when your snake eats again.

What should I try if my snake won't eat?

Start with the setup. Most fixes are simple. These steps come from ReptiFiles' corn snake appetite guide and VCA, and they work for most species:

• [ ] Check temperatures. Make sure the warm side, cool side and humidity are right. VCA lists the wrong temperature as a common cause.
• [ ] Add a hide. A snake without a hiding spot may feel too exposed to eat.
• [ ] Stop handling. ReptiFiles says to stop handling "until it starts eating again."
• [ ] Feed in its home enclosure. If you move your snake to feed, try feeding it where it lives instead.
• [ ] Look for a shed. Some snakes lose their appetite before shedding. PetMD notes the eyes turn cloudy blue or green before a shed.
• [ ] Try a different prey type. ReptiFiles notes that some snakes prefer live over frozen-thawed, "or vice-versa."
• [ ] Give it time after a move. Wait at least a week after transport before offering food.
• [ ] See a vet if nothing works. ReptiFiles says to make an appointment "ASAP" once you've tried everything.

A word on live feeding. If you try live prey, stay and watch the whole time. ReptiFiles' corn snake guide says not to leave a rodent in with the snake for more than an hour. Its ball python and boa pages say to remove it after 15 to 30 minutes if it isn't eaten. Never leave a live rodent unattended. Our live feeding checklist walks through it.

Feed frozen-thawed? Good. Many snakes do fine on it. If yours refuses frozen, read ball python won't eat frozen-thawed for options.

Does temperature matter?

Yes, a lot. Snakes need outside heat to digest and to feel like eating. VCA lists "improper environmental temperature" among the common reasons a snake won't eat.

Cool temps also trigger the seasonal slowdown. ReptiFiles' hognose brumation guide shows how much. With the heat off and the snake at room temperature (68 to 72°F), it gets sluggish and sleepy. That's on purpose during brumation. By accident, it can look like a hunger strike.

Check your readings at night as well as during the day. Tucson winter nights get cold, and homes can cool down with them.

Feed again when your snake is ready

So, how long can a snake go without eating? Weeks to months for most adults in good shape, much less for babies. Watch the scale, fix the setup, and call a vet if the weight drops past 10%.

When your snake is ready to eat, size the meal by weight. Mike breeds live feeder rats and mice in the Tucson area. Every size is listed in grams on the feeder size guide. Call or text Mike at (520) 451-4380, and he replies the same day. See rat sizes and prices. Once your snake is eating again, see how often snakes eat. For other appetite problems, read why won't my ball python eat.