So, you were wondering how you can tell if a snake is hungry. You’ve come to the right place to find the answer to this question as I’ve already done a decent amount of research. In this article, I’ll tell you the exact answer to this question, I’ll go a bit more in-depth about the question, and I’ll answer related questions, so make sure you keep on reading.
How can you tell if a snake is hungry? There are a few signs that can give away that the snake is hungry. Examples of these signs are:
- If the snake is more active than normal.
- If the snake is more interested in you than normal.
- When you try to feed him/her something and he/she immediately takes it.
- When the snake flicks his/her tongue more frequently than normal.
- If the snake is trying to escape its enclosure.
- If the snake is aggressive.
The signs of hunger in snakes explained
The snake is more active than normal
The snake becoming more active when it is getting hungry is a natural sign because in the wild snakes will have to actively hunt once they become hungry. You’ll see your pet snake roaming around in its enclosure instinctively searching for potential prey to take down.
The snake is more interested in you than normal
Snakes become more interested in movements once they are becoming more hungry. This is a natural reaction because they could potentially run into prey that they wouldn’t have found if they were not interested in their surroundings.
Offered food gets taken immediately
A sign that immediately gives away that the snake is hungry is when the snake immediately takes offered food. If the snake is not hungry then it will most likely not be interested in the food or the snake might take it but not eat it directly.
Tongue flicking a lot more than normal
Snakes flick their tongues to scent possible prey and danger. It is therefore also quite normal that the tongue flicking of the snake will be more frequent once it is getting more hungry because the snake will be more interested to know if a potential prey is nearby or not.
If the snake is trying to escape its enclosure
Snakes are escaping artists so trying to escape its enclosure doesn’t necessarily have to mean that it is hungry but it can potentially be a sign of a hungry snake. Also, it’s a natural thing to do for the snake as escaping its enclosure could mean that it can potentially find prey somewhere else.
If the snake is aggressive
Aggression in snakes can sometimes mean that he/she is hungry. If there are no other reasons at the moment for the snake to be aggressive and if you haven’t fed him/her for a bit then you can be quite sure that the aggressiveness presented by the snake can mean that he/she just wants a nice meal. Once you’ve given him/her a nice meal you’ll see the temper of the snake becoming a lot more relaxed and he’ll/she’ll probably find a nice spot in its enclosure to peacefully digest the meal.
How can you tell if my ball python is hungry?
Ball pythons show pretty much the same signs as that of many other snake species when they’re hungry. Examples are the ball python being more active than normal, the ball python taking offered food immediately, and the ball python being more interested in movements than normal.
The best way to check if your ball python is hungry is by offering your snake food and seeing how fast he/she takes it. A fast takedown means a hungry snake and no takedown or even ignoring the food means either a satisfied snake or a snake that isn’t ready to eat yet because of certain circumstances like its environment not being the right temperature.
How can you tell if my corn snake is hungry?
Corn snakes will show the same signs as other snake species when they’re hungry. Examples of these signs are the snake trying to escape its enclosure, the snake being more interested in movements, and when the snake is being more active than normal.
It can also be that your corn snake becomes more aggressive when it gets hungry, so don’t take it personally when your snake snaps at you when you open its enclosure.
Why is my snake always hungry?
You might be feeding your snake prey that is too small which will only fill up the snake if he/she gets fed a lot, it can be that the food you’re giving lacks essential nutrition for the snake, or it can be that your snake associates you with food and expects to eat every time he/she sees you.
It’s important to feed your pet snake prey that is about the same size as the widest point of the snake’s body. So, when your pet snake grows, you’ll have to adjust the size of the prey you’re feeding it to the current size of the pet snake. It’s also good to know that snakes will mostly not try to eat larger prey than the sizes of their body’s diameter. If they, however, do because of survival reasons then the snake will run the risk of throwing up or the snake might even die if he/she doesn’t manage to throw up the just eaten prey.
Do snakes feel hungry?
Snakes won’t be able to feel complex emotions like boredom, for example, but they surely can feel hungry. Once they do, their instincts will tell them to start looking for potential prey which is also why you see your pet snake becoming very active when hunger is triggered inside them.
Apart from becoming more active, you can also see your pet snake become more aggressive, looking for a way to escape its enclosure, flicking its tongue more frequently than normal, and being overall more interested in movements that are close to him/her.
You already know a lot more about how you can tell if a snake is hungry. If you’re also interested in finding out if you can give your ball python treats or not then I encourage you to check out the article: “Can Ball Pythons Have Treats? (Everything You Need To Know)“.
Do snakes get aggressive when hungry?
Snakes can become aggressive when their feelings of hunger start to show up. They then become so eager to eat food that they’ll snap at everything that moves. So, to be sure you won’t get bitten, always feed your pet snake with feeding forceps and never with your bare hands.
Aggressiveness in snakes can also mean something else though. Which is that it is an instinctive self-defense mechanism that kicks in once the snake in question feels that a threat is nearby.
What are the causes for the snake not wanting to eat?
There are many different reasons for your snake not wanting to eat. Examples of reasons are:
- The snake has already eaten enough.
- Its enclosure isn’t warm enough.
- The humidity levels are not where they need to be.
- The snake is about to molt.
- The snake doesn’t feel safe.
- The enclosure of the snake isn’t of the right size.
- The snake feels stressed.
- The snake is scared or uncomfortable.
- The snake has a disease.
- The changing season is affecting the snake.
- The snake is hibernating.
- The snake is getting older and doesn’t require feeding as often.
- The type of substrate within its enclosure is not right.
- The type of food you’re giving your snake is not what he/she wants.
- The snake needs more privacy.
- The snake has an obstruction in its body that prevents the snake from being able to eat.
- The snake is taken out of the wild into captivity and refuses to eat because it isn’t used to being fed and its new living space.
If you see signs of parasites, a mouth rot disease, or a respiratory disease in your pet snake then make sure that you immediately bring your snake to your local veterinarian as all of these three diseases can be lethal for your snake.
What to do when my snake is hungry but won’t eat?
This could be linked to its basic needs not being met like, a correct temperature in its enclosure, correct humidity levels, making sure the snake feels safe with plenty of places to hide, making sure it doesn’t feel stressed by giving him/her privacy, and by giving him/her the food he/she likes.
There could be more aspects linked to the snake not wanting to eat whilst being hungry. Other ones could, for example, be that the snake is carrying a disease, or that the snake refuses to eat because it isn’t used yet to living in captivity.
Can my snake have a disease when it’s not eating?
Snakes can have caught a disease if he/she isn’t eating. Various diseases in snakes can be linked to the snake not eating. They can, for example, have parasites, have the mouth rot disease, or have a respiratory disease.
All of these just mentioned diseases can be lethal to your pet snake. So always make sure you see a veterinarian if you’ve noticed that besides the snake not eating, more symptoms of the just mentioned diseases are showing up in your pet snake.
The video below will give you some signs to look out for that could be linked to a disease in snakes.
Is my snake starving himself?
As long as the snake in question isn’t sick, he/she will not starve itself. Once the snake gets the chance to eat something then it will take it. This is just a natural survival instinct that pretty much all animals have and snakes are no exception.
If the snake, however, happens to be sick and the sickness is deadly and remains untreated then you can be sure that the snake will potentially starve himself/herself as the sickness will make the snake refuse to eat.
How to tell if my snake is still hungry after it has fed?
The best way to tell is by offering the snake another meal. If the snake immediately takes the offered meal then you can be sure that the snake was still hungry, and once the snake stops having an immediate interest in the food then it will probably be well fed.
Keep in mind that you should never force-feed a snake. The snake isn’t eating for a reason and these reasons could be that it is still full from its previous meal or it might even be that it has caught a disease. So, make sure if you don’t trust the situation to always see a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Related questions
Should I feed my snake live prey?
There are species out there that prefer to eat live prey but it is best to feed your pet snake already dead prey because the prey won’t have to suffer any physiological stress and the snake won’t get hurt by the prey which will do anything to survive (like, for example, biting the snake).
How much should I feed my snake?
This is solely dependent on the activity levels of the snake, its age, and its size. Younger snakes usually eat twice a week and older snakes usually eat once a week or once every two weeks. Also, when approaching breeding season, female snakes can be fed more frequently.
What is the best method for feeding a snake?
It is best to feed your pet snake in its enclosure and not in a separate enclosure because feeding it in a separate enclosure can cause stress on the snake. Also, don’t feed them with your hands but with feeding forceps, and warm the frozen prey up before you give it to the snake.
Check out the video below which will guide you through how to feed your pet snake.
Conclusion
Now you know that there are a few signs to look out for when you’re not sure if your pet snake is hungry. The sign that will be the easiest to immediately find out if your snake is hungry is when you offer the snake food. If the snake immediately strikes then you’ll know that it is hungry, if it doesn’t then you’ll know you can wait a bit longer to feed him/her.