How long without food?

TammyJamaica · #1 (**permalink**) 08-08-2006, 08:40 PM

Some time ago my son lost his milk snake, in fact, ten months ago, and I am wondering if we found it at this point could it still be alive, if it had not been eating? Timmy the milk snake was about two years old. This is the one time we have had an escape and not found it back quite soon, and I still keep looking and hoping...but hope grows dim now after all this time. We turned the entire house inside out.

Brandon28 · #2 (**permalink**) 08-08-2006, 08:57 PM

Good luck with finding it! The answer to your question is "yes", it can go many months without eating. I'd start to worry about it's health after 10 months, though.

Have you tried keeping a live mouse/rat in a small tank next to a water bowl?
The scent of a dirty mouse cage can get pretty strong and could lure the snake out.

Rust316 · #3 (**permalink**) 08-08-2006, 11:58 PM

One of my sons also lost a milk snake about ten months ago. I'll let you know if we find ours and it is still alive.

TammyJamaica · #4 (**permalink**) 08-09-2006, 01:00 PM

Thanks for your comments, Brandon & Rust....yes I have tried the mouse in open tank with water trick, over and over for weeks. Since we live in the tropics and there are lots of lizards and frogs outside, I think Timmy may have gone outside and away, and still be very much alive (or otherwise) outside somewhere. I hope so. All the pet shops and animal people have been informed to look out for him - this is how I recovered an iguana that escaped some time ago.

Let me know if you find yours, Rust.

Thanks again.

kim k · #5 (**permalink**) 08-09-2006, 01:26 PM

I wish you luck in finding him. A friend of mine lost his corn snake quite some time ago. He had completely given up hope of ever getting him back alive. He lives in an extremely old home with lots of places to hide. Just the other week he found a fresh shed in the Attic. Now he's wondering if he just may get him back after all.

TammyJamaica · #6 (**permalink**) 08-09-2006, 07:47 PM

Ha! Hope springs eternal....!

Thanks.

RioBravoReptiles · #7 (**permalink**) 08-09-2006, 08:21 PM

Some time ago I inadvertantly released a Mexican milksnake (native here) that had been found nearby at a construction site. The container it was brought in was not up to the job. There's zillions of cnemidophorus lizards in my yard and I hoped and believed he'd be ok.
.
In the nearly two years since I've seen him 3 times out in the yard.. Once drinking from the water dish in the redfoot tortoise pen (YUCK!) and the other two times laying in a strip of sand that is between where the old brick sidewalk ends and the snakeroom door..
.
Funny how that works.. you look for one and it never turns up.

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