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Baby Corn Snake not eating, PLEASE HELP!

C

caruolo

New member
Hi Everyone,

So I just got a baby corn snake (~~4-5? months old) on the 8th of May, and Petsmart said the last date it was fed was the Thursday beforehand (6th).

I tried feeding him pinkies twice today to no avail.... PLEASE HELP! Hes a gift for someone, and I want him to be healthy. I picked him up gently without scaring him, and placed him in a separate box and tried to wiggle the pinky infront of him.

I tried slow wiggling, fast wiggling, close proximity, far proximity, etc. They were properly thawed out and warmed ever so slightly with lukewarm water.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

Alexis

P.S. My first cornsnake
 
There are tons of things to try.
1. Make sure your temps are where they need to be. If temps are good, try waiting another couple days as the little guy is still adjusting.
2. Leave the pinky on a post it in the hide they like best.
3. You can try braining the pinky.
4. The deli cup. Leave corny and pinky in a deli cup overnight. Not directly above or below a heat source to prevent over heating.
4. You can try a live pinky to get the little corn jumpstarted and switch back over to frozen thawed.
There are other tricks, like scenting and whatnot, but usually one of the above work for me. First step is to always check your husbandry. If your temps are too low, the snake will often refuse food because they wouldn't be able to properly digest.
 
I'd wait a couple days, then put him in a deli cup (not a big separate container- think small) in the evening. Put a REALLY hot pink in with him. Cut a couple slits in the pink's back and head. Then cover him up with a dish towel and leave alone in dim lighting without peeking for an hour or two. If he hasn't eaten, reheat the pink (I might even do a boiled pink at this point- just drop in boiling water and remove immediately) and leave him in the deli, covered, overnight. NOT on a heat source. Also, do not handle him (except for feeding) until he eats for you.
 
Nanci said:
I'd wait a couple days, then put him in a deli cup (not a big separate container- think small) in the evening. Put a REALLY hot pink in with him. Cut a couple slits in the pink's back and head. Then cover him up with a dish towel and leave alone in dim lighting without peeking for an hour or two. If he hasn't eaten, reheat the pink (I might even do a boiled pink at this point- just drop in boiling water and remove immediately) and leave him in the deli, covered, overnight. NOT on a heat source. Also, do not handle him (except for feeding) until he eats for you.
Click to expand...

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

I left him with one overnight last night, just as you said (without cutting it), by dropping the pinky in some 208 deg water and taking it out immediately, and then leaving the corn with it in a deli up with a damp towel over the top.

When I just checked, he had eaten it! Just in the nick of time too: he will be gifted tomorrow!

I was wondering, when should I try the wiggle feeding method? I.E. next week, should I go straight to the deli cup and overnight thing, or try wiggling it infront of him first?

Thank you all! :santa::santa::santa:
 
Glad you got him to eat! How are you gifting him? I am asking because after corn snakes eat, they should not really be handled for a 24-48 hours to guard against the risk of a regurgitation.
 
jagodzinski said:
Glad you got him to eat! How are you gifting him? I am asking because after corn snakes eat, they should not really be handled for a 24-48 hours to guard against the risk of a regurgitation.
Click to expand...

I'll be giving him to my girlfriend tomorrow night. By then it will be over 36 hours.

This morning I slid him delicately out of the cup and onto the aspen in his viv, he shouldn't regurgitate over that right?
 
Doubtful but an ounce of prevention. . .

As a rule of thumb, it's best not to handle a snake that's eaten for the first 48 hours after; myself, I give all of mybsneaky ones at least 3 days. I've never had a regurge in any of my snakes EVER except for a hatchling I was force-feeding after his 10th week of refusing food!

Better safe than sorry! You could still gift the snake with the explanation that it comes with one point of delayed gratification that ensures a better chance at a long and happy life!!

Just sayin.
 
Sliding into the viv should be fine. I feed outside of the viv too (it tends to be safer since they can't ingest any substrate) and gently place my snake back after she eats. I've been doing this since she was a baby and have never had a regurge. Also, if that was the reason he was going to regurge, it probably would have happened already.
 
Hi Caruolo!

How ya been?

Haven't heard back and just wondering how ur girlfriend liked ur gift, assuming u did warn her and the little sneaky one didn't barf up half of a digested pinky! (Only kidding and would NEVER wish any harm on a snake, not even in jest!).

But I did kinda read into the hopefulness of ur post where u just kinda like WISH that someone would agree with "36 hours" being enough time. Unfortunately, Mother Nature is kinda strict about certain rules and no matter how much or how hard we want, some things will never be what we want them to!

In any case, just wondering how u and the little sneaky one are doing and hope all is well!
 
axis1 said:
Hi Caruolo!

How ya been?

Haven't heard back and just wondering how ur girlfriend liked ur gift, assuming u did warn her and the little sneaky one didn't barf up half of a digested pinky! (Only kidding and would NEVER wish any harm on a snake, not even in jest!).

But I did kinda read into the hopefulness of ur post where u just kinda like WISH that someone would agree with "36 hours" being enough time. Unfortunately, Mother Nature is kinda strict about certain rules and no matter how much or how hard we want, some things will never be what we want them to!

In any case, just wondering how u and the little sneaky one are doing and hope all is well!
Click to expand...

Thank you for asking. It's nice to know that this community is so helpful with each other :)

I showed my gf Neal (short for carnelian) this past Sunday, and she loved him! He'll be staying at my place for another week or so so I can feed him a second time and make sure everything is ok.

I'll make sure she waits at least 48 hours in the future before handling.

Thanks again for everyone's advice and inquires!
Alexis
 
Hi Alexis!!!

Glad everything turned out OK! After all, there's nothing better than a content snake lover to ensure a happy little sneaky one!!

Neal sounds like a gem!!!! Hope she's also a snake lover!

BTW, while they are small, and till you get to know the habits of your sneaky ones, you should tell Carnealian that it MIGHT be wise to let the 2nd day pass prior to handling. If they aren't fully digested, you might precipitate a prematurely evacuated mouse on either end, if you get my drift. Probably contributes to ONE of the reasons I have 4 cornsnakes!!

What I do: if I feed my sneaky one on a Sunday (hatchlings should eat every 5-7 days and adults every 10-14) I pick him or her up from Wednesday on to the next feeding, unless he or she is blue and hiding.

Just my 2 cents.

Take care!
 
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