Corn not growing.

[BlueDolphins]

I bought a butter corn on 2/8/08 at 17 grams, after a month long struggle with him regurging he, has held down every meal since.
I weighed him last week, and he weighed 23 grams. He has eaten every meal, one pinkie every 5 days, the last 3 feedings I brought him up to double pinks every 5/6 days. He is in shed now...the second shed since I have gotten him.

I have 3 other corns that are growing at a 'normal' rate. His temps are dead on, using a Hagen Heat Wave Rainforest UTH and controlled with a Zoo Med
Repti Temp Rheostat and kept on Aspen.

Is he just a really slow grower?

 

[PtDnsr]

Corns grow at different rates just like people. My guess is that since he had so much trouble in the beginning he's catching up. I've also noticed that my corns don't grow as much when they're on pinks but once they move up to fuzzies they take off. As long as he's eating fine and growing I wouldn't worry or push him too fast.

~Katie

 

[Rich in KY]

Corns grow at different rates just like people. My guess is that since he had so much trouble in the beginning he's catching up. I've also noticed that my corns don't grow as much when they're on pinks but once they move up to fuzzies they take off. As long as he's eating fine and growing I wouldn't worry or push him too fast.

~Katie

That is a great point.

The regurges probably slowed his growing process. I also had one that went through a few regurges. She grew slowly at first. But recently, I have noticed she is really starting to grow.

 

[Nanci]

Are you slitting his pinks? Once they pass 25 grams, though, it seems like they grow a lot faster.

 

[Cam5]

My only concern (for the truly paranoid) would be parasites.

If he continued to chow down and keep it down but only gained a few grams it could indicate there are internal parasites monopolizing his nutrition.

A fecal sample (with a direct stain AND a fecal float) I believe would reveal if there were parasites or he was just making up for lost food at his bodies own pace.

It is great he is holding down his meals now and has put on a few grams as well

 

[jmksnakes]

Make sure it's getting plenty of sunshine and water.... ooohhhh I see... your snake! :nyah: Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Good thoughts so far, ya' know it very well could simply be genetics. I've moaned about my 2005 female butter motley who's literally 1/2 the size/weight as snakes of the same age. She's always been a great feeder too.

 

[Nanci]

I've been thinking...I think your snake is growing more slowly than normal, although he _is_ growing. I've read, and it seems to prove out with my snakes, that as a rule of thumb, 33% of the weight of the prey is converted to body weight of the snake. So if you are feeding double pinks, your snake ought to be gaining a gram or two every 5-10 days, which is is not. I would get a fecal done if you are really worried, and for sure slit the prey, and possibly consider putting Nutribac on the prey, which won't hurt and may help. What is he like, though? Strong, active? Or slack, flabby, never active?

I was given a snake about a year ago, who at two years of age weighed 26 grams. I don't know what was going on at the breeders- if she was being fed the maintenance diet to end all manitenance diets, or if she was a slow grower, or what, but less than a year later in my care she weighed over 300 grams. Coincidentally, when I got her, she was just switching on to fuzzies- where you generally start to see a noticeable weight gain of several grams from one feeding to the next. I didn't power feed her- just fed according to the Munson Plan, conservatively. (I'm usually one step behind, according to the snake's weight).