• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Few questions from a newb

celica_goddess

celica_goddess

Mr. Slither's mommy
I've had Mr. Slithers for a month now. He shed about 10 days ago, and is already looking very dull. I was under the impression that they shed about once a month. Is this normal? Is it because he'sa still growing? (He's 8 months old.)

Also, he's eaten great for me every 5 to 6 days. The last two fuzzies I gave him, though, he swallowed about halfway then spit them out. I did every thing the same, I thawed them for the same amount of time with really hot water, so I don't think it's that they were too cold. And no one snuck up on him so I doubt he was scared.

Advice, opinions, HELP wouls be soooo appreciated!!

Thsank you!
 
You don't call him Mr. Slithers to his face do you?

It would be unusual for him to shed again so soon. More like once a month or so would expected. But it could happen I guess.

It's odd for him to start to eat and then stop. Could the mice have been too hot maybe? Or too big? Bad tasting, freezer burned? I don't know, I have never had a snake stop half way down a mouse.
 
I put him in a little clear box, like one for transporting, with just him and a warm juicy fuzzy. I put it in his tank so he'll stay warm. He slithered around for a little while then just curled up on the other side. I'm worried ;(
 
wade said:
You don't call him Mr. Slithers to his face do you?

It would be unusual for him to shed again so soon. More like once a month or so would expected. But it could happen I guess.

It's odd for him to start to eat and then stop. Could the mice have been too hot maybe? Or too big? Bad tasting, freezer burned? I don't know, I have never had a snake stop half way down a mouse.
Click to expand...

Well, geez - that's not what I wanted to hear!!!
 
Sorry I had the wrong answer.

Don't start worrying about him eating yet. Read this post that Roy put up this morning: http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61874

If he is going to shed, it would be normal for him to loose his appetite for a little while. He can go a long time without food so don't let that concern you yet.

I'd just let him be for 5 or 6 days and then try to feed him again. Make sure he has some good places to hide and if you could make one be extra humid that would be good too.
 
I wouldn't worry to much about the shedding so soon. That could be te reason he's not eating. Are you sure the mouse is warm enough? Have you tried wiggling it in front of him. I wouldn't try feeding agian until his next feeding day as this could stress him.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I'll leave him be for a few days - and thanks for the link wade. Sorry to make you sick...MWUAHAHAHA
 
Although shedding once every month is the average, I've had snakes shed after 2 months or after only a week. I wouldn't be too concerned about it.

As for the eating problem, can you be a little more specific about the "half-way down" part? Did Mr. Slithers stop swallowing when the fuzzy was half-way into his mouth, or did he vomit it up after getting half-way to his stomach? I would recommend that you wait a full 7-10 days (depending upon how you answered my query) and then offer a pinky instead of a fuzzy as well as leaving him alone to prevent him from being startled or distracted. Don't judge how thawed a prey item is by the length of time it has been in hot water. Always hold it and feel it's middle and head to make sure there are no cold spots, and I always then let it soak in fresh hot water some more to make sure it is nice and thawed.

When a snake stops swallowing it's dinner before getting the whole thing in it's mouth, there is a reason. It may be too cold in the middle, too large to swallow, the snake really isn't hungry because it has been fed more frequently than it wants or needs, it has been startled or distracted by something (doesn't have to be you), it's in blue, or for a medical reason such as mouth rot and it simply hurts to eat.

If a snake has vomited it's meal back after swallowing the whole thing but it hasn't quite reached the stomach yet, it is most often due to some form of stress, either physical (illness) or mental (being scared). If that has happened, I would recommend you treat it as you would a regurge and hope it resolves that way.

Good luck with Mr. Slithers!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top