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how long can they go with out food??

corn snake boy23

corn snake boy23

New member
I went to a snake show to buy my corn snake and when i bought it i asked him when he last feed it. And he said last tuesday and i said ok and walked out so, now its tuesday and i tryed feeding it but it just goes right by it. is he just not hungrie or what.? So anyone have any suggestions?

thanks for any help,
corn snake boy23
 
Can you tell us more about how you tried to feed it? Is the mouse live or f/t? If frozen, did you thaw it out completely? Is this a hatchling or adult?
 
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What size is the snake? An older snake can safely go weeks( or longer) without food. A hatchling needs food more often.
You should leave your new snake alone for about a week. Just change the water and check on him.
 
Well my snake is a hatchling and yesterday i put the mouse in the mini cage and he just slithered by. my mouse was a frozen then i thawd it very good but it wouldnt eat it so i took a knife and slit open the arms to get more scent off it. Hes about 10-11inches.
so if anymore info you guys could give me
thanks,
corn snake boy23
 
I try to make sure the mouse is always nice and warm, and leave them there with it for upwards of 20 minutes. Sometimes they don't seem to like people watching them while they prepare to eat.
 
If the room is warm enough, you can even leave them with the food overnight. Sometimes they need it completely dark and quiet.
 
bitsy said:
If the room is warm enough, you can even leave them with the food overnight. Sometimes they need it completely dark and quiet.
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thats what i tryed i put him in his feeding cage and put the pinky in and put the feeding cage in his 30 gallon overnight and it was not gone and i dont know why but i threw the pinky away so should i try again to day with a different pinky?
 
I usually throw defrosted pinkies out after 12 hours or so.

Might be worth giving him a rest for three days and not trying to feed him. If you stress him out, it could make the problem worse.
 
My pinkies usually thaw out in about 10-15 minutes. Most people don't like to - but I don't mind squeezin them a bit to check if they are ready.

Another thing I'll ask simply because it happened to me two days ago - can you tell if he is about to shed? My newest hatchling denied food monday and I noticed his eyes were glazing over with a soft blue, so that could be it also.
 
Putty said:
My pinkies usually thaw out in about 10-15 minutes. Most people don't like to - but I don't mind squeezin them a bit to check if they are ready.

Another thing I'll ask simply because it happened to me two days ago - can you tell if he is about to shed? My newest hatchling denied food monday and I noticed his eyes were glazing over with a soft blue, so that could be it also.
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man, i never thought of that so i check him and tell you
 
How are you defrosting the pinky? Are you just leaving it out to defrost, or are you defrosting it in warm water, or in a baggie in warm water?

Sometimes just changing the way you defrost can make a big difference :)

I would suggest leaving the hatchling alone, no handling etc for 5 to 7 days, just change it's water every other day without disturbing it. He/she needs to get used to it's new surroundings.

Then, when the 5 to 7 days is over and he's had time to settle, lift him/her gently into a small feeding container with ventilation holes and a secure lid. Defrost the pinky in warm/hot water, either put the pinky straight in the water or put it in a baggie and place that in the warm/hot water, not boiling water though, it will only take a couple of minutes or so to defrost.

Then while the pinky is still warm, pop it into the feeding container, close the lid and walk away and leave him alone to eat.

Check back on him/her after half an hour or so, if it's eaten, then gently place him/her back into it's home and leave him/her alone for another 3 days to digest in peace.

If it hasn't eaten, leave it in the feeding tub overnight and check on him/her in the morning. Hopefully you will find a nice fat hatchling and no pinky in sight :)

If you do all this and he/she still doesn't eat, then come back and let us know.

If he/she does eat after this, come and let us know as well, so we can congratulate you :)

Good luck and best wishes,
 
We keep all our new babies in a small plastic rub.... we don't use any substrate... (paper towel is enough) That way we don't have to disturb them to feed.....They appreciate that.......
 
snakewispera snr said:
We keep all our new babies in a small plastic rub.... we don't use any substrate... (paper towel is enough) That way we don't have to disturb them to feed.....They appreciate that.......
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I do that too Mike :)

Lots of new owners go straight for substrate, i.e aspen bedding, so I advise seperate feeding container.

Saying that, if the original poster is using paper towel as substrate in a small enclosure, then he/she can offer food in that instead of moving the hatchling, thus reducing stress :) I would also advise watching at a discreet distance, if feeding this way, just to make sure the paper towel doesn't stick to the pink and get ingested with the pink.

Best wishes,
 
I use to feed my corns in their viv but I can see how the aspen can get swallowed along with the pinkie. I now use the travel containers that my corns came in.

Good advise about not using boiling water... I've heard that milk in pinkie stomachs can curdle if the water's too hot! :puke01:
 
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