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My Adult Male Cornsnake wont Eat

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Deborahdvn

New member
My male cornsnake is 9 years old, I got him from a friend just before xmas and she raised him from a baby. I got him home, settled him in and fed him with a medium sized defrosted mouse, which he ate. since then he wont eat! I have tried putting the temp up, covering him, wiggling the mouse in front of him but hes just not intrested! I try every week! Hes drinking and moving around but hes just not interested in eating. Please can anyone advise as its been 5 weeks now and Im concerned. :shrugs:
 
Perhaps you should try warming the mouse up with some warm water.....? This quite often gives a nice feeding response.
 
My 4 yr old male stopped eating as well. He was a healthy eater all last year since last spring when he had his last hunger strike.

I'd thought the spring not-eating during mating season didn't start for a while yet, but that's the only reason I can see for his lack of appetite.
 
Flagg said:
My 4 yr old male stopped eating as well. He was a healthy eater all last year since last spring when he had his last hunger strike.

I'd thought the spring not-eating during mating season didn't start for a while yet, but that's the only reason I can see for his lack of appetite.
Click to expand...

I have sub-adult males that aren't in brumation that have only fed sporadically in the last couple of months. I don't think they have love on their minds yet, I just think that they're sensitive to the winter photoperiod. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that captive corns with northern ancestry have diminished feeding response in months during which their wild ancestors fasted due to cold temps and low prey availability. Additionally, I wouldn't be surprised to find that the older (and larger) a male gets, the more prone he is to winter fasting. :shrugs:
 
That could be it, though he ate fine through December, which has the shortest days. it's just since January that he hasn't wanted to eat.

I'm not worried, he's healthy and put on a good deal of weight since last year's fast. Just a bit annoyed by the wasted rats and jumbo mice.
 
I had trouble feeding mine a while back, but got some great advice here. I heat the pinkies in hot water for about 10 minutes, always adding hot water as it cools, then I put him in a feeding container, and I make about 3 cuts on the back of the pinkies so that they have a better smell to them. He seems to like that alot better than having me wave the food around for him to chase! (lazy bum)
 
Just a comment on the waving/crazy dance that people do with the mice. When I do wriggle the mouse around I will usually get a great response within 3 or 4 seconds, but my male will completely refuse it and almost act scared when I do it for him. It's just weird. :shrugs: :shrugs:
 
It's just that time of year. Many snakes go off their feed during winter and early spring. Mine fasted last year from November to May! Boy did he cause a few of my hairs to go grey, but he was fine. Funny thing is, once he started eating again, he went from being my most persnickety eater to my most aggressive. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry if he is still active and not losing weight.
 
My motley male hasnt eaten since November. But hes always out cruising and such. My male king snake stopped eating at the same exact time. I figure its because of day length (photperiod) and soon to be breeding season. Im not worried, the have only lost 10g in that time frame. Anyway, dont be worried, thats just typical male snake behavior :)
 
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