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My baby won't eat!

C

ChristinaH

New member
Doof didn't eat for a couple weeks at the store due to shedding. We gave him a pinky last Monday (9 days ago) and he gobbled it quick. We gave him another pinky this past Sunday night and he refused it. Trying again tonight and he is again refusing to eat. I just warmed the pinky back up under warm water and moved Doofs feeding cage by the red heat lamp, thinking maybe he was too cold out on the coffee table in the basement. The container is wrapped in a black towel so it's pretty dark in there despite the heat lamp.
Any advice? Should we worry yet? He's a pretty little guy, we don't know his age but he is definitely young.
I'm worried about him! Should we take the pinky out and cut some slits in it?
 
How old is Doof? And how are the temps in his viv? If it's too hot or too cold cornsnakes may not eat.
 
I second the temperature question? Had the little guy pooped after the first feeding? If it's not warm enough he may not have digested all of the first pinky you fed him. If he hasn't regurgitated anything I wouldn't worry to much, they can go a long time without food. There is also a tease feeding method where you use tongs/tweasers to move the pinky around to make it look like its live, this sometimes incites them to eat. Keep us updated
 
After making sure Doof's cage is the proper temps, his feeding cage is small enough that he is just about forced to come into contact with the pinky and that he is kept dark and away from any disturbances, there are many different types of offerings to try to see if he prefers one of those:

F/T brained
F/T washed (non-scented soap)
F/T scented with lizard, tuna juice, chicken broth
Live
A different rodent breeder's pinky
A combination of the previously mentioned offerings
A repeat of each
THEN there is force feeding

I went through all of these with my hypo Upper Keys female and have been force feeding her for months. I've continued to go through the list and finally, she ate a washed lizard scented pinky with part of the lizard still on the pinky on her own and for a total of 3 meals in a row now. I hadn't washed the pinky before scenting it before, and that was the trick she needed.
 
I'm not sure how old Doof is, but I would guess 3-4 months. He's probably a little over a foot long, but still pretty skinny. The glass temp on the warm side of his viv is kept between 85 and 90, and he tends to hang out on top of the substrate, in his hidey spot, right over the heat pad. The ambient temp on the warm side stays between 80 and 85. The cool side has an ambient temp of around 75. He has store-bought hides on both sides, as well as several toilet paper rolls scattered around and a small box right in the middle.
Doof pooped Sunday night in his feeding cage, and when I went to get him out of his viv last night there was some more poop in his viv. So at least he's finally started doing that right!
I did try 'dancing' the pinky around for him last night and he actually seemed a little afraid of it, or just annoyed.
I don't even know where I would get lizards - maybe we should just wait another 5 days and try washing the pinky then scenting it with some tuna juice? Would it help if we made some slits in it first? My husband is willing to brain the pinky so we can also try that next time.
Thanks for the advice. I'm just worried about him because he's pretty young and little, and he has only eaten one pinky in a little over a month now. He didn't eat for 2 weeks at the store because he was shedding, then he ate the next week at our home, and has refused the last 2 meals.
 
Oh, one more thing - I've read that they can be stressed if their hide is not small enough for him. His hide that he spends all his time in is pretty big, but he chooses it over the toilet paper roll. Should I try getting a smaller hide and put it in the same spot the big one is in right now? Maybe he would be more comfortable like that?
I'll go take a pic of his viv and post it.
 
Doof's home

The half-log is where he spends all of his time, towards the back of the viv. Right now the glass temp is 87, the ambient temp on the warm side is 78 and the cool side is 70.
 

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Maybe I'll try covering part of the top of the viv to trap some heat and raise the ambient temps a bit. I also found a couple smaller boxes for hides and I will put those in for him. But should I take out the big one so I can put the smaller ones above the heat pad where he likes to hang out? And should I cut the bottom out of the boxes so he can lay on the substrate or just leave him the whole box?
 
you should cut the toilet paper rolls in half and are you measuring the temps directly over the heat pad on the glass under the shavings? That is where you should make sure it is between 80-85 not the ambient temps.
 
We were keeping the temp on the glass over the heat pad 80-85, but since we've been having trouble getting him to eat we thought we'd raise it a little so he would digest better if he eats.
Cut the toilet paper rolls in half so that it becomes like 2 mini rolls or cut it lengthwise to create little half-roll covers to put down for him? And should I remove the big hide he's always in then?
Thanks!
 
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