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New corn snake not eating

Moreau

Moreau

New member
Yes, yet another one of these threads.:eek:

I bought my first cornsnake (not first snake, I have a Woma Python) two weeks ago. She is a three year old, three ish foot long Kathy Love Okeetee. She is housed in a 20 long terrarium with a screen top. Has three hides, one on cool side, one on warm side, one in middle, a water dish, some plants and another cardboard tube thing hide. Paper towel substrate.

I have only handled her twice since purchase. She is super docile, though seems a bit skittish due to the new home. The temp on the warm side is around 82ish. Temp is provided by an undertank heater on a thermostat.

So I tried feeding her the first time a week after I bought her, same day I feed my Woma. She did not eat it. She licked at it and checked it out and then went back in her hide. I left the mouse in overnight, and flushed it in the morning.

I left her alone, she defecated on March 1, so I tried feeding her again the next day. Again she refused, I flushed mouse next day.

So, here it is almost a week later, she had been cruising her cage, looking like she could be hungry. I've left her alone as I didn't want to stress her out. I fed her a smaller mouse today, thinking the jumbo ones she came with might be too big. And I also covered her tank with dark material after I put the mouse in to see if that would help. Well, hours and hours later, the mouse is still there. In fact she has moved her hide around (I think she's a tad big for her warm side hide, could that be a big issue?) and the mouse is practically in the hide with her, and nothing.

Any ideas? Or should I just try not feeding her for two weeks more and then feed her? Or wait one more week and try again?
 
I'm not totally sure since she's an adult, but you really shouldn't feed in the viv. Sure, paper-towels aren't swallow-able, but she may start to associate your hand going in their with food.
And, putting the mouse in her territory may make her feel threatened, plus she has other things to check out. I'd wait another day or two and feed her in a feeding tub.


The warm side sounds perfect. How big are the hides? They may be too big or too small for her, which can induce stress and refusing to eat.
 
(I'm assuming you are feeding F/T)

You might try feeding outside the tank, in a smaller container. I have some snakes that will not eat outside their cage, and others who will not eat in it. The zombie mouse dance is often popular, and several of my snakes like me to slowly drag the mouse away from them. Making sure the mouse is really really hot can sometimes help, as can cutting slits in the skin of the thawed mouse.
 
Here is a pic of the setup, and a pic of the snake. Normally she does fit all inside that black hide, I think she was moving around at the time. It is a bit small though.



 
Yes it is frozen thawed.
I will try a small feeding tub and see how that works. And I will make sure the mouse is nice and hot. How long should I wait to try again? Should I just wait another week before I try again?
 
I'd wait. She's a big girl and several weeks without food won't harm her at all. She hasn't been exposed to any males recently, has she?
 
No not that I know of. She was a pet and wasn't in the breeding plans from what I understand.
 
Is she lifting up her warm hide with her own body? I would say that it's probably not large enough.

What does the forum usually suggest for an adult in a 20 gal? Should there be 3 hides, or just one per side? I know hatchlings really like to have many hide options. When they get larger though, this seems like it would become prohibitive.

Also, you mention a UTH temp of 82 ish. Can you be more specific, especially wtih the range? Is it 78-83, 81-85...or is there any variation at all?
 
Nroc said:
Is she lifting up her warm hide with her own body? I would say that it's probably not large enough.

What does the forum usually suggest for an adult in a 20 gal? Should there be 3 hides, or just one per side? I know hatchlings really like to have many hide options. When they get larger though, this seems like it would become prohibitive.

Also, you mention a UTH temp of 82 ish. Can you be more specific, especially wtih the range? Is it 78-83, 81-85...or is there any variation at all?
Click to expand...

Yes she lifts it with her own body. I will get her a larger hide, just haven't found one yet. I'm thinking I'll go get a big flower pot for her.

The temp does vary a bit, 81-85 sounds pretty accurate.
 
I would not be to worried about having to many hide options in her viv, so long as she has the space she can crawl over them if she wants to, at least I know my adult girl does and she is quite muscular, which I partly attribute to her climbing on things in her viv.
 
She's a pretty girl & not small, maybe she's confused about eating because of change in seasons + change in living circumstances? I dunno, I am fairly new to corn snakes & snakes in general. But at 3 years & 3 feet, missing a few meals should be OK as long as she is drinking & otherwise looking OK. Maybe smaller food items, in a separate bin or the zombie mouse dance, as others have already sensibly suggested. Good luck!
 
My large male, well over 5 feet, has not eaten since January 28th. i tried last night and nothing...he is very active , may be searching for luv. i will wait another week and try it again.
 
Should I hold off on handling her until after she has eaten? Or will some handling help her get used to me?
 
Personally, I would wait 10-14 days to try feeding her; she's definitely not a skinny snake and waiting that long will do her absolutely no harm. The longer you wait, the hungrier she will be, increasing the chances she will eat for you. From what I've heard on here, offering food too often that is not accepted can actually condition them to refuse food. So, keeping in mind that snakes can go a looooong time without food and that your snake in particular is not skinny, I would only offer food every 2 weeks.

If you've already had her 2 weeks and have been handling her, I don't think not handling her would make any difference. Very nice classic, btw. :)
 
Not handling her, may make all the difference in the world if the snake has been handled since it got to your home. Snakes get stressed with a move and in a new environment so they need to be left alone for a bout a week(5-7 days) to settle in and de-stress. If she has not been able to do this then allow her some quiet time while you wait to try and feed again, it will give her a chance to relax and settle in, it may make all the difference in the world, not definitely but it may work.

Just my experience and opinion.
 
It sounds like your husbandry is fine. It really isn't possible to have too many hides, and you're giving her settle-in time.

Is the viv located in an area with a lot of human foot-traffic? Is there a lot of noise in the area from TV, music, etc? It's possible that she's still feeling a little uncertain about her new home and will settle down and eat soon.

I don't put foot items in the viv except in the case of certain challenging feeders. Your female is a healthy adult, so that's not needed here. You might try putting her in a small container with a nice hot mousy meal next time. One of my adult females likes to be confined in a small plastic shoe box all alone with her dinner. Just be sure that the container is in a safe place in case of escapes - like inside the actual viv if possible, not over the UTH.

The roaming around is normal when they're in a new location. Are you absolutely sure she's a she? Males patrol a lot and commonly go on feeding strikes in the spring.
 
Asbit is most likely right about the handling issue. I made the assumption that she'd already been given a settling in period, but if she never received that, it may be what's needed to get her eating.
 
Asbit said:
I would not be to worried about having to many hide options in her viv, so long as she has the space she can crawl over them if she wants to, at least I know my adult girl does and she is quite muscular, which I partly attribute to her climbing on things in her viv.
Click to expand...

I would think that increasing the number of hides in an enclosure would tend to make each hide smaller. In this case, one of the hides is too small. If one wants to have 4 or more hides that will house an adult snake in a 20 gal, each hide is going to be limited in its size. Add a water bowl, and some foliage, and the snake will have to live on top of the houses or in them...as there will not be any bare aspen left. I certainly don't see a problem with 4 hides, but I think putting that much in a 20 gal is a bit crowded. Perhaps a 30 or 40 gal with 4-5 hides would be appropriate for a full grown snake.
 
There are three hides, not four. There is lots of room left in there. She spends most of her time hiding anyway. The black hide is actually not that small, it is just that it is very lightweight, so she moves it around alot. When she goes inside sometimes it lifts up while she gets settled as it is so light.

I realise that this whole thing is my fault. I did handle her briefly before the first week was up. I should have left her alone for two weeks and then fed her. But lesson learned. I have not handled her much, but it was obviously too much.

My first snake was handled two days after I got her, and I handle her almost every other day since then. She ate like a champ the first week. But she is a Woma python, and doesn't stress too easy. So I thought the corn would be similar.

The corn is in a high traffic area, so that may stress her a bit too. She came from a breeders house where she was in a separate room, but I don't have a separate room so she is in the dining room, which is right next to the living room.

I am actually going to be selling this snake once I get her eating. I just haven't taken to corn snakes like I thought I would. She is a beautiful snake, but I just don't think she's right for me. I've already found a corn snake lover who will take her, but I need to get her eating first.
 
I would personally give this nice healthy girl a two week period where I left her alone completely other than spot cleaning and fresh water. Then put her in a feeding box, cover it and leave her over night. Its the only way my 05 will eat. He is eating roughly every 14 to 17 days. Its funny, its like the food is being eaten as an after thought. Like he is thinking, oh why not its already here.
 
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