Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok. I have 1 relectant feeder. I have gone through all of the normal book suggestions to get them to eat. She has eaten with me before. (1) pinky head, (1) pinky and I saw her feeding record from Petsmart and she had eaten there once as well. She is very small, but strong and in good health. It may be possible she is going into her 1st or 2nd shed, though i don't know. Her eyes aren't blue, and she is an anery so I don't if I just can't see the faded color yet....cage temps are fine and water and hides are present.

This is the 2nd week she hasn't eaten. I'm not worried yet, and I am being patient with her- but I'd rather have her eating...

So aside from the normal book suggestions to get a corn snake to eat anybody have any other suggestions that work? I am thinking of washing a pinky and trying that method. Thanks in advance.
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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Midnight Blizard Leopard Gecko
2.4 Corn Snakes (2 Blood Red,1 Granite,1 Butter, 1 Creamsicle,1 Anery)
2.1 Ball Python (2 Normal, 1 Lemon Pastel)

So what methods have you tried? My reluctant feeders are placed in opaque deli cups or brown paper bags overnight with a f/t pinkie. If they haven't eaten it by morning, I wait until the following week and try again with a live pinkie. I have a few 2006 hatchlings that have gone 2-3 weeks without eating, and for the most part I don't worry.

Unless you're seeing weight loss or signs of dehydration, I wouldn't worry... although you did mention it was a petsmart purchase. Have you had the snake examined by a vet, or had any fecal tests done?

did you try f/t or live? Try the other next. Tuna water has worked for me very well.

Tuna water huh?, thanks I'll give that a try, if the washing them in non-scented soap thing doesn't work. She's eaten for me twice, just not in the past two attempts. Like I said, if it has been printed in either Don or Kathy's books I've tried it. I was really looking for unusual suggestions that people have tried to get their lil' ones to eat.
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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Midnight Blizard Leopard Gecko
2.4 Corn Snakes (2 Blood Red,1 Granite,1 Butter, 1 Creamsicle,1 Anery)
2.1 Ball Python (2 Normal, 1 Lemon Pastel)

I have an 06 Butter motley, she started off on df pinkies no problem, then stubbornly refuded anything but live, or so i thought.
I ran out of df pinkies, for assist feeding, and as she was getting fairly thin, gave a rat pink a try, 10 minutes later 1 very chubby corn, and no pinkie.
She is a very small 06 and i didnt even think she could managed the rat pink, but turned out a piece of cake.
Funny how the dumbest solutions often work !!!

I wish you luck. I had the same problem last year with my snow corn. I had to force feed her 12 times before she ate on her own and tuna water was what did it for me. She now never refuses to eat f/t and is growing well. I got this idea from someone else who tried it with good results and have read posts on the other forums (hognose and rat snake) where people have done the same thing with reluctant feeders.

She is so small I'm not sure she could take a rat pink. When I gave her a pink..I thought...oh man this is not gonna work (I used the smallest pink I could get). I'll let you know what happens tonight.
This is Eve. The photo makes her look bigger than she is. She is by far the smallest cornsnake I have ever gotten. I'm reasonably sure she was born early winter.

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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Midnight Blizard Leopard Gecko
2.4 Corn Snakes (2 Blood Red,1 Granite,1 Butter, 1 Creamsicle,1 Anery)
2.1 Ball Python (2 Normal, 1 Lemon Pastel)

you could always try halving a rat pinkie, and see if she takes interest. My corns love rat pinkies...

and if you can get your hands on hamster or gerbil pinks, watch out! Those things are irresistable! You could always try scenting a mouse pink with some old gerbil or hamster bedding, if babies aren't available.

Anybody tried braining? I find that it always catches their attention, but with young ones sometimes (50%) I've found the smell makes them nervous becuase afterwards they refuse the brained pinky. Anybody else have that happen?

I haven't tried switching to another prey type because she has eaten pinks before so I think she'll take them again.

I have tried splitting prey items before and I've found 6 month corns take them but, the neonates don't. I think the smell scares them. Maybe the smell is so strong or something...
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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Midnight Blizard Leopard Gecko
2.4 Corn Snakes (2 Blood Red,1 Granite,1 Butter, 1 Creamsicle,1 Anery)
2.1 Ball Python (2 Normal, 1 Lemon Pastel)

I had a tank of dwarf hamsters. (Always babies in tank.)
I had to feed them to my snakes to avoid being overrun with dwarf hamsters.
Never had a snake resist a dwarf hamster pink.

No dice. Last night I tried scenting with tuna water. I left it in over night and still nothing. I'll keep trying.
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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Midnight Blizard Leopard Gecko
2.4 Corn Snakes (2 Blood Red,1 Granite,1 Butter, 1 Creamsicle,1 Anery)
2.1 Ball Python (2 Normal, 1 Lemon Pastel)

If you have'nt tried washing it with soap yet, try it. It usually works wonders. Good Luck
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Arlon Delorge
Classic Constrictors

My corn snake that I have been worried about finally ate. Here is what I did:

She was a recent purchase and I had been keeping her in a small plastic cage w/ aspen bedding untill I was ready to build my first snake rack. I knew it was going to be a short time and while she was in that container she ate twice. When I built my rack, I moved her into the new rack and put her on newspaper.

For a couple of weeks she has refused food. I had tried any and all tricks except force feeding...nothing worked. Last night I thought maybe I try something I hadn't thought of.

I placed her in a small deli cup with some of her old bedding. I haven't the slightest clue as to why I saved it but, I did and placed a handful in the container with her and a pinky. I put the container-snake and all in a cupboard and watched a long movie.

Presto! After the film I checked on her and sure enough she had a pinky in her belly.

Though I am commited to the snake rack I have placed a small cup with her old shavings into her tub. I'm thinking that she finds the old "home" smell comforting.

Thanks for all the suggestions!
Larry
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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Midnight Blizard Leopard Gecko
2.4 Corn Snakes (2 Blood Red,1 Granite,1 Butter, 1 Creamsicle,1 Anery)
2.1 Ball Python (2 Normal, 1 Lemon Pastel)

CONGRATS!!!! I was actually gonna ask you today if you had recently changed the bedding. well i am sooo happy!!! and i hope thats the last time that happens to you!!
~kin
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~Sober Serpents~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SNAKIES~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Corns:
.1 Normal (Gertrude) [just a pet...she started it all]
1. Orange normal (Romeo)
1.2 Miami Phase (Hector, Emily, Charlotte) thanks jeff!
2. Miami Phase part zigzag (Starkey, Mcvitty)[Emilys F2]
1. Amel het Blizzard (Dunesbury) .1 Blizzard (Detta)
1. Classic het Hypo, poss het Amel, Anery (Cobra)
1.1 Classics (Henry VIII, Cassy) [Emilys F1 babies]
.1 Deep Red Amel (Pepperoni) *1. Deep red amel coming soon!
1.1 Hypo zig zags poss HET Caramel (Bernard, Abegail)
.1 Hypo HET Stripe (Gracie Lou) 1. Hypo Stripe (Gideon)
1.1 Anery HET Motley (Lleroy, Persia)
.1 Candy Cane (Peaches HoneyBlossom) [Just a pet]
1. Abbotts Okeetee (Albert) [Charlottes son]
1.1 Snow (Crickle, Isis) .1 Green Snow (Maya)
1. Caramel poss HET Butter (Topher)
.1 Anery stripe (V) [husbands snake...he named it]
.1 Orange Reverse Okeetee (Lonna)
1.2 Bloodred HET Amel 1. Amel HET Bloodred

Others:
1.1 Black rats (Willard, Cecily)
1.1 Striped Cal Kings (Dweezil, Skunky)
1. High-white Reverse Spotted Cal King (Wishbone) *.1 soon!
.1 Albino Stripe Cal King (Eve)
.1 Bananna spotted/stripe cal king (Speckle) Thanks Jeff!!!
1.1 Thayeri (Giuseppe[MSP], Cheyenne)
1.1 Creamsicle HET Motley(Orangejello, Genevieve)
1. Creamsicle motley (no name) Thanks Jimmy!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~LEOPARD GECKOS~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.1 Blizzard (Blitz)
.1? High yellow (no name)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~TURTLES~~~~~~~~~~~~
.1 white cheeked mud (Opel)
.1 snapping turtle (no name, ideas welcome)

You know, I really don't know why I didn't think of it before. Sometimes it really is the simplest thing..
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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1 Midnight Blizard Leopard Gecko
2.4 Corn Snakes (2 Blood Red,1 Granite,1 Butter, 1 Creamsicle,1 Anery)
2.1 Ball Python (2 Normal, 1 Lemon Pastel)