Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My snake hasn't ate in 18 days now. I just dangle the pinkie in his face with my bare hands. I tried to use tweezers but it doesn't work. It must be blind because he turns his head the other way. So I put him in a box, drilled some hole in it so he can breathe. I put some newspaper on the bottem. I put the pinkie in there. I cut the pinkie's head open and squeezed some brains out so there's a good scent.

ANY OHTHER SUGGESIONS! PLEASE HELP ME OUT!

Should I cut the off the pinkie for better scent and easy swallowage.

I asked this before and didn't get an answer:
How often are you trying to feed it? Trying too often will stress out the snake and make it more likely to -not- eat.

More questions:
1. On the 6th, you posted you were using a heat pad and a heat lamp with a 100 watt bulb, and wondered if it's too hot.
A. Did you get a thermometer as suggested? (if not, get one tomorrow. A thermometer is an essential part of keeping a reptile)
B. Are you still using that same heating setup?
Nobody can tell you if it's ok or not unless you know what temp it is, but I can tell you it is very possible that it's over 100 degrees in there with that bulb.

Feeding: Have you given the snake a couple days break since last feeding attempt? If not, do that before you try feeding it again.

Methods:
If you haven't tried this already, get a small plastic container (small rubbermaid, glad-ware, or even a clean butter tub will work), poke some holes in it, and put the snake and pinkie in there for a couple hours or overnight undisturbed.
I haven't had much luck with dangling pinkies with corns (boids..yes, corns...not really) He's not blind, he's just not interested/scared by the pinkie.
You can try braining the pinkie, cutting it in half, etc. and leaving it in the tub. The most important part is not to disturb the snake. No watching it eat, no peeking every couple minutes. You can also try a live pinkie in the same manner.
-----
-audri
Webpage/Pics

Leave the snake alone for a week. Make sure it has a good hide, a small dish of water and put it on newspaper. After a week, put a small pinky in near the entrance to the hide. Then, do not disturb it all night.

By the next morning, if he hasn't eaten it, throw the pink in the freezer and save it for another use.

Like I said earlier, the snake MUST feel secure. Dangling a "flying" pinky is probably scaring the pee out of it. Stop that! LOL! 18 days is nothing to worry about. Try offering food every 5-7 days and once the snake is 6 weeks old, then try more drastic measures.

Offer whole live, whole thawed, or a cut off head. If the snake is hungry, the snake will eat.

I gave a hatchling to a friend of mine. He wouldn't eat for her for the first 2 1/2 weeks he was there. Then, he ate. Now, after 3 feedings, he doesn't even wait for her to put them in his house. She called me a few days ago to tell me that she had two on a napkin, thawing on the table next to his house and when she had him out, he saw them and stole them right off the napkin! LOL!

...probably has a good reason (in its opinion) not to eat. There are several reasons that a snake may not be interested in a dangling pinkie, but some snakes DO want moving food. Sybella's suggestion was a good one, except for that part about re-freezing. (IMO, an entire night out does nasty things to a dead baby rodent.)
The truth is, your question is hard to answer, but i'll do my best to answer the direct question.
I have a snake that will not eat dead prey. At least it would not up until a few days ago. Its a yearling ratsnake, perfectly capable of eating weaned mice. Well, I hadn't tried the dangling approach for awhile, and I usually let it go hungry if it doesn't take it quickly, but I tried harder finally. Here are some things that work for me:
1. Have the mouse entirely thawed and dry.
2. Don't touch it with your fingers
3. remove all cage furniture or feed in a seperate place.(I prefer to feed it in its own container where it feels comfy, but that's me-and its particular to problem feeders.)
4. Have no other moving distractions(such as kids, friends watching, daog nearbt, etc.)
5. Keep the room rather dark-maybe feed at night.
6. At first, move the mouse very slowly and gently, just to waft the smell around.
7. When wiggling the mouse, don't move any other muscles. Keep your body, and particularly your face, very still.
All told, it may prefer a live mouse to get started, or a mouse from a different place(Scent Matters A LOT!)

Good luck
-Jack
>>My snake hasn't ate in 18 days now. I just dangle the pinkie in his face with my bare hands. I tried to use tweezers but it doesn't work. It must be blind because he turns his head the other way. So I put him in a box, drilled some hole in it so he can breathe. I put some newspaper on the bottem. I put the pinkie in there. I cut the pinkie's head open and squeezed some brains out so there's a good scent.
>>
>>ANY OHTHER SUGGESIONS! PLEASE HELP ME OUT!
>>
>>Should I cut the off the pinkie for better scent and easy swallowage.

-----
...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."

> except for that part about re-freezing. (IMO, an entire
> night out does nasty things to a dead baby rodent.)

Oh gosh no!! Yuck! I never refreeze. After sitting out all night, it goes straight in the trash! LOL!