Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got him on a monday (July 21). He ate the next day (July 22). I've tried and tried to feed him but nothing works. It's been 19 days now he hasn't ate. Today is the 9th of August. I don't want him to die because I just got him. I have two heating sources (heating pad on low and a heat lamp), calci-sand, hide-box (a curved piece of bark), a branch for him to climb on, and water dish. I don't now what to do.

I called up my pet store where I got the snake from and they said to feed the snake something different. The guy told me to go outside and find some rollie pollies and grasshoppers (DOES THAT WORK!).

QUESTIONS:
How long can they live without eating something?
Can somebody give me some ways to feed my snake?
Is a frozen (pre-killed) pinkie better than a live pinkie?
Is it better to cut the head off of the pinkie or leave it on?
Is it better to cut a slite in the head of the pinkie and squeeze some of the brains out?

GIVE SOME OF YOUR OPPINIONS!

I have heard that breeders have had hatchlings go 50 days without eating as long as it is still active do not worry.
you fed it and it can go along time on that & what it ate in the egg.

Live or frozen does not matter in my opinion. I know people who use both...but frozen are more convenient.

One breeder told me to try this, as I also have a stubborn hatching....Lizards are a more common food item in the wild for babies...but since you do not really want to get then hooked on lizards...see if you can get used bedding from the pet store from the Anole cage. Scent the pinkie by thawing it in the bedding and then place it in the cage at night when most snakes feed.

Another person told me to speed up the snakes metabolism by letting it crawl thru your hands for a good 1/2 hour than put it in with its food. This sometimes brings out the hunting instinct.

Hope this helps
-----
All creatures great and small we are to care for them all.
4 Corns,6 Kings,3 Milks,1 German Shephard,1 Cairn & 1 Giant Schnauzer

We already gave you innumerable suggestions. Go read them!

>>I got him on a monday (July 21). He ate the next day (July 22). I've tried and tried to feed him but nothing works. It's been 19 days now he hasn't ate. Today is the 9th of August. I don't want him to die because I just got him. I have two heating sources (heating pad on low and a heat lamp), calci-sand, hide-box (a curved piece of bark), a branch for him to climb on, and water dish. I don't now what to do.
>>
>>I called up my pet store where I got the snake from and they said to feed the snake something different. The guy told me to go outside and find some rollie pollies and grasshoppers (DOES THAT WORK!).
>>
>>QUESTIONS:
>>How long can they live without eating something?
>>Can somebody give me some ways to feed my snake?
>>Is a frozen (pre-killed) pinkie better than a live pinkie?
>>Is it better to cut the head off of the pinkie or leave it on?
>>Is it better to cut a slite in the head of the pinkie and squeeze some of the brains out?
>>
>>GIVE SOME OF YOUR OPPINIONS!

Have you heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? You are doing the same thing.

You have been asked many questions and I have not seen you answer any of them. You have been given advise that you are apparently ignoring.
How hot is this snake? Get a thermometer and find out and post it.
Bugs are not for cornsnakes. What did he eat the first day home?
Was he fed on the calcisand? If he ate any of that and he is a small snake he may have become impacted. Vet time.
Every time you have offered him food when he didn't want it or was too stressed to eat you are STRESSING HIM MORE and pushing him further from eating.
In my opinion the BEST thing to do is to find out the temps. Set them up correctly, IE a high end in the high seventys/low eighties and a low end in the seventies.
Once the temps are right and he has a hide he is using and fresh water then you LEAVE HIM ALONE for at LEAST four (4) days to a whole week (7)days. No touching, no poking, don't even look at him strongly. AND no, I am not joking. He should have had time to settle, to adjust and then been fed, then, once he is eating once a week for a few weeks then start worrying about handling.
Do not, if he refuses food, go and offer him something different the next day. Give him a couple days...like 4 and try again. Whatever he ate the first time is likely what he will take. If he were mine he would get (assuming he is a small, baby) a live tiny pinky mouse. If he is bigger than he would get the appropriate sized frozen thawed prey, left outside his hide and left overnight.
So, you now have 4-7 days to check his temps are okay. Then get back to us when you try to feed him around next weekend. NOT TOMORROW.
-----
Sonya

SHUT UP! THIS IS MY 1ST TIME HAVING A PET SNAKE AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!
THE PET STORE WHERE I GOT IT FROM IS HAVING A HARD TIME FEEDING THE SAME KIND OF CORN SNAKE TOO! SO JUST SHUT THE HECK UP!

usually it's about 80-90 degress F.
i got 2 heating sources (heating pad and a heating lamp
is the repti-ships better or something?

question: is that book "the corn snake manual" by Kathy Love good? Does it give a lot of information on corn snakes and how to take care of them?

>>SHUT UP! THIS IS MY 1ST TIME HAVING A PET SNAKE AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!
>>THE PET STORE WHERE I GOT IT FROM IS HAVING A HARD TIME FEEDING THE SAME KIND OF CORN SNAKE TOO! SO JUST SHUT THE HECK UP!

I will save the rudeness and the....you might have wanted to research BEFORE you bought.....

>>
>>usually it's about 80-90 degress F.

Too hot. He is cooking. I would lose the overhead bulb and just use the UTH. Put a hide at the hot end and the cooler end. This way he can choose temps. Just curious...was the heat lamp on all the time and was it red or visible light? Part of the stress could have been light on all the time.
>>i got 2 heating sources (heating pad and a heating lamp
>>is the repti-ships better or something?

I don't care for any particulate (grainy or chunky) substrate...especially with young cornsnakes. I have seen too many die impacted. Were you feeding on the sand? If so, you might want to have him vet checked for impaction.
>>
>>question: is that book "the corn snake manual" by Kathy Love good? Does it give a lot of information on corn snakes and how to take care of them?

Yes, Kathy has been breeding corns longer than nearly anyone and the info in the book would help you a great deal.
-----
Sonya

you have been given many sugestions why do you not try them instead of getting mad

i don't know what i'm doing. if you give me some of your pics on what your cage looks like and how you got things prepared i probably won't bug you guys as much. i just don't want it to die. i wan't good pics too! show me you feeding your baby corn snake. show me your seperate box that you put your snake in when you're getting ready to feed it.

MINE IS A BABY ALBINO CORN SNAKE.

Feeding tubs. From the upper left, clockwise: small sterilite container, sterilite 'shoebox' container, mealworm tub, gladware container. The mealworm tubs I've just saved from when I order giant mealworms. I'm using them for my month old snakes now. The other containers have holes melted into them with a soldering iron. I just put whatever mouse I'm feeding into the tub, and then put the snake in and close the container.

Here's a typical setup. The water bowl doubles as a hide, so there are hides on both ends. A hide can be as simple as an old cardboard box or a toilet paper tube for small snakes.
This is cypress mulch substrate. Usually I use apsen but I had run out. I only have the lamp on that cage. The room has been 80 during the day so I haven't bothered replacing the burnt-out bulb. (she does fine) Usually I only use a 25 watt bulb in the winter, but I live in florida where it's probably not as cold indoors.
-----
-audri
Webpage/Pics

do you put the feed boxes in the cage?
where do you put them?
so you put them in a dark spot where it's not noisy?

I just put them somewhere where they won't be disturbed, like a quiet room or a shelf in a closet.
-----
-audri
Webpage/Pics

Have you ever seen a motherbird feed a baby bird?Just chew up some pinkies and spit them down your snakes throat.Or you can put the little guy in a nice peaceful enviroment with the temps in low 80's and just dont bother him for a week,then put in a nice warm pinky in there at nite and hopefully it will be gone in the morning.Here's a little tip for you when you buy your next corn.Ask the petshop owner to toss a pinky in there and see if it eats.Most corns will eat till they explode if you let them.I just bought a trio of hypo's yesterday and the little pigs are eating more than my adult guyana redtails.hehehehe.Good luck.If worse comes to worse have the pet shop owner show you how to forcefeed.If you can get one started in there mouths they will generally eat them.Paul.