Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i got my corn about a little less than 2 months ago. he had a shed about a week after i brought him home. in the next month he ate 3 times, and refused a pinkie 2 times. he last ate on 1/8. i went away the week of the 13th, after he refused a pinky on the 12th. when i got back, he was in shed, and had a good shed about a week later. since then he has refused to eat. i tried braining, tease feading, chicken broth, even braining a pinky and leaving it right outside his hide in the tank. he seems active, coming out of his tank about once a day for a drink and to roam around, but he still hasn't eaten, after refusing pinkies the past 4-5 times ive tried. temps and humidity are good. its been over 3 weeks and im getting worried. does anyone have any suggestions?

There are a number of factors to keep in mind:

1) Cage size: Snakes crave security and often feed more readily in a small cage. You did not mention what size tank you were keeping the snake in, but a number of people have set up baby snakes in 10 gallon tanks only to find that they don't feed well in that large of an enclosure.

2) Cup feeding: Since snakes crave security so much, feeding them in a small container (8 oz. deli cup) gived them added security. Snakes are especially vulnerable when eating.

3) Time of feeding: The best results, due to the shyness of snakes, are accomplished by feeding the snake in the evening and leaving the food item with the snake overnight.

There are other factors as well, but I suspect that you are keeping the reptile in an enclosure that is too large. In my experience baby snakes do best when kept in shoebox-sized enclosures.

Tim

Third Eye

his tank is a 22 gallon, but when i fed him in the past, it was in a small cardboard box, and he refused the pinkies several times in there. i'll try the deli cup though, thanks.

You need to keep the snake in a smaller enclosure. A 22 gallon is way too big. Something about the size of a shoebox would make it feel much more secure, and chances are, get it eating regularly.

Tim

I agree,,...all of Tim's advice is right on the money, to that little snake, it compares to you or I being in Iraq in the middle of a field, and being told to pitch camp there and feel secure!..LOL! when hiding in dense foliage would make us feel 100% better about NOT getting "whacked".

Small container, and small hide boxes give best results in conjunction with optimum temp ranges.

Offer a pink at night as Tim earlier suggested after the snake has been situated in a hide for at least a day or two after being re-situated into new smaller quarters, then DO NOT startle the snake by VERY slowly and carefully taking the lid off(without him knowing). Then place the pinky slowly and carefully(without banging/clanking around with the lid) place the pinkies head portion carefully right inside of the small notch opening of the hide with a pair of small tongs/tweezers, more often than not, you will see it being slammed as soon as it is seen by the snake by using some small twitching movements,.....and if not, just slowly back away, and leave it there and turn off the lights. Chances are, it will be gone when you wake the next morning. Remember, night time feeding usually gives hatchlings a MUCH better sense of security, than doing so in broad daylight, they are just "wired" that way for survival.

Here is a good example of what the quarters should look like for a hatchling snake.

good luck!, ~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

i have a smaller tank for him, but its plastic and my undertank heater says to only use with glass tanks, any suggestions on temp control in the smaller, plastic tank?

Put the smaller tank inside the larger tank. Keep the heater where it is under the larger tank. Be sure to use a thermometer to insure that you're getting a warm spot in the mid- to upper 80's.

Tim

hey tim,

tell me how this new setup looks, in the first pic you can see the heater under the left side of the glass tank, its the white thing.

The cardboard type box you have is fine, but it really is best to have it enclosed on ALL sides, with a small notch opening on one side. This way the snake can hide in TOTAL darkness giving him a much better sense of security. This might not be the most optimum way to display a snake, but what works best for human display, and what is best for the snake are two separate things. The snakes needs should always come first. As it grows, it will be more used to things in a captive environment, and hiding will become somewhat less crucial.

Another important thing here is to keep the hide boxes VERY small so it can comfortably coil up inside, but still feel well hidden in a confined space just as it would in the wild.

~Doug

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

You're on the right track!
I'd put a hidebox on the unheated side as well.
I'd also look for a "tighter" hiding area.
Here's a couple of plastic containers I converted to hideboxes.
The black one is the type microwavable food comes in.
The white one is a mealworm container (with a snake I got from Jeff Cochran today looking out of it).
Even the base of a plastic cup is good.
What you want is something low to the ground, so the snake will feel secure.

Tim

Third Eye

hey guys let me know what you think of the new hides. i converted a pair of my 10th grade ceramics projects. i hope he likes em.

ps i really appreciate your guys' help. both tim and doug. thanks guys!

Those are perfect for the little tike!......the snake will feel as "snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug"!..LOL!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

You got it!
Let us know if that new setup solves his feeding troubles.

Tim

He still didn't eat! I let him get situated in his new setup for a couple days, then did as doug suggested...offerred a pinkie at night by putting its head right in the notch of his hide. he didnt respond, so i left it. after about a minute, he came out of the hide, went right past the pinkie, and for the next hour and a half proceeded to roam every square inch of the tank, being very active. he even climbed up to the top of the tank and fell back down a few times. after about a half hour of roaming the tank, he came back to the pinkie, and actually held it in its mouth horizontally, kind of like the way a dog does with a bone. he moved it with his mouth about an inch, then stuck his head up in the air and appeared to yawn. (not sure if snakes yawn, but it certainly looked like a yawn) well i woke up this morning and the pinkie was still there, and my snake was sitting in the back of the tank, outside of the hides.

i ordered a bottle of "lizard maker" lizard scent from overseas. ive heard this can help. do you guys have any experience with lizard scents? if not, what else should i do!? the 1 month mark for not eating is approaching. help!

When you get the lizard maker be sure to first wash the pinkie with a bar of Ivory soap and then apply the lizard maker usually a drop of it on the pinky's head will be enough.

I have also tried placing shed lizard skin on a pinkie's head. What I learned from that is Uromastyx and bearded dragon scent will freak out a snake. I do not know for sure, but maybe the scent of an anole could be pleasing to a corn snake since corn snakes can be found in the same region as anoles.

Try washing the pinkie with Ivory soap before offering it to your snake without the lizard maker.

Have you tried putting your snake in a deli cup or some other small container then placing it in the cage? You can also try this at night.

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The day I give up my dreams is the day I have strategic grill locations. A dreamer has a philosophy: the entire grill is hot.