Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a baby corn snake that I have had for a couple weeks now and I cant get it to eat. I am trying to feed F/T pinkies as I am having trouble finding live. I just cant get him to eat. I have tried putting him in a small bag overnight with the mouse and I have tried braining it and still not interested? his temps are 88 on hot side and mid 70's on cool he is in a ten gallon tank(too big maybe?) what can I do to get him eating? any help would be great. thanks.

Some baby corns have a preference for Anoles and Skinks. I live in Central Florida where there are TONS of Brown Anoles. Sometimes with fussy eaters, I would go out and grab an anole, break a small portion of the tail off, and let it go. I'd then crush some of the tail between my fingers and rub the juice all over a dead pinky, consentrating on the head portion the most, and even stuff a tiny piece of anole tail in the pink's mouth. This can work surprisingly well. Some will catch a large anole and let the lizard chew on the dead pinkie's head, and have had success with that too. Then after several times of doing either method, they begin to associate the "other" pinky smell with the lizard prey as well, and figure, okay!,...this works for me!

Also, I've heard of some that dip a dead F/T pinks head into some canned tuna water, and that has also been known to work.

BTW, if you don't live in an area that has anoles or skinks easily accessible, you can sometimes buy them, or "Green Anoles" at certain pet stores, then after you kill it and rub the pink, you can freeze it, and take it out each time until it's no longer needed.

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

thanks for the info. I had read they like lizards but never thought of doing that. we have tons of skinks outside I will try it thanks.

Brandon

The primary prerequisite to successful neonate feeding (and adults, for that matter) is environment. If your thermometer is INSIDE the warm-side hide or near it, and it accurately reflects 88F in that hide, I'm guessing your snake is spending little or no time in that hide. If this is the case, the cage temps are not conducive to appetite and digestion. If it's not in the warm hide, it's likely too cool to want to eat. It knows if it can't digest, there's no sense in eating. Before trying any other types of food, stabilize temps. It should be 80F-84F INSIDE the warm-side hide and below 80F INSIDE the cool-side hide. The hides must be dark inside.

So, here's what PROBABLY happened this week.
1. The snake may want to eat f/t pinks, but knows it shouldn't, so it's prudently fasting.
2. Tomorrow, if you do successfully get it to eat and temps are NOT correct, it will likely puke, and could spiral out of correction - from post-regurgitation complications.
3. Tomorrow, you could get it to eat a lizard, and perhaps it will puke it up and/or get hooked on a menu item that's pretty expensive to feed and some seasons, hard to get.

So, here's what CAN happen if you stabilize temps.
1. The snake will have an appetite and eat what you want it to.
2. Wait, there isn't a number two. What else could we ask?

Before trying anything other than a frozen/thawed pinky, first scrutinize the cage environment. Only if the cage temps are correct (and it's not feeding), should you consider trying alternate food items that won't be convenient for you. Also, it's rare, but lizards could transfer pollutants and parasites to your snake. No sense doing that unless it's absolutely necessary. You won't know if you're at that stage until you first offer it what it seeks; a proper cage atmosphere.

Bonne appetite,

Don
www.cornsnake.NET
South Mountain Reptiles

thats something i never really put thought into

last summer i had a baby butter corn die after a month and looking back environment was probably a big factor
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Jake Barney and Brandon O'Dell
eight02exotics

current (small) collection
1.1.1 ball pythons
0.2 corns
1.0 cal king
0.0.1 wc garter

Did you ask what it was eating from whoever you bought it from?

Here are a few things to consider:

1. Time To Adjust
A young, security-craving serpent may be reluctant to eat and need time.

2. Cage Size
Baby snakes fare best when kept in relatively small enclosures (e.g. a plastic shoebox).

3. Hide Box
A hide area is beneficial to a snake’s well-being.

4. Lighting
A baby corn snake is most likely to come out in the early evening or at night. For this reason, lighting its enclosure is not only unnecessary, but it may cause the animal stress.

5. Time of Feeding
Baby corns feed most readily in the evening.

6. Type of Food
Find out what the pet store or breeder was feeding the snake.

7. Handling and Other Disturbances
While few snakes are as tame as corns, their docile nature does not mean that they should be handled – at least not until they have adjusted to their new home.

8. Temperature
It is important to have a “hot spot” in the enclosure where the temperature reaches the mid-80’s.

9. Shed Cycle
Most snakes will not eat while going through a shed cycle. Sometimes it’s hard to tell when a snake is in a shed cycle – especially if it is at the beginning or end of the cycle.

10. Single Lifestyle
Corn snakes do best when housed separately.

Third Eye