Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have corn young corn snake, approximately 8 months old. The last time he shed it took about 4-5 weeks for him to finish shedding. Of course he didn't eat during that time and now it has been about 4 weeks and he still won't eat!
I have tried frozen pinkies, I put it in a cup and pour very hot water (alomost boiling, over the pinkie and let it sit for about 12-14 minutes.Then I pour the water off and put the pinkie in the aquarium. I have tried to feed him at night and during the day. I have tried to feed him live pinkies but he won't eat! He does drink some. I am afraid he is going to starve to death!! What can I do?

>>I have corn young corn snake, approximately 8 months old. The last time he shed it took about 4-5 weeks for him to finish shedding. Of course he didn't eat during that time and now it has been about 4 weeks and he still won't eat!
>> I have tried frozen pinkies, I put it in a cup and pour very hot water (alomost boiling, over the pinkie and let it sit for about 12-14 minutes.Then I pour the water off and put the pinkie in the aquarium. I have tried to feed him at night and during the day. I have tried to feed him live pinkies but he won't eat! He does drink some. I am afraid he is going to starve to death!! What can I do?

to begin with you need to check and double check the conditions of it's habitat.
If it is 8 months old that means it has eaten, so, if it quit eating there is a reason. If it took 4 or 5 weeks for it to shed then conditions are way wrong.
It sounds to me like it is too hot and too dry.
check the temps make sure it isn't too hot.
You need to have a water bowl large enough for the snake to soak in. Bigger the better.
How are you heating the enclosure and what is the enclosure?
Better yet, just tell us exactly how it is set up..size, decorations, substrate, heat source, light source, hides, water bowl size, air temps, bottom temp, everything you can think of.
If you are using an aquarium with a screen top cover half to three quarters of the top to help hold in moisture...once you make sure it isn't too hot.
Don't just throw the pinkie in the tank. Take the pinkie and the snake and put them in a deli dish or small gladware sandwich box or something similar. Place that back in the tank, turn off any lights and leave them alone for several ours.
Make sure you have plenty of hides in the tank so the snake will feel more secure.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

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I agree with draybar! If it took 4 or 5 weeks to shed, something is very wrong. It could also be too cold. Give us some details of what your set up is and we will have a better Idea of what could be wrong. Try feeding him in a paper lunch bag rolled up and left in his cage. Just dry the pink with paper towels so it doesn't stick. But again if temperatures are wrong it may not eat regardless.

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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Thanks for the help!
The snake is in a 20 gallon aquarium.
The temperature when I use my laser thermometer is about 75-78 degrees above the area where the under tank heater is.It only covers about 1/3 of the tank. I have a hide above the heat mat and I have a hide on the other side of the tank. I also have a rock hide that has holes in it in the center of the tank.
I have a small water dish for the snake to drink out of.I have seen him drink from this dish.
When it took him so long to shed. I put another bowl in the tank. It is more than large enough for him to lay in but I have never seen him get into the water. When it was taking him so long to shed I took him out of the tank and put him in a small sink for a minute or two.He acted like he was scared of the water. I even wet some paper towels and rubbed him down with those.
I have aspen substrate and once a day I use a spray bottle filled with water to spray the inside of the tank down.
I do have a screen top on the tank. What should I use to cover it with?
I also have a heat lamp over the tank but I hardly ever turn it on.
I appreciate your help; this is my first snake and I don't want it to die, I especially don't want it to starve!

Well it sounds to me like the cage may be a bit too cool. If the hot side is 75 to 78 than the cool side is even colder. 75 is good for the cool side actually 70 to 75 and the hot side should be about 82. I would supply a small plastic tub with some moistened Spagnum Moss and spray it every couple days. Now you have to get it eating again, then work your way up to larger and large food items. Start off with pinks in a paper lunch bag rolled up and placed in his cage near the warm side. Leave it alone then check it after a couple hours. If it refuses to eat there are tricks to get it to start eating. Split brain works very often. Tease feeding is another trick. I can give you more details on these techniques if you need it. The screen top is ok if you provide the moist tub. Just make sure the lid fits very snug and there is no play or space at all. The plastic ones that most pet shops sell are for lizards at best. They will tell you they're good for snakes but they don't really know. The Metal tops which slide forward or the ones held down with metal clips are the best I've seen in pet shops. I make my own when I use aruariums but I don't use them much anymore cause I have racks with tubs. Let us know how it goes.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

>>Thanks for the help!
>>The snake is in a 20 gallon aquarium.
>>The temperature when I use my laser thermometer is about 75-78 degrees above the area where the under tank heater is.It only covers about 1/3 of the tank. I have a hide above the heat mat and I have a hide on the other side of the tank. I also have a rock hide that has holes in it in the center of the tank.
>> I have a small water dish for the snake to drink out of.I have seen him drink from this dish.
>> When it took him so long to shed. I put another bowl in the tank. It is more than large enough for him to lay in but I have never seen him get into the water. When it was taking him so long to shed I took him out of the tank and put him in a small sink for a minute or two.He acted like he was scared of the water. I even wet some paper towels and rubbed him down with those.
>> I have aspen substrate and once a day I use a spray bottle filled with water to spray the inside of the tank down.
>> I do have a screen top on the tank. What should I use to cover it with?
>> I also have a heat lamp over the tank but I hardly ever turn it on.
>> I appreciate your help; this is my first snake and I don't want it to die, I especially don't want it to starve!

You shouldn't need to spray the tank daily.
You especially don't want to do it with aspen.
too much moisture can make the aspen mold. not good.
you can cover a portion of the top of the tank with anything.
Plastic, cardboard, aluminum foil just anything to help hold moisture in the tank.
If you have an under-tank heater you shouldn't need the the heat lamp.
If you want to ligt the tank just use a small, normal bulb, maybe a 25 watt bulb or 40 watt max.
put a larger water bowl in there. Even if you don't see him use it it will help raise the humidity. Place the water bowl partialy over the UTH and partially off.
double check the temps to make sure your reading is accurate and try feeding the snake in a seperate container as I had mentioned previously.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

_____

Thanks for the help, especially Draybar! I took your advice and put the pinkie in a deli cup with the snake and left them alone for a couple of hours and when I came back....the pinkie was gone and the snake had a nice lump in its mid-section. I was afraid he was going to starve.
I also covered most of the top of the aquarium with foil.I will try to keep the aquarium humidified to help the shedding to go smoother.
Thank you again.

>>Thanks for the help, especially Draybar! I took your advice and put the pinkie in a deli cup with the snake and left them alone for a couple of hours and when I came back....the pinkie was gone and the snake had a nice lump in its mid-section. I was afraid he was going to starve.
>>I also covered most of the top of the aquarium with foil.I will try to keep the aquarium humidified to help the shedding to go smoother.
>>Thank you again.

good news
glad it ate
now just work on the humidity a little to get the sheds going properly and your snake should do fine.
Next time you notice it going into "the blue", getting ready to shed, you can place a humid hide in it's enclosure.
Get a deli cup or glad-ware container or small tupperware dish...etc and put moist sphagnum moss in it and place it in it's enclosure.
Obviously put an entrance in it...lol
easiest thing to do is put it in place of one it's most often used hides. The moist sphagnum moss will help in the shed proccess.
good luck and keep us posted

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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

_____