Reptile & Amphibian Forums

how long can a corn snake go without eating? i have a baby motley i got from a local show about a month and half ago. he ate once for me right After i got him but hasnt ate since. ive tried everything from live to f/t to braining and deheading. i am about at my wits end. the only thing i havent tried and on the ropes about is force feeding. temps are fine . hiding place and water. in a sterilite shoe box alone. so i dont know what to do. any help woiuld be appreciated. thanks

Man that has got to be the most frustrating of all situations. I actually have a couple like that. they ate on their own and then bam, refuse to eat again. They can go longer than you might think but I would continue trying all the tricks including tease feeding. Always offer them a pink in a deli cup normally in hopes that they take it. Then do the split brain again. Then any other scenting with lizard tricks. Then tease feeding. One note about tease feeding I have pretty good results with this but I don't give up! It may take 10 or 15 times of biting and letting go before I give up. You'd be surprised how many times the snake just gets so furious that he eats just to get rid of the darn thing. There's been some talk lately about giving them milk to help nurish them while thet're on hunger strike and someone on another website mentioned that Kathy Love has been experimenting with Ferret food thru a tube? It's all worth trying. But if he ate before he is a good candidate for tease feeding. Good luck!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

There have been alot of posts in the last month or so about stubborn feeders. Just start reading your way through them and you might pick up some useful tips. Also you will see what alot of the rest of us have been going through!
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Kent

0.1 Hypomelanistic striped cornsnake
1.1 Hypo (het lavender, striped) cornsnake hatchlings
2.2 Normal (het hypo, lavender, striped) cornsnake hatchlings
1.2 Gray-banded kingsnakes, blairs phase
1.1 Oregon rubber boas

well i got a pinky head down him tonite . hopefully it will jump start his feeding instinct. any suggestions as to when to try to feed him again?

>>well i got a pinky head down him tonite . hopefully it will jump start his feeding instinct. any suggestions as to when to try to feed him again?

give it around five days. don't want to push it too hard
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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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