Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Since I spend most of my time browsing this forum only (and the classifieds since it has nice pics too) I thought this might inspire some of those with nonfeeder corns.

I bought this Isabel Island Ground Boa back in February (1 of 13 that survived). I force fed it guppies for several months (guppies slide down VERY easy). I then moved to force feeding it pinkie heads and now (as in the below pic) he/she is eating f/t whole pinkies entirely on its own! SEE FOR YOURSELF!

One more thing....IT HAS NOT SHED SINCE FEBRUARY (which is typical of these not-so-common beauties)

JUST THOUGHT I'd SHARE and MAYBE INSPIRE HOPE TO ALL THE NON FEEDING CORN PROBLEMS OUT THERE!

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"Even on cloudy days, it NEVER hurts to keep looking for the sunshine!"

Thanks....I need it, I'm a bit worried about little Ed. He ate fabulously last Thursday (a full F/T pinkie) but won't eat yet this week. I'm going to try again tomorrow. I figure, either he wasn't ready yet (still a tad of a hump in his body) or maybe the pinkies are too big. I dunno, I will try again tomorrow and if he won't eat, then I will try what you did and go for just the pinkie head (EEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!! That won't be a fun task!). That way, if it's too big, he should go for just the head. Also, I noticed when he did eat last Thursday, he did not attack and constrict it. He just went for the head w/in seconds of me putting them in his feeding container. I thought it was a tad odd, but didn't worry since he swallowed it so easily. Anyhow, if I come back on a bit panicy tomorrow, y'all will know why.....
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~redmom~
My Email
Herps:
1.0 Normal corn snake "Ed"

Others:
1.0 Blue Betta fish "'Beta' test"
0.1 White/Lemon/beige splotched and spotted hound mix "Angel"

Human pets:
2.0 Children "Matthew" 7 yrs, "Duncan" > 1 yr
1.0 Hubby "Roger"

"Life will find a way." Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) Jurrasic Park

Don't worry...it's normal for a corn to not constrict already dead prey. Not sure why, but some babies do and some don't. If I feed mine a pinky while it's still warm and hold onto it a little after he grabs it, sometimes he'll constrict for a second, but it usually doesn't take him long to realize that it's not breathing!

Also, after a week, there shouldn't still be a lump in the body of the snake. This could be a sign that the snake isn't digesting well (which would explain him not wanting to eat). I'd try checking your temperatures to be sure that it's warm enough for him. They need heat to digest their food.

Good luck!

~Kristine

n/p
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~redmom~
My Email
Herps:
1.0 Normal corn snake "Ed"

Others:
1.0 Blue Betta fish "'Beta' test"
0.1 White/Lemon/beige splotched and spotted hound mix "Angel"

Human pets:
2.0 Children "Matthew" 7 yrs, "Duncan" > 1 yr
1.0 Hubby "Roger"

"Life will find a way." Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) Jurrasic Park

a lot of snakes won't eat before they go into a shed cycle. How long has it been since he shed?
sue
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sue

I've been watching for that telltale sign of shedding in his eyes, but they are clear as day still. He hasn't shed since I got him (2 wks ago today). I will have to take more drastic measures, I'm afraid, if he doesn't eat tonight!
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~redmom~
My Email
Herps:
1.0 Normal corn snake "Ed"

Others:
1.0 Blue Betta fish "'Beta' test"
0.1 White/Lemon/beige splotched and spotted hound mix "Angel"

Human pets:
2.0 Children "Matthew" 7 yrs, "Duncan" > 1 yr
1.0 Hubby "Roger"

"Life will find a way." Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) Jurrasic Park

Hi Carl, I have a Solomon Island ground boa that has NEVER eaten on it's own. It was originally owned by some friends of mine and they couldn't bear force feeding it everytime so I ended up with it. It's at least a year old and has to be force fed every time. Can you give any suggestions on getting this difficult feeder to eat on his own? I'm about to try scenting it with a frog tonight and we'll see how that goes. I was also told that I can try scenting it with a chick but don't have access to any chicks so I won't be able to try that anytime soon. Any help you can give with this situation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Scott.
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Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In any civilized society, it is every citizen's responsibility to obey just laws.
But at the same time, it is every citizen's responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
—Martin Luther King Jr