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July of last year I purchased a high orange corn from the classifieds section. "OJ" arrived with a rather large bulge, indicating that he had recently taken a large meal. I had the tank ready for his arrival, a 20g long with UTH, thermostat and 3 hides, put him in and left him to get settled in.

The following week, I offered him a ft hopper, which he refused. Another week passed and still he refused food so I moved him to a quieter room of the house and partially covered his tank and triple checked to make sure the thermostat was working correctly. When that didn't work, we made a trip to the vet. The meal he had taken before shipping had gone rancid in his system and caused problems, which he was treated for. Still he didn't eat. Almost a year and a dozen treatments for various other possible maladies later, he still wont eat voluntarily.

He's been cooled, I've tried going through the whole temperature range, up a degree or two each week, then down. Bought a new thermostat, in case the one I had wasn't accurate enough. I've offered him live pinks and small fuzzies, freshly killed, brained... I've tried slightly 'annoying' him with food, to entice him to grab at it. No luck. I've tried feeding him in a smaller 10g tank and a sterlite box.

Can anyone think of ANYTHING else to try that I may have missed??

I wont subject OJ to a life of forced feeding, if something doesn't change within the next week or so I'm going to put him down.

I should have added that he's since been given a clean bill of health otherwise. Apparently, through it all he's become conditioned not to eat.

Have you talked to the seller about this?A year for a corn is a long damn time.Your corn cant even digest a meal?While I admire your efforts it's time to put that corn out of its misery.We have all been in your shoes before.You have went beyond the call of duty for your corn....Paul

Yes, I contacted the seller. Initially, he offered to replace the snake if I paid for the shipping, which I agreed to. I also clarified that this was to be a pet (as was OJ) and that I didn't want anything wc. I never heard from him again. I sent one other email after that but received no reply to it either. I took that as the only replacement I was going to get was wc, which I didn't want so I didn't peruse it any further.

He has digested what was force fed but its stressful for him. I'm not going to put him through it anymore.

In a sense, this post is as much for me as anything else. I need to know that I didn't miss anything. I don't want to realize at some point in the future there was something else I could have tried and didn't.

a lizard tail? I know this sounds strange, but I purchased a trio of captive bread corns last October from a well known breeder, all siblings. The females, ate mice for about 2 months then went straight to day old rat pinks. The male....I tried everything, but no luck, hoppers, pinks, dead, alive, teasing, dark, quiet, light, you name it. I live in Central Florida and remembered that wild corns here eat lizards. I went outside, caught a brown anole, pinched off its tail, which I hated to do. Then I rubbed the open end of the tail on the nose of the mouse, ta da! He grabbed it like he expected it. So as time went on, I used the same tail, take it out of the freezer and rub it a little on the rat pink nose, but he hasnt outgrown that yet. All siblings, strange eating habits. Just my 2 cents.

No, I haven't tried that. THANK YOU!!!!

I just pulled up the records and checked, OJ did come from Florida. It just might work! I'm going anole shopping in the morning, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks again!!

>>No, I haven't tried that. THANK YOU!!!!
>>
>>I just pulled up the records and checked, OJ did come from Florida. It just might work! I'm going anole shopping in the morning, I'll let you know how it turns out.
>>
>>Thanks again!!

At this point I would say the chances of getting your snake to eat on it's own are slim, but...he has survived this long so there just may be some hope.
I never went a whole year but I did go several months force feeding a couple of non-feeders.
If you are willing to try a couple of more things before putting the little guy out of his missery there is something that might work if the anole doesn't.
Get a can of tuna fish. Make sure it is in water not syrup.
pur a little of the juice in a small dish and drop a live, day-old pinkie in the juice. Let it soak for a little while and then place the pinkie and the snake in a small deli dish, place the dish in a nice secluded, preferably dark, area for a few hours to over night. This worked for a couple of mine.
at this point the decision to put the little guy out of it's missery would not be a lazy or easy solution. As Paul said, you have gone way beyond the call of duty on this little guy and there would be nothing wrong with euthenizing(spelling?) the poor little guy.
good luck

-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

The anole didn't work... I scented a live pink and a ft and through in a piece of the anole itself and left them in his tank and undisturbed for 12 hours.

I have tried scenting pinks with freshly killed rosies (commonly fed to garters) which amounts to pretty close to the same thing but I am going to try the tuna packed water. I'm willing to try anything within reason.

I sincerely appreciate the comments and suggestions. Its impossible to put that much work into something without becoming attached... I've been aware that his chances are slim for quite some time but still I wanted to give him every opportunity. If, in the end, all else fails, I'll at least be able to take comfort in knowing I did my best.

Thanks again for all of the input, it is very much appreciated. And if you think of anything else, please let me know.

>>The anole didn't work... I scented a live pink and a ft and through in a piece of the anole itself and left them in his tank and undisturbed for 12 hours.
>>

You can't just throw the food in the tank. You need to place the snake and the food in a small container. There can be no doubt that the snake will be in contact with the food item.
If it is just "in the tank" there is a very good possibility the snake will not venture form its hiding spot to locate the food.
In a small dish there is no doubt. A small deli dish or gladware container works well.
good luck
-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

When I said "through it in" I was speaking figuratively. I should have clarified, sorry.

I put down a few layers of paper towels, placed the snake and the food in the center and covered both with a large bowl. I'm going to try again this evening in a sterlite box. This is an adult snake btw.

Again, thanks for taking the time to reply.

So sorry to hear about the tough time you have had with your snake. As others have said do not feel bad if it comes to putting him down, you tried your best. As someone on this forum said to me when i lost one of my snakes, sometimes it is just not meant to be.

Best of luck to you and your snake on whatever comes to be.
I know it is tough to loose your pet snake, i've lost two in a relativly short ammount of time. It is clear that you truly care about him, there are people that wouldn't have bothered trying as hard as you have.

Wayne

Thank you for that... Its means a great deal. "Just a snake" obviously does not apply to many of us.

Whatever comes, at least I will know that he got the best could give him.

Short reply... I'm getting misty...

Hopefully this message isn't too late.

Have you tried giving it Flagyl? Flagyl (metronidazole) has been shown to improve appetite in reptiles.

Quote from "Reptile Care: An Atlas of Diseases and Treatments" by Fredric L Frye, DVM:

[...] it was found that the antiprotozoan chemotherapeutic drug metranidazole ( Flagyl-Searle ), at a dosage of 12.5 to 25 mg/kg administereded as a single oral dose, often will induce a previously anorectic snake to feed [....] The mechanism for this response is unclear, but the effect has been frequently demonstrated bumany workers and does not appear to b directly related to the presence of intercurrent protozoan infections. The metranidazole is delivered directly into th stomach as a slurry or suspension via a feeding tube or catheter.

This is from page 44 of vol I.

You can either get Flagyl from a local vet, or you could try ordering it directly from one of those online Mexican pharmacies. I don't know if it would be seized by customs or something though. It's just an antibiotic and antiprotozoan medicine, so I don't know if that is allowed or not?