Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I received a cornsnake 2 weeks ago. it is very small and thin, a hatchling. They told me it was eating 2 pinkies every Sunday. I tried the following week and it didnt eat anything. I called the shop and they said leave it to setle for another week and i will have no problems. Now 2 weeks have gone by and this little chap still isnt eating. I have done everything. Cut the pinkie up, placed the snake in a container with the pinkie, nothing is happening.

The smallest pinkies look large compared to the size of this baby. Is there anything i can do or feed it (magots? crickets)
I am a novice at this so please tell me in laymans terms. I run a small rescue centre and this chap came in as the owner was going to let it loose in the garden

many thanks
Simon

I would definately not try to feed it maggots or crickets. If you have only had the snake 2 weeks and have tried everything than its more likely it has stressed the snake out. You must wait a few days between trying new methods otherwise you'll make the problem worse. Not to mention that snakes can go a good amount of time without eating. Do you have any pics of the snake & its enclosure that you can post here? I would be patient and read thoroughly through this forum as there are many related posts on getting corns to feed.

Hi

Thanks for the reply

I tried it as suggested on the Friday amnd left it a full weel before it tried it again. I will get the camera out and upload some pics for you or give you my URL so you can view them there.

its been 2 weeks now i am just getting a little nervous he may die. i have no idea how to sex it, but say he, could be a she

Simon

>>its been 2 weeks now i am just getting a little nervous he may die. i have no idea how to sex it, but say he, could be a she

Don't panic yet, but I wouldn't let it go over four weeks without getting some nourishment into it. Try at about five-day intervals, rather than waiting a full week between tries. I've found that my babies all do very well on a five-day schedule.

If, by 15 days from your most recent attempt it still hasn't taken anything, then is the time to consider resorting to force-feeding. I've done this quite successfully with a fair number of babies over the past few years. Last year, I had seven non-feeders in one clutch. I forced all of them from when they were 5-weeks old, until they were 12-weeks old, then I put them into brumation for six weeks. The smallest one didn't survive the brumation, but five of the remaining six came out of it ready to feed on their own. One still had to be forced, and has never yet fed by himself, but he's doing well on a five-day schedule. One of the five that did feed willingly, constantly regurgitated her meals (no matter how small they were), and eventually died. The remaining four are all now feeding regularly, and growing well.

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tricia

The following procedure may sound a bit disgusting, especially to someone who has not dealt with snakes in the past, but I have saved many baby corns' lives through its use. The procedure is known as "braining" the mouse. First, take the smallest pinky mouse you can find. Then, using a pin, poke a small hole into the top of the forehead of the thawed pinky. Gently squeeze the pinky's head in order to force some of the brain matter through the pin hole. Then place the pink in the corn's cage in the evening and leave over night. I know this sounds completely absurd, but the snakes find the smell of this brain matter irresistable. I have had very good luck with this practice. I hope it works the same for you.