Feeding problems

[Matrix]

:bomb: My almost year old cornsnake hasn't eaten in about six weeks. The date is March 7th and I think that my snake is going to die if it don't eat soon. Is there a special time that they start eating again or is this a problem? It won't eat live or frozen pinkies and it is still too small to eat fuzzies. What shoud I do?:confused:

[MegF.]

The cornsnake manual has lots of suggestions including breaking open the mouse to give it more scent. You can try putting the snake in a paper bag with a pinky, or freshly killed pinky and leave it in there for a while without disturbing it. Make sure your tank temps are high enough, and there's moisture. The cornsnake manual gives other ideas, but if you're concerned maybe you should have it checked by the vet. I'm sure some of the more experienced herpers will chime in, and you might search for help using the key words difficult feeder, or won't eat.

[CornCrazy]

Originally posted by Matrix
My almost year old cornsnake...it is still too small to eat fuzzies.

Almost a year old??? And too small to eat fuzzies??? That seems a bit odd to me. I have never seen a year old corn that was not big enough to eat fuzzies. As a matter of fact, most year old corns can eat adult mice.

[MegF.]

That's true, I hadn't payed attention to that aspect. My 8 month old is eating small adult mice.

[CornCrazy]

Yeah - It sounds as if this snake has had feeding problems for a while now...

[Neumann]

Matrix,

I would have a vet take a look at his fecals (if you can get some poo from a none eater) to see if he has any internal parasites. Otherwise, I would take the snake to a vet to be checked out.

I would also make sure that the temps in his enclosure are correct and try to minimize his stress by not handling him until after he starts eating again.

You might also try putting some GSE (grapefruit seed extract) in his water bowl. You'll have to search the forum for the proper use of GSE but I've read some success stories. Apparently it can be found at health stores. Although, it may be for regurging snakes and not ones who refuse to eat?

One feeding trick is to place the snake in a deli cup overnight with a pinky. Place the deli cup in his cage on the warm end and leave the two alone until morning. You may want to feed the smallest pinky you can find and "brain it" as described earlier.

Some things to think about regarding the enclosure:

Does it have a thermal gradient?
Are the temps correct on each end?
Does he have multiple places to hide?
Is the cage in a low traffic area?
Is the humidity around 50%
Does he always have access to water?
Is it too noisy? (near a stereo or TV)

Good luck!


Cheers,
Jason