Advice needed on feeding issue

Well, this is a little bit of a vent as well as to get some more opinions. I posted a while back that my baby corn snake was having problems eating. He was eating fine from July of 2010 through the beginning of January of 2011. He was on a schedule of one pinky every 5 days.

He ate fine on Jan. 2 and then again on Jan.7. He did not eat on Jan. 12, 17, or 22. He would take the pinky in his mouth, so much that he was able to close his mouth around it but he would not swallow. It never went any further down his belly. It wasn’t really a regurge but seemed more like he was having a problem swallowing. I went and talked to one of my local pet stores, the one that seem to have the most knowledge regarding snakes. The gentleman that works there raises snakes, and raised corns for many years although now he is currently doing boa’s.

I brought the snake to him so he could take a look at it and get his opinion. He told me that based off of the size of the snake we must have purchased it when it was really young. He said that it didn’t appear that it had any type of obvious obstruction. However, around his neck area right behind his jaw his skin was a little rough and wrinkly. This wasn’t real noticeable until after the snake was unable to swallow a couple of meals. The gentleman took a closer look and it appeared that there was a small damage area on the skin. I want to call it a tear for lack of a better word, but it wasn’t torn open and/or never bled.

He advised me to try putting neosporin on it twice a day and then try feeding on his next scheduled I have been putting the neosporin on him everyday since then as well (since approx. Jan. 23). So, I did this and then when I fed him on the 27th he ate all by himself with no problems. Since then on his next two feedings on Feb. 1 and Feb. 6 he didn’t eat and was not really interested in the pinky. He wouldn’t even open his mouth or strike at it like he usually does.

I went back to the petstore and he told me to try and put the snake in a small brown bag with the pinky and leave him in his tank in the dark overnight and see what happens. I did this last night (two days after the last attempt because the gentleman said that he didn’t want to keep waiting a full five days). This morning the pinky was untouched.

I have to call the petstore to tell him what the outcome was, but the next idea was to try and give him a live pinky in a couple of days.

I don’t know if anyone here has any thoughts, advice, comments etc. I am trying to determine if my next course of action should be to try the live one or if I should be looking for a vet at this point. I appreciate any input that anyone may have.

P.S. This is my family’s first corn as it is the pet that my 4 year old daughter and 5 year old son wanted. Sorry for the long rant.

this sounds strange. can you tell me exactly what you do when you feed your snake the pinkie? im no expert here, but if you do describe in a bit more detail (do you brain the pinky, do you do the zombie dance, etc) it might help anyone reading this thread come up with some solutions or answers. thanks.

Well up until we started having issues this was the routine that we were following. I would take a frozen pinky and put it in a plastic bag and defrost it in a bowl of hot water (hot from the faucet, not microwaved). I would leave it in the water for approx. 30 to 45 minutes, replacing the water several times.

Then I would take the snake out of his tank and put him in a tall tupperware container about 10 inches around that was in my kitchen with the lights off. I would hold the pinky in my hand and lower it in the container and he would take it from immediately to withing 30 seconds or so. If he didn't take it right away I would move it around a little bit until he did.

After the pinky was about halfway down his body, maybe 30 more minutes, I would carry the container to the room his tank was in and then take him out of the container and put him in the tank.

The one time that he ate in the middle of all of this confusion, I had to hold the pinky in there for probably 5 to 10 minutes before he actually took it from me but everything else was the same.

The times that he hasn't been eating I have held the pinky in there for about 45 minutes before I stopped trying.

Other than that everything is the same. Oh, also, I am not sure if it matters but I keep referring to Oscar as a "him" when in reality I have no idea if Oscar is male or female.

And I did try braining the pinky on two of my attempts and it made no difference at all.

well it sounds like youre doing things well. hopefully this will help some others come up with ideas. typically the leaving with the pinkie overnight is a common method to try. and theres also a technique using a tuna juice soaked pinkie, which has worked for quite a few people, but im not sure exactly how you go about doing this, and i dont want to tell you how to do the technique wrong. maybe someone will chime in and give some details on that. or maybe someone will have some better suggestions. good luck.

Update - RIP Oscar

RIP Oscar, you will be missed.

On my way home from work my wife called and told me that Oscar was not being himself. When I got home he was very lethargic and as he moved he couldn't really hold himself upright. I took him to the 24 hr animal hospital about an hour away from us that has a vet that specializes in snakes and exotics.

By the time we got there his condition went even further down hill. When they looked at him they could barely tell if he was alive and they were only able to hear his heartbeat with an ultrasound monitor. They said they could admit him to the hospital and try to keep him alive through the night but their professional opinion was that he wouldn't make it more than another hour or two.

The decision was made to euthanise him so he wouldn't suffer.

May heaven be lined with fat little mice and a nice warm spot for you hide....

I'm so sorry for your loss. Please comfort yourself that you did your very best for him and if he could have been saved, you would have done so. He was cared for in a loving home by folks who acted in his best interests right to the end.

My condolences.

If you decide to get another corn, I suggest washing out the viv you have now with a little bleach in water, and getting one from one of the breeders here (if you don't have any near you). Ask around, and people will surely tell you who is best to deal with!

I am sorry to hear that he died.
You did everything you could.

it sounds like you did everything you could. and some snakes are just genetically prone to feeding problems, and many die in result. im sorry for you and your childrens loss. dont give up though! a new baby may be what well heal you family's grief in time. dont rush into it, but consider it someday, you sound like a good a responsible owner =]

Sorry for your loss. It is always very sad to lose a little friend . May Oscar rest in peace.

I'm sorry for your loss. Sometimes these little ones hurt themselves or aren't strong enough to make it. It took me three snakes to find one that is resilient. Don't give up.