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Help! - Extremely lethargic hatchling

jessicalb
05-11-2011, 03:39 AM
I posted a couple weeks ago about getting Mal, my hatchling, and his struggles with eating. He did start eating, and had a great response. He tended to come out of his hides each day in the evening and wander until early in the morning, except for the day after eating.

The last time he ate was the 5th, and I haven't see him come out at all since then. On the 3rd I lifted the hide he usually likes and he was there, and reacted to me lifting the hide by looking a little freaked and wiggling around. I replaced the hide and changed his water.

I had planned to feed him again tonight, but had a family emergency. I went to just peek in a few minutes ago because I kept thinking how weird it was that I wasn't seeing him at night. I lifted that favorite hide (on the warm end, above the substrate) and he was in the same place, but totally non-responsive to me lifting the hide. He was tightly curled up with his head kind of tucked under himself.

Honestly I thought he was dead and just sat there crying for a while. After a minute or two we noticed he moved just a tiny bit. I left the hide off and he has kept mostly curled up, but sort of peeked out a couple of times and looked around, then wrapped himself back into a little coil. I didn't replace the hide.

Temperatures are steady at around 70-75 on the cool end and 80-85 on the warm end. I use aspen substrate and feed him in a paper bag. He has a clean water dish on the cool side. He hasn't yet shed with me. His tracking info is here: http://www.iherp.com/Public/Animals/ViewTracking.aspx?AnimalID=65532

And during the time it took me to get panicked, cry, wash my hands, and write this, he has very slowly wandered away and looked for another hide.

So is he just a weirdo? Maybe he is in blue and this is his reaction? I have never seen a corn snake in shed other than our snow, who doesn't really show, so I am not sure, but his color did look a little strange to me.

Should I try feeding him as normal tomorrow? Anything else I should do? Should I put that hide back? Any advice at all would be helpful.

Nanci
05-11-2011, 05:21 AM
It sounds like he's blue, to me. When a snake is blue, it doesn't generally move, at all, for 5-12 days. Why would you take his hide away???

jessicalb
05-11-2011, 05:50 AM
Oh thank you! Our other corn was never like that!

I just wasn't thinking clearly. I was afraid that I had placed the hide too flat on the aspen and he had been trapped there all week. My boyfriend talked me into putting it back.

So I should just wait until he acts more like himself to try feeding again?

Nanci
05-11-2011, 06:55 AM
I would just leave him alone till he sheds.

SnakeAround
05-11-2011, 09:31 AM
Yes, please do the latter. Many of my snakes even feel weaker when I pick them up and they are in blue. That's how I notice if I missed the color change on one. Some already feel weaker when they have just starten to get a little milky.

jessicalb
05-11-2011, 10:44 AM
Thanks for the information, guys. I'll just let him be until I see some shed.

Karoni
05-11-2011, 01:48 PM
My snakes routinely hide all day and night when they are getting ready to shed. They don't move either. They just lay there. From the shyest to the most outgoing, this is usually true. I bet you'll have a newly shed snake soon. :)

jessicalb
05-11-2011, 01:59 PM
My snakes routinely hide all day and night when they are getting ready to shed. They don't move either. They just lay there. From the shyest to the most outgoing, this is usually true. I bet you'll have a newly shed snake soon. :)

Thanks! Our older snake seems to have bucked several trends that have taken me by surprise with this new little guy. I'm excited watching for shed now! :D