Help, please under fed corn from Craigslist!

[Pugsley]

Hi all,

I found an albino corn on Craigslist for free today. I'm glad the lady decided to let me have it as she really was under feeding it, or her 15 year old son was, I'm not sure who was really taking care of it.

She said it was his snake and he wasn't that interested in it anymore, that girls were now more interesting to him. Then she went on to say that he never had been really interested in it.

Other than the under feeding, and a heat lamp and not a uth, it was in a 20 gallon tank, a hide, driftwood, big water dish, some plastic plants, so money was spent.

She said it was 4 years old and was getting 2 or 3 pinkies every week or two. I don't think it is more than 1/2 inch think or so. Guessing it is 2 1/2 feet long. She doesn't know when it was fed last. So, what kind of feeding schedule would you recommend? A fuzzy every 4 days? Two? Three? For a month or two then move up to hoppers? I'm grateful for any advice and help.

I want it to settle in before weighing and pictures. Oh, I think it is a Snow. It is not an Amel or Anery. What with a light pattern red eyes.

I'd do a search, but my mind seems to work differently than the searches and I never find what I need, even though it is there.

Thanks again for any help and advice.

[icejd7]

Most people follow the Munson plan, which goes by wt. grams of the snake. How many grams is the snake? Also since it was underfed, make sure to check for other things as well, mouth rot,fungal infections etc, if you haven't already.

As for when it last ate, I would let the snake settle in for a week then attempt to feed it.

There was another thread with the plan, here's the link:

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118271

[beautifullywild77]

I would measure 1 1/2 times its width and then feed it just slightly smaller meals every five to 7 days. Then if the snake take the food without trouble and no regurges then move it up to its width and go from there. I would wait a week before trying to feed him as well. Pictures would help but I would wait for those as well.

[Pugsley]

Thanks John and Beautiful! I can't see any other issues with, I think, her. She was moving around tonight and she is deeper than wide. Maybe an inch thick and 1/2 wide. Her back bone shows all the way down her body. I've named her Lucky, cause I think she is lucky I got her. I'm sure the people meant well, they just didn't bother to do any research.

I'll try to get pictures in a week.

I'll go read that other thread.

Thanks again!

[bitsy]

Corns are pretty bombproof when it comes to underfeeding. Nature designs them to cope for weeks and months in the wild where there won't be any of their prey animals available.

It strikes me that thinking back over the years I've been a member of reptile and Corn message boards, I've seen plenty of Corns reported as "underfed" and "underweight" but I can't recall any that have suffered ill-health as a result. The big issue is that the problem can be over-diagnosed.

Another is that rapid feeding to encourage recovery can result in the snake packing on flab instead of healthy muscle, which causes more trouble than it resolves. Building a truly underweight Corn back up to a healthy state can be a slow process - it doesn't just involve feeding it extra food but might require an exercise regime for muscle building, especially in Corns which are less active in their tanks.

By contrast, I've often seen overfed Corns and the occasional morbidly obese Corn. There are a range of associated health problems and the worst cases haven't survived.

In this instance, it's great that snakey's been lucky enough to find such a caring new owner. Looking forward to seeing some photos once he's had a week to chill out!

[carol]

I wouldn't rush it. If the snake's digestive tract is not used to getting food too often, it can be very dangerous to throw it into a frequent feeding schedule. I would offer it a fuzzy every 10 days for two feedings and if everything goes well, then a fuzzy a week for a few weeks, then try two fuzzies after that. The snake will be a lot better off if you take it slow. Otherwise, you risk a regurge that could be devestating to a comprimised snake.

[kingkck1]

Dang ya gl getting it back to health!