Baby Corn only eats "washed" food...

[Velio]

So I recently acquired 2 baby hypo bloodred corns from a gentleman on Fauna, and one of them is being a problem feeder. It refuses to eat live, pre killed, brained, scented...

The only way it will eat is if I wash the meal in dish soap, rinse it thoroughly, and present it. Is there any way to get her away from this? I don't want it to become a habit...

Any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance. :)

[VickyChaiTea]

I'd just be glad she ate! It may be the only thing she'll take, some snakes are picky.

I'd be really hesitant to try anything else though... you don't want to stress her and if she's eating she's eating you know?

If you really want, you can try offering F/T and freshly killed... she may take it, she my not. If she denies it too many times just offer her normal washed food.

[Nanci]

I agree, be happy she's feeding! I'd get a bunch of meals in her and then start weaning her off it gradually. Maybe skip a meal or two while she is blue, and then offer a nice hot FT unwashed pink.

[Velio]

The problem here is that she didn't require washed food from the breeder, and the first meal they took from me was unwashed F/T and they both ate fine. This new development started on the second feeding, during which she outright refused food. The following week I washed and presented, and she took it with minimal problems.

[cornsnakeforsale_com]

Sounds like you may be teaching the wrong thing. I'd try to get them eating regular F/T sooner rather than later. You can always fall back on it if you need to.

[Velio]

Sounds like you may be teaching the wrong thing. I'd try to get them eating regular F/T sooner rather than later. You can always fall back on it if you need to.


That's what I've been TRYING to do. That being said, I'd rather her eat and grow/thrive than not eat at all, so if washing a pink is the only way to get her to eat, then that's what I do. Before I wash, I offer pre killed, then brained, then washed which ends up being about 2-3 hours after I start feeding.

[HeavenHell]

Washing is a pretty simple task. Once it has 5 or 6 meals I doubt you'll have any issues with it taking unwashed.

[mini4x]

Washing is a pretty simple task. Once it has 5 or 6 meals I doubt you'll have any issues with it taking unwashed.


All my tough feeders grew out it, I had a few that would need to be tease fed, or washed etc, all of them feed now with no issues on just reg thawed. Once they get the hang of eating.

[diamondlil]

All my tough feeders grew out it, I had a few that would need to be tease fed, or washed etc, all of them feed now with no issues on just reg thawed. Once they get the hang of eating.
I agree, having had a snake who would only take washed live pinks I was despairing! But she did grow out of it in the end

[Soulwind]

How are you thawing? Just leaving it out to thaw?

It could be that your mice are just particularly stinky and she doesn't like the extra odor.

Rather than full-on washing with soap, try thawing in warm water and giving it just a quick rinse in hot water after it's thawed. It could be that just a quick rinse will be enough to wash off some of the offensive odor levels (if that's what's throwing her off).

[Nanci]

Snakes can be picky about which mouse supplier you use, too. Some like dirtier mice, some like cleaner mice. The way I thaw is run tap water as hot as it goes, get a bowl or cupful, drop the pink in, let it sit a minute, change the water once with very hot, and then feed. I always slit with a tiny scissors, once through the head and 3-4 times along the back. Maybe try that??

[Velio]

How are you thawing? Just leaving it out to thaw?

It could be that your mice are just particularly stinky and she doesn't like the extra odor.

Rather than full-on washing with soap, try thawing in warm water and giving it just a quick rinse in hot water after it's thawed. It could be that just a quick rinse will be enough to wash off some of the offensive odor levels (if that's what's throwing her off).


I'm using freshly prekilled pinkies for these guys. Only their first meal was F/T, and I haven't been able to get more F/T since from my local shops. I've been debating getting into buying online in bulk, but I don't have the freezer space right now.

[Chip]

A hundred pinks takes up about the space of a folded washcloth. I'd check if there's a herp society in your area, and try to go in on an order with some folks. The problem with a hundred pack of pinks is, unless you have several babies, a single corn will be too big for pinkies by the time you feed 15-20 of them off.

[Soulwind]

Layne Labs will sell "bulk" but in less than 100 packs and they are in Cali, so shipping is probably more reasonable for you than it is for me.

My last order was 25 day olds, 25 "large" pinks, and 25 fuzzies
for the new baby as she grows over the next several months - (she's at 1 day old and 1 large pink right now (5 grams total))

[Velio]

I only get pinkies for 2 snakes right now, so buying pinkies in huge bulk is not really reasonable. I patronize my local shop for pre-killed, because I like to support local businesses and the california herp business in particular. I don't really think its a big issue that I don't feed F/T, since I pre kill the pinkies myself so they are as fresh as possible for the corns.

Thank you for the answers about the snake most likely growing out of it though, I appreciate the help guys.

[Pugsley]

Snakes can be picky about which mouse supplier you use, too. Some like dirtier mice, some like cleaner mice. The way I thaw is run tap water as hot as it goes, get a bowl or cupful, drop the pink in, let it sit a minute, change the water once with very hot, and then feed. I always slit with a tiny scissors, once through the head and 3-4 times along the back. Maybe try that??
Nanci, you slit them before or after thawing in the water? Also, if you drop them into boiling water, do you slit? If so, before or after the boiling water?

Thanks!

[Nanci]

I thaw the whole batch at once, in tap water, as hot as it will go. They thaw almost instantly. I slit as I feed. I don't dry pinks any more. If I'm feeding boiled, I either slit just through the head, or sometimes the body too. Any non-feeder who is offered boiled, though, has already been offered regular slit/brained.