Slightly Worried

[Hethiss]

Hethiss went into shed around the 9th of this month and refused food. He finally shed a couple of days ago but it was a bad shed. He had a few patches on him so I got a damp cloth and let him run through. It was fine and his shed looks great. But since then I tried to feed him the evening after he shed and he stuck his nose up at it and then tried again today and he refused.

Do I try him with a pinky or keep trying with a fuzzie? Or is there any thing else people suggest. Getting a little worried seeing that it is going on nearly 18 days with no food.

[Hethiss]

Also the temps of his tank are normal and at what they should be. I feel i am being paranoid.

[bitsy]

What are the normal temps for you, on the floor surface at the warm and cool sides of the tank?

I'd stick with trying his usual food rather than offering him something unfamiliar. When reluctant, they're more likely to be tempted with something smaller.

[Hethiss]

29-31 degrees c on the warm and 24/25 degree on the cool side.

As for food he eats Fuzzies normally but I have a couple of Pinkies in the freezer as well.

[Hethiss]

The cool side is actually 23 degrees.

[bitsy]

The temps sound absolutly fine. I'd try him with a pinkie - offer it just before you go to bed, leave him with it overnight and see if it's there in the morning.

In the meantime, 18 days isn't long enough to cause harm for a healthy Corn. Even at his age, they can go without eating for several weeks before beginning to lose condition. Nature designs them to cope with extended periods when they can't find food in the wild.

[HermesMom]

I just want to throw this out there because we ran into this with our newer normal corn, Ivy. She was eating great, then would turn her nose up to it and not eat. We defrost the pinkies under a heat lamp and usually I'd feed her first then our snow Ciqala {because she's an imp}. I was worried about little Ivy, then it hit me I'd started feeding Ciqala first so Ivy's weren't as warm straight out from under the lamp. And that's exactly what it was too, Ivy just likes her dinner well warmed and not cool. Our other three corns could care less.

[Hethiss]

Hethiss has never been a fussy eater. He only declines when he sheds. This time after a bad shed he is being fussy.

I have tried him with a warm pinkie which he nudged and poked for a bit then ignored which is more than he did with the fuzzies. I have placed the pinkie in the feeding bowl i got with with water bowl and placed in the tank for over night. Will reply if he eats or not tomorrow morning.

Another thing I have thought it is his feeding tube as it quite small compared to him now as he is bigger than it when curled around the edges. When i got him just under a year ago I fed him in a small box then in march changed to a larger one. Could it be time to get a bigger one again for feeding?

[bitsy]

My adults have feeding tanks in which they have to curl up. It means that they can't ignore the food as some part of them is always in contact with it. Feeding tubs or tanks don't have to be very big at all.

[Hethiss]

He didn't eat. I'll keep trying him every night i think

[bitsy]

Every night is a bad idea - he may get to associate food with being stressed, which could make him even less likely to eat. Try to limit yourself to one attempt every 3-4 days, to give him a rest between attempts.

Just as a double-check, are you absolutely sure that he's shed his eyecaps and tail tip now? I'm trying desperately to think of a fix for you. Oh I do hate it when they do this! What on earth goes on in those snakey little heads?

[Hethiss]

http://imgur.com/caqWj
http://imgur.com/7hy6X
http://imgur.com/EciVZ

Heres a few pics of his head and tail. From what i can see the shed is all gone. I let him run through a damp cloth and that had bit of shed on when he stopped.

Could it be the stress from that has turned him off eating?

[Hethiss]

When I try him in a few days I will defrost the fuzzie by room temp instead of in warm water. then put it in a ziplock bag and warm him in water. That should keep the scent of the fuzzie.

[Hethiss]

Update: Just tried Hethiss with a fuzzie which was naturally defrosted then warmed in a ziplock bag. He nommed it. It may have made my nose twitch is disgust...but it seemed to make him flicker his tongue around it for 10 mins then devour it.

[bitsy]

Excellent!!! I'm so pleased you've found a technique which works for him :)