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1 year old corn snake refusing to eat

hanknson
03-18-2013, 11:12 AM
I have a 1 year old hypomelanistic corn snake named Drake. I have been feeding him f/t once a week since we got him. He weighs about 150g and is about 3 feet long. When we first got him, I had to leave him overnight in a deli cup to get him to eat but after doing that 2 or 3 times he has eaten just fine and never refused until now.

About 5 weeks ago, he didn't seem interested in the mouse and I picked it up with tweezers to let him know it was there and he struck at it and constricted it (this was the first time he had ever done that). The next week he again constricted it even though it wasn't moving. The week after that he didn't seem interested so I covered the container I feed him in (a shoe box sized bin) and he started eating in a couple of minutes.

After that he has refused to eat the last two mice I have offered. He hasn't eaten in 2 weeks and it will be 3 weeks if I wait until his next scheduled feeding. I thought maybe he was going to shed but it doesn't look like that is happening anytime soon. His temperatures are fine, I check them daily. He is very active throughout the day. Probably more active now than he has ever been.

I am not too concerned right now but I know that I might need to be in a few more weeks. Please let me know what I should do.

skidmorejr88
03-18-2013, 11:34 AM
I'm still fairly new here so you may want to wait for some one else to chime in. But I had a problem with my okeetee baby when it came to feeding time. And I found some where about "braining". I know your snakes older than my okeetee but it really seemed to help. Braining is when you poke a small hole in the f/t head to let out the scent. This can be done with a small toothpick or something sharp. Like I said this is just something that helped me and you may want to wait for some one with more experience to chime in.

WestCoast_Redneck
03-18-2013, 12:00 PM
I thought maybe he was going to shed but it doesn't look like that is happening anytime soon.


Even if it looks like it's not happening soon, it could very well contribute to him not wanting to eat.

Also, a lot of people have been posting lately about their males not eating. It's mating season, and I believe it's quite common for a male to go off eating for this time. Try again in 10 days, I bet he will eat with gusto! If he's healthy, going a month or two without food won't affect him. My guess is either mating season has his instinctual mind elsewhere, or he's uncomfortable and ready to shed!

rrowdy
03-18-2013, 02:32 PM
A one year old corn snake is a little young but my males act like that starting in early spring, they go off feed and get extremely active.

If he is in fact a male, he could just be reaching sexual maturity a little early.

Good luck!

bitsy
03-18-2013, 02:45 PM
As has been said, one year old is a little young for a breeding season strike. Try double-checking the basics, like temperatures. Too hot or too cold on the floor surface can put them off eating. Otherwise I'd suspect an imminent shed as well.

hanknson
04-06-2013, 05:23 PM
Thank you all for your responses. I decided to wait longer than a week to try to feed Drake. We then went out of town for a week and when we got back Drake was very dull. He finally shed today and then ate! He just took a nice 5-week break from eating.

Nythain
04-06-2013, 05:48 PM
Glad to hear he's back to eating.