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babies won't eat HELP

crzymom2grl2by
11-25-2014, 05:20 PM
I just got an email from my son's teacher who gave me my baby corn. He wondered if I'd adopt the other two who haven't ever eaten and they were born on Sept. 9th :eek:

He's tried "braining" the pinkies to no avail. I'm sure they've never had any type of heat (UTH) or otherwise. I'm wondering if this could be part of the problem. I think they're just in a plastic container. I just emailed back that I would take them but haven't heard yet when I'll get them.

I won't be able to keep them but want to be able to make sure they're eating well before I rehome them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I think I have a friend who can give me a 10 gallon tank and I'll have to go buy a UTH for now.

Chip
11-25-2014, 06:34 PM
You can't keep them together, because they can (and will) eat one another, so if you only have one enclosure, only take one snake. If they don't have heat, they will not eat. This is almost certainly their problem. Whoever bred these should have never brought them into the world without proper enclosures to keep them in. At 70+ days with no food, I don't think their likelihood of surviving is high. If it was me, I'd let the person who brought them into the world have them die on him, rather than me, but if you want to try to save one, I certainly don't blame you. Do not take more than one, though, unless you can set cages up for each one.

Ravenessa
11-25-2014, 07:23 PM
I would also say maybe do a baby tub.. too big of an enclosure for a baby reptile without tons of hides can stress them out.. a smaller baby tub is easier to make hides in but yet keep an eye on the baby without having to dig for them everywhere...

Good luck with them <3 Awful people... someone here said the best way is to pour boiling water on them that it makes them irresistible... also when so long without food I might even split one pinky in half for first meal...

crzymom2grl2by
11-25-2014, 07:30 PM
Can you do UTH with the plastic viv?

Ravenessa
11-25-2014, 07:51 PM
you can use flexwatt tape...

Chip
11-25-2014, 08:16 PM
Can you do UTH with the plastic viv?

Yes. Most UTH's today only get about 115ish at the very hottest -too hot for a reptile to lay directly on, but not near hot enough to melt plastic. I've temp gunned Flexwatt at over 160 -do not run that without a thermostat. If you have small tubs, great, but a ten gallon will be fine, just offer lots of cover. They only get stressed if in a open large space, if they have hides, they have no worries. Millions of them hatch outdoors every year! :)

crzymom2grl2by
11-25-2014, 08:20 PM
Well, he said that I could have their container too, but who knows what that is or how big. I just ordered two UTH, mini size and they will be too big for anything too small. I may go to the store and just buy a couple of shoe box sized plastic tubs for them. That should work with the UTH I think.

I sure hope I get them before the kids go back to school Monday, cause every day in his care, is worse for them. I am hoping he gets my email and lets me get them tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Darn, I wish he'd never asked cause now I'm going to be worrying until I have them.

And to think, I hated snakes til recently. ;)

Chip
11-25-2014, 08:24 PM
Get a really accurate thermometer/thermometers also, that is going to be everything in determining their fate. Frankly, I'd get the cages set up and dialed in before accepting the snakes. And do not take more snakes than you have caging for! As starved as these are, when they warm up (if they have the energy to eat), they will likely eat each other! Make triple sure it is escape-proof, too. Offer extra small pinks first, or even halves. Good luck!

crzymom2grl2by
11-25-2014, 08:36 PM
What do you suggest for thermometer?

crzymom2grl2by
11-25-2014, 08:38 PM
This might seem like a dumb question as well, but I wonder if breeders who have shelves loaded with snakes in tubs all have UTH? It doesn't look like it when I watch videos on youtube.

Chip
11-25-2014, 09:20 PM
Probably more economical to just heat the whole room to the 80's, if there are that many.

crzymom2grl2by
11-25-2014, 09:45 PM
Oh, that's a great idea and makes perfect sense. ;)

crzymom2grl2by
11-26-2014, 01:23 PM
Well, I've just got the two babies and I weighed them. 4g and 5g. The 5g is very active and the 4g is barely alive. Her poor neck is withered looking :'(

I'm about to go get another enclosure cause they are together. I have a basking lamp from a friend, never use it on my own, but until my UTHs come Friday I will be using it to get them warmed up so they might eat for me.

I will try half of a pinky each, probably better boil them. Yikes, how long do you boil them? Disgusting thought!

Nanci
11-26-2014, 01:33 PM
You just pour boiling water over them.

crzymom2grl2by
11-26-2014, 03:00 PM
I assume since they're near death I shouldn't wait too long for them to settle in to their new home to feed. Is this correct?

Afrederi
11-26-2014, 04:09 PM
I'd feed them boiled pinky parts. No idea on whether or not you should wait for them to destress before feeding.

crzymom2grl2by
11-26-2014, 04:36 PM
Here's some pix. I think that the one that weighs 3g is probably not going to make it. She's got no energy, very lethargic, does have poo in her that you can see, not sure if that's good or bad. Tried to give her half a pinky and she just laid by it without even a tongue flick for an hour before I put her back in her viv.
My 7yr old son named her Flame.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/crzymom2grl1by/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20141126_141616755_zpsb1010aa2.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/crzymom2grl1by/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20141126_141616755_zpsb1010aa2.jpg.html)
This is Slytherin
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/crzymom2grl1by/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20141126_141759832_zps11a0a2cd.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/crzymom2grl1by/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20141126_141759832_zps11a0a2cd.jpg.html)
And Slytherin was super active, I could barely hold her. So I thought there was a chance she'd eat. So I cut a pinkie in half, poured boiling water over it and she ate her half and I jumped for joy!!!
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/crzymom2grl1by/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20141126_141759832_zps11a0a2cd.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/crzymom2grl1by/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20141126_141759832_zps11a0a2cd.jpg.html)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/crzymom2grl1by/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20141126_143500698_zpsabc59ea8.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/user/crzymom2grl1by/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20141126_143500698_zpsabc59ea8.jpg.html)
So I was wondering if I could try force feeding Flame, but as she's so skinny and tiny I was afraid I'd harm her by squeezing her neck. There's nothing to her.
Should I try feeding her again tomorrow and when should I feed Slytherin again? Next time should she eat another half or whole pinkie?

HVani
11-26-2014, 04:45 PM
I don't think force feeding is a good idea. It can do more harm than good plus it's so stressful. I would let her settle in for a couple days then try again. Just realize she may not make it. Some just don't.

For the other I would wait 5 days then feed the smallest pinkie(red) you can find.

No handling on either one until they have a few meals in them. At this point you want all their calories going to getting some size.

crzymom2grl2by
11-26-2014, 04:53 PM
Ok, I didn't know if I should try getting Flame to eat again tomorrow cause she's going on 74 days without a meal, as in she's never eaten in her entire life. So sad. So thankful that Slytherin did eat, but I guess that doesn't mean she's out of the woods yet. Hope she can keep it down. But I'd say as active as she is she's going to be just fine. I don't understand how Flame can be so tiny and frail and Slytherin is better even though neither had ever eaten before.

HVani
11-26-2014, 05:10 PM
Trying to feed everyday just adds stress which leads to not eating. That's why I said wait a couple days before trying again. Just try to keep everything as stress free as possible for her. An extra day is not going to make or break her. Hopefully once she's warmed up and settled she will eat for you.

crzymom2grl2by
11-26-2014, 06:16 PM
Ok, great, thanks. I'll give it a try and pray in the meantime ;)

alice
11-28-2014, 08:49 PM
I never had problems with Ra they need a hot and cold side my mice I buy frozen thaw them out slit the belly a little and he eats now he is up to medium
Mine is in glass aquarium with bedding on. Bottom
Needs to feel secure the shorter the bark the better and branches for it to climb on
Hope this helps he could be ready to shed
Deed in separate container


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alice
11-28-2014, 09:12 PM
I meant feed in separate container so he don't associate you with food that's what I do
He is so docile and gentle
Good luck I'll pray for him
When eyes turn blue they are ready to shed
I started every four days with pinkies


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crzymom2grl2by
11-28-2014, 10:52 PM
Thank you, I do feed in separate containers. Tonight my first two that I got on the 6th of Nov. were due to eat again, Nagini refused, they both weighed 12g today. Nagini seems quite bit longer, which is odd, and last week she was 13g. But Jafar ate her pinkie right away, I guess they could be getting ready to shed as neither has since I've owned them. I'm thinking that Jafar and her siblings, which are the two rescues I just got have never shed, I would assume if they've never eaten they've never shed. But I could be wrong. I will ask their previous owner. I need to research how often they shed.
Nagini is a hypo, so I may be able to see when her eyes go into blue, but the others have pink eyes. I think it may be harder to tell.

crzymom2grl2by
11-28-2014, 10:53 PM
I also just got there UTH in the mail today, so hopefully this will help, I got rid of the lamp now.

thismissbex
11-30-2014, 03:56 AM
Well done you for trying with your two rescues! I done the same with a 4 year old who had only been given a pinkie every other week for his whole life! He was smaller than a yearling But with some patience he's now up to small mice, he's doing great. So just keep persisting. I read once that a happy snake will eat and I think that's a really simple way to think about it. As soon as flame has settled and got used to having some heat etc my guess would be that she will start eating like a champ! I fed mine every 6 days, even though I was really wanting to feed him more I read it could have been a shock to his digestive system so the best thing is to just have patience!!! Oh and if it's of any use, my guy has been shedding about once a month now he's catching up on the size a 4 year old should be! Good luck and keep us updated [emoji4] x

crzymom2grl2by
11-30-2014, 09:26 AM
Well, today was the day I was going to try to feed Flame, but she had passed :'(

I had a feeling she was to sick to come out of it, makes me so mad at the previous owner for not giving her to me sooner when she still had a chance.

thismissbex
11-30-2014, 10:58 AM
Awwww I'm so sorry! Awk well I guess it was just too late for her and there wasn't much else you could have done. Some people really need to educate themselves better when getting a snake! I hope you're ok x

crzymom2grl2by
11-30-2014, 01:03 PM
Thank you, and yes I'm fine. Just sad as she was so little and frail and had the sweetest eyes, I know I didn't have her long, but I get attached to animals very quickly.

shaun.davids.33
11-30-2014, 09:40 PM
Warm where there going to eat ...and heat the head of the pinkie hotter than the body

haley.byrne.5
11-30-2014, 10:10 PM
This made me cry, poor wee toot ): so nice that you tried, some people just don't care enough. I love animals of all kinds. I've had my corn for 7 years now and he's never been a problem. Well done for trying. <3

alice
12-02-2014, 03:49 AM
My Ra is a year old and is up to one medium mouse every ten days in his tank I have a cool side 75 to 80 degrees and a warm side 82 degrees to 84 degrees and I love him to death he is so gentle I feed him in a separate tank and after about six minutes I put him back in his regular tank
Good luck with them sometimes when they refuse to eat they are going to shed and that's generally when their eyes look blue then just let them be when they are ready to eat they will scope around
Lots of look
Let me know how they are doing babies start on pinkies.
I always feed frozen take one out put in Baggie in warm water till it is thawed slightly warm to the touch slightly cut abdomen dangle the pinkie with large tweezer by the tail they usually go for the head once grabbed let it go


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crzymom2grl2by
12-02-2014, 12:06 PM
I am thinking when I try to feed the rescue that has only eaten once that I will try to cut the pinkie lengthwise so it's not to large, as she is very small at only 6g. I boiled it the first time she ate, so will try that again tomorrow. Tried to feed her again yesterday but she refused, so going to give it another go tomorrow. At least she's got energy where as the one that passed was very lethargic from the moment I got her. This other one is a feisty girl.

haley.byrne.5
12-02-2014, 06:24 PM
The size difference in the neck is weird, I wonder why one was worse than the other


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crzymom2grl2by
12-02-2014, 10:31 PM
It really was weird how much more withered and unhealthy the one that died looked. When I found her dead she had what looked like she had a bunch of poo in her that had turned green and she smelled bad. I wondered if she had a blockage of some sort.

haley.byrne.5
12-03-2014, 08:06 AM
Oh no, maybe she was constipated and cause it was in there for so long it was poisonous?


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crzymom2grl2by
12-03-2014, 08:09 AM
She drank a lot too, so I was thinking dehydrated. I wonder how they can poop when they've never ate.

haley.byrne.5
12-03-2014, 08:24 AM
Yeah that bit is weird, unless he did feed them at the very start? I know it says never eaten but what if he did at the very start?


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Chip
12-03-2014, 10:27 AM
When I found her dead she had what looked like she had a bunch of poo in her that had turned green and she smelled bad. I wondered if she had a blockage of some sort.

Gall bladder.

crzymom2grl2by
12-03-2014, 02:52 PM
Chip can you reflect more on the gall bladder? And I'm positive they had never been fed.

Tavia
12-03-2014, 03:05 PM
When snakes die, the gall bladder becomes very visible and is often mistaken for any number of other things.

Baby snakes absorb their yolks before fully emerging from the egg and that gives them their first "meal" and gives them a boost of nutrition for a week or 3 after they hatch, so they can actually poop a somewhat normal looking poop once or twice before they actually eat anything. And they will continue to go poop even while fasting, though it will be watery and almost entirely urates, so they are actually peeing.

Chip
12-03-2014, 03:16 PM
^This. Thanks, Tavia! :)

crzymom2grl2by
12-03-2014, 03:37 PM
Thank you!