Given the World's Skinniest Cornsnake, & it Won't Eat

[Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z)]

Just like the title says. 2 weeks ago I was given a 4 y/o female Miami Cornsnake, supposedly because the kid who owned it didn't want it anymore--he wants a Ball Python.

The snake was (and is) in horrible shape. So thin you can see her ribs and backbone. So covered in dry shes that she feels like wrinkly tissue paper. And she WON'T EAT, which I suspect may be why the previous owner wanted to part with her before she dies on his son....

I need help. I've never had a snake this skinny who won't eat. Of course, I've only had her 2 weeks, and if she was a normal size, I wouldn't worry. But she is WAY too skinny, and I don't feel as if she can go another month w/out eating w/out dying of starvation.

What have I done with her so far:

1) Put her in a tub with a moist hide (on the warm side of the tub), a dry hide, a rough stone, and a big bowl of water that she can actually hang out in if she so desires. Humidity stands at around 80% 24/7. According to thermometer/hygrometer, the temp stays around 85 F on the arm side, and 78 F on the cool side. I use a UTH.

2) Week 1--I attempted to feed her a hot, thawed/frozen normal adult mouse. The previous owner said he managed to get her to eat one f/t adult mouse. But he also said that the breeder fed only live. Long story short, Snake didn't eat.

3) Week 2--today was another 7 days since I last tried to feed her, but this time I offered a small adult/good sized hopper LIVE mouse. She has struck at it a couple of times but missed, and hasn't tried since then. I'll keep the mouse in the tub overnight with its own food, and if the snake hasn't eaten it by the time I get up in the morning at around 8 am, I'll remove it and feed it to my MBK, who will eat anything and everything.... Snake, so far, is hanging out at one end of the tub, and Mouse is hanging out in the far corner, avoiding the Snake like the plague, so I don't THINK it's likely to attack the snake, especially considering there is now appropriate mouse food in there, in case it gets hungry overnight.

So what's next? Well, if she doesn't eat this, I'll be taking her to our reptile vet in Portland (a 100 mile one way drive, but worth it) to make sure she's not full of parasites or other illnesses. I'll be asking the vet the best way to get this Snake to eat before it actually starves to death. But considering it usually takes a couple of weeks to get an appointment with her, I'd like to ask for advice from others until I can get in. Assist or force feed? Leave her alone and hope she doesn't starve to death?

I don't know how much she weighs, as my gram scale isn't big enough to hold or weigh her, but considering that her ribs and spine are VERY visible, I think it's a pretty fair assumption that she's WAY underweight. She's about 4.5' long.

I love my snakes as much as I love my dogs, and I want her to survive and become healthy again, which apparently she was when the previous owner bought her from the breeder. Breeder seemed to know his stuff when I talked with him, whereas the previous owner had never kept a snake, before.

I look forward to your kind and helpful reply. I haven't been on her since my heart dog, Foxworthy Fuzz, was poisoned almost 5 years ago, and I don't care to be driven away by rude commentary. I have experience keeping several different snake species, but this girl has me worried sick. Like I said, I've never seen a living snake this thin. She's almost a skeleton!

Thanks

[Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z)]

"So covered in dry shes that she feels like wrinkly tissue paper."

That should be "SHED skin"....

[Twolunger]

I'm surprised the poor snake has survived. I hope you can pull her through. The first thing I would do is try to remove the old sheds, if you haven't done so already. Soak her in lukewarm water 80-82 degrees and after about 20 minutes let her slither through wet paper towels until the old sheds are off. Make sure there are no old eye caps still covering her eyes. If I had her I would force feed her, due to her condition. If you have someone to help what you do is open her mouth and insert a small frozen thawed mouse head first as far as you can push it. Many times that triggers the feeding response and the snake will continue swallowing the prey. I wouldn't try to get her eating adult mice yet. Just get her eating. You may also try giving her a mouse on tongs that you keep pushing at her nose and she may strike it and start eating. I've also force fed a sick snake by getting a syringe, with a tube attached, from one of the reptile supply places online. I bought Gerber's meat baby food, either beef or chicken and insert the feeding tube far into the snake's throat and squeeze a couple cc's out of the syringe. I mixed a little reptile vitamins and probiotics with the meat. It helps in the recovery. Nutribac is said to be the best probiotic and is available at Amazon. If you use the tube feeding method make sure the tube is past the windpipe so you don't squeeze the food into her lungs by mistake. If you go to the vet they will probably use the tube feeding method and get some nourishment into her, but you can do that yourself. You can also use the tube to administer a small amount of water to make sure she doesn't get dehydrated. It's not a task I relished, but it works to save snakes. Good luck.

[DollysMom]

Best wishes.

[Nanci]

I think it's worth getting a fecal to the vet, if she ever poops. I would try smaller mice, even fuzzies. Not live, though. You could also try a rat pink.

[Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z)]

Thanks so much to everyone for their advice so far. Unfortunately, we haven't had any luck with assist feeding, so we went and got the itty bittiest frozen pinky mice we could find, today, and we'll give it a try tomorrow and see what happens. Eye-balling them before attempting to feed, the Rat pink was WAY too big. The hopper was considerably smaller and wouldn't be a problem for any hungry and EATING corn snake to get down, but it was a whole 'nother deal with this Snake. After several tries, we gave up for the evening. Gave the f/t rat pup to my Black Milksnake, and the hopper to my MBK. She had absolutely zero interest in the small, live hopper we offered her earlier in the week. But the MBK gobbled it up in a hurry, so it didn't go to waste. He has eaten well this week so far :-).

If we can't get a feeder f/t pinky mouse down her this weekend, then the next step is off to the vet. I used to tube feed baby cornsnakes, but I haven't done that in years, and even if I had a clue where the equipment was, it would be too small, anyway. Hopefully she can provide me with training and tube feeding supplies so we can get this snake back to some semblance of good health! Fingers crossed, and still willing to hear more advice from experienced people, here. Nanci, she hasn't pooped, yet, but if she does, how long do I have to get it in to the vet before it "goes bad"? Hopefully, our local vet could look at that and give us a clue if there's a problem, rather than having to drive it, along with the snake, the 100 mile one-way trip to the reptile vet. The thought of that in the vehicle just kind of turns my stomach....

[Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z)]

The hopper... I meant to type "fuzzy".

[DollysMom]

About the fecal... Ask your vet, but mine asks for it to be refrigerated right away and to get it to the office within 24 hours. The fresher the better.

[Twolunger]

All qualified vets can do a fecal sample, so there's no reason to drive 100 miles. In many vet offices an assistant actually does the fecal samples and the vet will check the results in the microscope. Tractor Supply usually has large syringes for use with livestock and all you need for a tube is surgical tubing of the appropriate size. Your local vet's office may also be able to sell you what you need. Mine had small feeding tubes that fit any syringe.

[Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z)]

Well, much to her great disgust, I finally got that Snake to eat a pinky mouse. She fought and spat it out, and fought some more. Assist feeding didn't work. In the end, I had to force feed, instead. Not something I enjoy, but the pinky went down and stayed there. That was 2 days ago. How long should I wait to offer the 2nd pinky?

Thank you to everyone for your helpful advice. I really appreciate it :-). Crossing fingers that the Snake will survive, despite its best suicidal efforts.

[Twolunger]

I would wait a few days and see if she will take another pinkie without force feeding. She may be stimulated to begin eating now. If she refuses, and you have to resort to force feeding, wait at least 5 days or she may regurgitate the first pinkie along with the 2nd.

[Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z)]

I waited a week, and then tried giving another pinkie. She wouldn't take it, and actively "ran away" (as much as a snake with no legs can "run" :-) ) from it. I put it down on the floor of the tub, covered the tub, turned out the light, and came back a couple of hours later. Still, the pinky lay exactly where I put it.

So once again, she has been force fed. So far, she's holding it down (2 days after she was fed). Here's hoping she'll start eating on her own, soon. I don't think a pinky a week is going to keep a 4 yr. old, emaciated adult cornsnake alive very long!

[DollysMom]

Hoping for the best for you and your snake. I know are doing everything humanly possible for her.

[Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z)]

Hoping for the best for you and your snake. I know are doing everything humanly possible for her.

Thank you for your kind words and wishes. They are truly appreciated :-).

[Twolunger]

It's unfortunate that our pets don't always realize we are trying to help. At this stage I would probably try force feeding a fuzzy and see if she keeps that down. I'll tell you a trick I used when a female hognose wouldn't eat. I cut 2 inches of tail off a frozen weanling rat, thawed it and tied it to a frozen/thawed hopper mouse with fine thread. I force fed the tail until the snake began swallowing it, and she continued right up to the mouse, which she also ate. After that she ate without a problem. If you try that, make sure you tie the rat tail securely to the hopper's legs and tail. The snake may try to dislodge the hopper.

[DLena]

Is your too-little girl doing any better?

[Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z)]

Thanks for asking about her. Unfortunately, she didn't make it. I force fed 5 meals, but she never gained any weight. Pinkies simply weren't enough food for a snake of her size, and she was never, ever willing to eat on her own. It made me very sad :-(.

[DLena]

I'm so sorry to hear that. I just found this thread and hoped it worked out for both of you. Thank you for trying so hard.

[Twolunger]

Unfortunately our snakes can die despite all our efforts. Don't be sad, you tried your best to bring her around. I lost a nice male and the veterinarian could find nothing wrong with him. X-rays, fecal samples, flushes, swabs, and forced feedings and he still died. Every living thing on earth is here temporarily, including us.