Is this OK to feed my baby this way?

[howiet4702]

Hello All,

I was the one who received the snake last week via USPS :(

The breeder said it was fed on Wednesday right before it was shipped and when it got to my house on Friday there was poop inside the container. I went to feed the snake this afternoon but he seems uninterested. Was it too early to offer him a pinky? The temps are correct so I kinda don't know. I put him and the pinky in a small paper bag and I also put him in a small tupperware container that he came in. After 2 hours...nothing....

So, I put the pinky's in his cage in the same tupperware container that he came in. The container is actually hidden under one of his hides so he could eat the pinky in the dark. Is this wrong? Should I take it out?

Thanks!

[Jicin]

To soon. I would wait a week after such a stressfull event. Wait a few days and just try again. What did your snake eat before? Live or dead?

[howiet4702]

Breeder said he took live with no problems.....

[Jicin]

And what did you give?

[howiet4702]

small live...

[Spirit]

I think it's safe to disregard anything "the breeder said" at this point. Give it time. I agree, it's too soon to try to feed. Poor little guy just had a very rough ride to it's new home.

[Cindy]

I agree with Jicin, it is too soon to feed it, I personally would wait until the weekend.

[babbaloo99]

The general recommendation here would be to wait a couple days, including handling and just let him settle in. I'm glad to hear he got there alive.

[howiet4702]

Thanks...I just noticed today when I took him out that his eyes are a little bit cloudy. How long does a shed usually take? 5-7 days? or pretty much depends?

[MegF.]

The eyes will clear and then they usually shed within a few days after that. It might also explain the lack of appetite (along with the stress of shipping) I'll bet if you wait until it's shed, and then try to feed, not only will you have waited a decent length of time for it to calm, it will also have renewed appetite.

[howiet4702]

I agree with Jicin, it is too soon to feed it, I personally would wait until the weekend.

Any suggestions on what to do with these pinky's? They prob won't stay alive until the weekend...

Thanks..

[pcar]

Any suggestions on what to do with these pinky's? They prob won't stay alive until the weekend...

Thanks..

Freeze them. Pinks are still small enough that you can just put them in a container and place it in the freezer. then, when you want to feed, just thaw our in a plastic zip lock bag in a cup of warm water for about 30 minutes to an hour and then offer to the snake.

[howiet4702]

Thanks Paul!

That's what i planned on doing. I just wanted to make sure.

[Jicin]

That long? Pinkies in warm water get thawed in a few minutes. I take 30 mins of so for a full grown adult.

[pcar]

That long? Pinkies in warm water get thawed in a few minutes. I take 30 mins of so for a full grown adult.


Pinks don't take all that long to thaw, but I try and get the body temp as close as I can to what it would be in life. I guess you could do this faster if you microwave the water before you put the pink in it, but I don't do that...I just let it thaw in ambient air, and then stick it in the water to bring up the body temp. Thus the longer time.

[Spirit]

I use hot tap water. As hot as I can get it, and leave the pink in for 5-10 minutes (a couple minutes longer than I need to). I'll test it by holding the pinky (in the bag) to my inner arm/wrist (like testing baby milk) and if it feels hotter than what the body heat of a pinky should feel like I leave it for a minute before feeding.

[pcar]

Yea, I don't thaw the pink in the water...I set it on the table until it is thawed, and then stick it in the water. the 30 minutes is the longest it has taken me to thaw one like this.

[Jicin]

Well it's just what you prefer. But what on earth you do with adult mice???

[pcar]

Well it's just what you prefer. But what on earth you do with adult mice???


The Adult mice I feed Freshly killed atm. I buy live mice, and flick the back of their head and then drop them in with the snake. I have ordered Frozen, should get them tomorrow, and I will thaw them the same way. I have found that all my snakes get really awake and in hunting mode if I leave the mice out to thaw somewhere close to the tanks. Doing this, I have not had a single snake refuse food.

[howiet4702]

The Adult mice I feed Freshly killed atm. I buy live mice, and flick the back of their head and then drop them in with the snake.


I used to feed my African Rock Python the same way. He never refused ANY meals. Boy, that snake got huge....quick!

BTW, the reason for the frozen pink post, I have never given any of my reptiles frozen/thawed food. However, it seems like a pretty common thing.

[pcar]

It is very common now. But, just to warn you, if the snake has never eaten F/T, then it might refuse :shrugs: But you can try and see.

[howiet4702]

Hopefully he will take it, but if not, then it's no big deal getting live ones. I am hoping he does take them so I can start buying frozen.

[pcar]

makes it easier...With frozen you can keep larger quantities in the freezer and don't have to run to the Pet store every week.

I fixed the pet store weekly run by raising my own mice. i don't have enough to get hoppers and adults with them, but 2 colonies of 1 male and 3 females gives me enough pinks to let some grow to fuzzies before I freeze them.

[howiet4702]

Update on the feeding issue:

I offered him a live pink tody and nothing....He is not interested.

Should I start getting worried? I got him a week ago this past Friday. Supposidly, it will be two weeks on Wednesday the last time he ate. He just shed and they little one is super active at night.

Any thoughts?

[Spirit]

When a snake is moved to a new home, you need to give them at LEAST a few days of NO handling/bothering to let them settle down. He's probably fine, but my suggestion is to leave him alone for at least 2-3 days, then try feeding again in maybe 4 or 5 days. 3 weeks is a bit of a stretch since his last meal, but if you keep trying to feed, chances are he's not going to eat.

What methods have you tried? IE. Do you drop the mouse into the tank, or do you feed in a seperate container... have you tried to tease feed?

Edit: It might be a good idea to wait until night to try, if that's when he's active.

Edit again: Another reason for refusing food is the shed thing. Some snakes don't like to eat during this period. Now that he has, you shouldn't have much of a problem. :)

[pcar]

I got that your snake has just finished shedding. how often are you offering the food? how long do you leave the snake with the pink before you decide that the snake doesn't want to eat? Wait another 5 days, and then place the snake and the pink in a container (Deli cup or something similar) and cover with a towel. Leave the snake there by itself and walk away for a couple of hours. Check back after 2 to 3 hours have passed. If he hasn't eaten, leave snake and pink, recover, and walk away again. Let snake and pink sit for the entire night and check again in the morning. This might help out. If not, then you may have to revert to other methods to getting snakes to eat. If you have The Cornsnake Manual by Kathy Love, there is a section that goes over how to get a problem feeder to eat. Good luck and keep us posted.

[howiet4702]

I got the snake last Friday and left him alone until Monday. I tried feeding the snake last Monday but he was not interested. I left him alone again until Thursday and I tired a F/T pinky. Still, no such luck. He just finished his shed on Saturday so I fiqured he really would be hungry today when I got hime from work. Still nothing...

The methods I used to try to get him to eat.

1. The pink and the snake in a paper bag
2. The pink and the snake in the deli cup he came in
3. I left him and the pink in a seperate container for a few hours
4. The pink and the snake in his viv. (didnt like doing that)

I even tried teasing him with it as well.

Maybe i am overreacting but he is really active and pooped and shed since I have had him.

And yes, I just brought the book from Kathy Love but I haven't read the part about problem feeders yet. I AM HOPING MINE ISNT ONE OF THEM! :(

[pcar]

If he shed and pooped, then you are good...just wait a couple of more days and offer food again. Be patient. Hatchling corns can go 6 to 8 weeks without food, just make sure that water is present. everything is fine. Most snakes will not eat while getting ready to shed.

If all else fails, you can alway buy a proper sized Anole Lizard and offer that. All hatchling Corns in the wild feed on lizards, toads, and other such animals. We feed pinks because they are cheap and easy to get a hold of.

[howiet4702]

I hope he will be alright. He is a great little snake and I have been asking the so called breeder a bunch if questions, but he is no help whatsoever! :angry01:

[Spirit]

Give him time. He's only been in his new home a week and he shed during that week. Big change for the little guy. Paul's suggestion was a good one, but I would wait another week before trying that.

I'm curious though. If the food is ALWAYS there, isn't it more likely that he won't take it? Like trapped in a deli cup with a dead mouse for 6 hours, sort of thing...

[pcar]

Give him time. He's only been in his new home a week and he shed during that week. Big change for the little guy. Paul's suggestion was a good one, but I would wait another week before trying that.

I'm curious though. If the food is ALWAYS there, isn't it more likely that he won't take it? Like trapped in a deli cup with a dead mouse for 6 hours, sort of thing...


Well, when you put a snake in a large enclouser with a mouse, the snake can roam around and get away from the mouse. When in a deli cup with a mouse, the snake is always right next to it. Eventually (could be 15 minutes to multiple hours) the snake will realize that the thing it is sitting on is food.

The refusing part is where you offer the smae thing to a snake multiple times to closely in a row. This will cause the snake to remember that it doesn't like the scent of that particular item and will then refuse every time it is offered.

When you leave the snake with the food item, if it refuses, then you take away the mouse, put the snake back in it's home, and then wait 5 more days and do it again.

Also, you might scent the mouse with an anole. This is done by either rubbing the anole on the mouse until the anole is raw and bleeding, or by making the anole bite the mouse and get some of the scent on it. You can also buy liquid called "Mouse Maker" and "lizard Maker" that will scent the mouse. This could help you out too.

[howiet4702]

Update:

He Ate!!!!
He Ate!!!!

:dancer: :cheers:

I put him in the dark and he came out a finally ate! I guess he didn't like me looking at him while he was going to eat. :)

Thanks again everyone for all your help!!!!

[MegF.]

Good news!!

[pcar]

Glad to hear it. Now, let him feed in the dark with out you watching for a while and get hom on a good schedule, and then slowly work to where you can watch...if that is what you want to do.

[Spirit]

*CHEER* That's awesome, Howie. :D

[howiet4702]

*CHEER* That's awesome, Howie. :D

Thanks!

I feel much better now....:)