not eating and no shed

[g'mork]

Hi Guys
I'm new to this board and I just got my snake about 7 weeks ago. I brought her home the day she was fed and left her alone for the first few days. After having her for 7 days I fed her a hopper mouse and she ate it with no problem. The next week she ate it but then threw it up whole. After this she wont eat. I've stopped handling her to see if she's stressed, she has hides and always has water. It's been hot lately and I dont have air conditioning so the temps on the cool side are usually about 80-85 degrees. Also she is between 1.5 and 2 feet long and hasn't shed once since I got her. She stays in her hide all of the time only coming out to drink water..which I only know because the water lowers although I never see her out. I read that snakes dont eat when they're in breeding season or about to shed..could it be that this is its breeding season or that it's preparing to shed? And if it's either of those reasons is it normal for snakes to not eat for this long? Im getting worried because it's my first snake and I want to treat it as best as possible.

[WRATHCHILD798]

try smaller food items

[WRATHCHILD798]

and scenting,braining,etc.

[Tula_Montage]

try smaller food items

Try actually typing something helpful.

If the snake has regurged, how long did you leave it before trying to feed it again? What i have found with a fussy boa is that constantly offering more food only deters the snake even more. I would leave the snake alone for a week or so and then try feeding 1 hopper.

If you are still having no luck, try braining, scenting, slicking the back, leaving the snake and the food item in a small container overnight.

Oh are you feeding live or f/t? If f/t, its best not to feed live until a last resort as the snake could eat live and not want to switch back to f/t.

Also is the snake in a room thats "lived in" a lot? eg tv, music on a lot? Heavy traffic outside?

Try moving the snake to the quiestest place you can find and just let it chill for a week or so.

[g'mork]

haha damn tula "try typing something helpful" i'm new at this so bare with me as I learn what's helpful.
I've been feeding her thawed frozed mice, after she regurged i left her for a week before I tried to feed her again. Since then I've been attempting once a week. She's in a really low traffic room, it's basically her room. But good news, right after I posted this comment my boyfriend called me and said that she shed so I'm hoping that's what the not eating was about. When I get home from work in about 4 hours I'll try feeding her again.

[g'mork]

.....aaaand i realized that "helpful" comment wasn't about me..errrr
but may I ask if it's appropriate to feed right after a shed? or should I wait for awhile first..I just figured she must be hungry

[desertanimal]

It is not inappropriate to feed right after a shed.

However, there's a protocol one should follow after a snake has regurgitated a meal, which is what yours did. If I recall I think it's at the bottom of one of the FAQ sheets that's a sticky at the top of one of the fora. Rather than recount the details here, I encourage you to go right to the advice of the experts. Do an advanced search for regurgitation and Kathy Love. She has a schedule of how to feed after a regurge to make sure it doesn't happen again. A regurgitation should not be taken lightly, because it can lead to more regurgitations and eventual death of the snake if not handled properly.

You should also try to ascertain why your snake regurgitated in the first place to rectify the problem. Was it too cold? Was the prey item too big? Was it stressed? etc.

[PtDnsr]

I would also feed a smaller than usual food item for the next few feeds after a regurge. If it regurged the hopper it was for a reason and giving it a smaller meal, like a fuzzy, will help it to digest faster. I second Kathy Love's protocol - she's been doing this for ages and it really does work.

~Katie

[MooreSnakes]

Check this out
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18251
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28342

[Okeetee_Corn_Snakes]

Welcome to the site and good luck g'mork! I really hope that everything goes well for you and you're snake. Keep us posted on the situation ^^

[g'mork]

Hi everyone
thanks for all of your advice you've been very helpful. Last night when I got home from work I fed her a hopper mouse..I did not read the suggestions to feed a smaller mouse but she ate it and as far as I know hasn't regurged but I will check when I get home from work today. She shed for the first time and it was really neat..I checked for the eyes and they were there..but there was about 4 inches still left on her coming up from her tail. It's been very humid and she has a soak dish so I'm hoping the rest of it comes off. What I'm wondering now is if she still has the skin on her should I take her out and do the damp pillow case thing now or should I leave her since I just fed her last night. I suppose for now I can mist her substrate to raise the humidity but we've been having extreme heat alerts lately and the general weather has been extremely humid so I'm not sure if that's the problem.

[desertanimal]

I would leave her. You don't want to risk another regurge. If it were my snake, I would leave her alone for as long as Kathy Love's post-regurge thread says to leave her alone after a first successful feed following a regurge. She might get that last 4 inches off on her own. If she doesn't, you can always get it off later.