Petstore giving questionable advice

[Debsi]

I am new to owning snakes and I have a baby cornsnake that is about 10 weeks (about 10 inches, pencil thin). The reptile store I bought her from said that they had been feeding her live pinkies and I have been trying frozen without success. I plan on giving her a live one on Monday from the reptile store. However, today at the Pet "Superstore", the reptile "trained" guy told me that baby corn snakes don't eat for the first 6 months, that they live off of the yolk! Could this possibly be true? Also, another feeding question, I've thought about trying to feed another thawed, frozen that I will "poke" the brain tonight, but want to know how long to leave her with a thawed pinkie. When does the pinkie start to decay and would be harmful for her to eat it after a certain time? Thanks for any advice and I'm sure to be posting often until I get this right.

[Bobo's Mama]

Please don't listen to that guy! Its not true at all. The majority of corns eat for the first time after their first shed. Which is usually within a week or so of hatching. You can leave the pinkie with your corn overnight and it will be fine. Sometimes overnight is the way to go with the little ones. How long have you had the corn?

[Seejay]

Hey there

Newborns don't need feeding until they shed their skin for the first time. Pretty much as soon as that time comes only then should they be offered a meal.

If your going to leave your corn over night with a pinkie then put him/her in a salad pot and put the pinkie in also. Keep the pot well ventilated and its best that the lid be opaque so that compleate concentration is on the pinkie for the entire night. If you leave the pinkie in the viv then you can leave it in there overnight. if still there in the morning i'd remove it and offer another at a later time. you can leave pinkies in there for maybe a few days but after that they will start to get a little nasty. The condition won't really affect the snake but it won't be very pleasant at all.

Good luck!

[Debsi]

I've had her for 1 week. When I bought her, they told me she was due to eat that day. I've tried twice, but with no success. Also, they told me they use paper bags for feeding. I think I will try that tonight. I have also left her alone for the last three days just to allow her time to calm down. I really bought her for two of my children (who love her very much - too much). They want to hold her all of the time - maybe stressing her out too much. She has been off limits for three days, but I'm hoping eventually, they can handle her as much as they want. Thanks for the advice.

[Penman6668]

I would leave alone for a couple of day and then feed her. Mine would not eat the first time either. I put her in a deli cup with the pinkie. I left them overnight in her cage. In the morning the pinkie was gone. Now I do not even get the f/t fuzzy in the feeding container before she grabs it and eats it.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[bill38112]

Once you do get the baby to eat be sure to let her digest her meal for 48 hours before subjecting her to handling again.

[diamondlil]

Right now, feeding is much too important for any handling. Hatchling corns seem to do best if they have as little stress as possible. (I've learnt from my own early mistakes).
I'd suggest no handling at all, and put the snake in a feeding tub in a darkend area overnight with a defrosted pinky. If the pinky is gone in the morning, gently tip the snake back into it's tub and leave for at least 5 days before picking it up, briefly, to repeat the feeding.
If the pinky is still there in the morning, throw it away, put the snake in it's viv and don't disturb at all for 5 days before trying to feed again.
Non-feeding can become a learned response, and a stressed snake will not eat.
When the snake is feeding well, you can start to introduce short handling sessions at least 48 hours after feeding. I know this sounds boring, but it can work well. In the meantime while your kids can't handle their snake, they can look at this site with you to see how many different morphs there are, help to write out a feeding schedule, and get posting to introduce themselves as new corn owners! :)

[BeckyG]

I agree with Janine, no handling at all until the baby is eating consistently. Actually, I agree with everything she said. She gave you good advice and if you follow it, your snake should come around soon.