How exactly do you 'force feed'

Okay... it's been a -month-. I checked dates from when I got him. And when I was told he was last fed (not necessarly ate, being kept with a older bigger corn). How exactly do you force feed these guys? I'm worried... I've continued trying and he just refused to eat. As I said in my last post I've tried -many- was suggested and now i'm starting to get really concerned. He's really little and now he just doesn't seem okay. Please... just explain this to me. I don't want to hurt him... nor do I want him to die... Help me out here guys. I see people suggesting feeding their babies often... It's been too long. *scowls* please... help my Remi.

hmm

O.k. is this a hatchling? Or adult? If its an adult don't worry, a month is nothing for them to go without food. If its a hatchling and you have tried *all* suggested methods I suggest this:

Take a frozen pinkie and cut its head off.
Thaw the head.
Grab snake gently with head between your thumb and first finger or however you can get the best gentle grip.
Use a Q-tip or similiar small smooth stick to GENTLY pry open mouth. Not in the direction where it would go down his mouth but so he is biting on it like a horses bit almost. You know what I mean?
Then put the pinkie head slightly in his mouth. At this point since the pinkie head is holding mouth open you can slide the Qtip out the side or something.
Then push the pinkie head in fairly far. Not down his throat, but pretty far into the mouth.
Then gently place snake down.

The natural instinct to swallow should make him swallow the head on his own. Sometimes it might take 2-4 tries for both you and the snake to get it right as the first few times the pinkie head might fall out, the snake might knock it out, etc. But trust me, when you do this right the snake will swallow on his own.

After doing this a few times, sometimes even once, the snake will most likely eat on his own at the next feeding attempt.

bmm

Yes it is a hachling, and I -have- tried everything. Thank you -soo- much. I'll try as soon as I get more pinkies tomorrow (wasted alot trying to coax him into eating).

yes

Try above. Using a head is your best option. Some people say use tails but I believe that is a waste of time for as much stress as it puts the snake through. The tail is nothing. But a head is a good chunk!

One other thing I forgot to mention was that when you are putting the head in the mouth and pushing it in you can try and lube it a bit with water but sometimes this works the other way around and makes it slip out easier. The corn will defiently thrash his head around trying to get it out, although some start swallowing right away, and some snakes even start coiling and swallowing right away! The first time will be hard and unsure but you'll get the hang of it!

good luck and post an update!
bmm

A tail is far from nothing as you can put several inches of tail versus a head.I had to force/assist feed a blizzard to eat, it got bigger than a crimson that was eating small pinkys whole.And as a tail is much smaller in circumference and longer it is much easier to do!

I have a little snow corn that I have been force feeding since August 18th. She was born on July 15th, but had not eaten at the time I got her. She has never been interested in eating. I have tried ALL of the suggested methods to get her to eat. Well, I was getting mice out of the freezer for my other snakes, and I saw the anole that I have been using to lizard scent mice. It had been up there for about 4 months so I decided it was time to dispose of it and get another one.

Anyway, I got curious...would my little girl eat it??? I had tried everything else! SHE DID!!! Within 3 minutes, that anole was GONE!! I couldn't believe it! For 5 1/2 months she did not eat ANYTHING on her own...and now she has decided to become a lizard eater I sure hope it doesn't take long to switch her over to mice! She sure does have expensive tastes, but at least I know how to keep her alive now!

If your little one doesn't start eating on her own after a few force feedings, I would give an anole to her! You never know what might happen

*edits the post*

whoa I got him to do eat the stupid little pinky head! ::whimpers:: I was so worried. I had just posted a little earlier that he just spit it back out. I tried him again a little while later and he was trying to get it -out- like angryily moving around the tank rubbing his head on the side trying to get the thing out... I was scared he was just gonna hold the head there lol and it was too deep to get out... But I checked on him a second ago and he swallowed! *prays* Im gonna turn everything off and leave him alone now... he's had a rough few minutes there! I hope everything is good from now on... not have to keep this up... is it just me or do alot of snow corns have eating problems? just an observation... Anyway again -thank you- sooo much for explaining this force feeding deal to me. He has officially eaten for the first time in a month.

I know

It looks rough and my snakes that have had it done thrash around too a bit....but by even the second time things often go so well they eat all on their own.

abell82 I am sure tails work just fine. Its just my personal preferance to start off with something more substaintial for all the stress they are already going through. I also have found its far faster and easier to get them off heads and onto whole pinkies than from tails to pinkies. Just my personal experience though.

bmm

Just as an extra tip, I use KY jelly to lubricate the pinkies' heads when I forcefeed. The vet recommended it (water-based therefore safe - don't use Vaseline) and it certainly helps. Unless you get it on your hands and the hatchling, because then you're in a world of slippery trouble !

To stop them spitting the pinkie out, make sure you gently push it right into their throats and massage it about one-third/one-half the way down the hatchling's body. I've still had some "return to sender" incidents, but this seems to make it less likely.

It's a pretty awful process the first couple of times you try it, but it does get easier if you have to carry on.