Help! I'm extremely frustrated here!

[Nanyque]

Hi. I'm new. I have 2 corns. My oldest corn, which is about 7 months old (just a guess, unfortunately) is fine. Happy, healthy, and will eat anything i give her whenever I give it to her. I've had lots of reptiles in the past, including a corn (just to clarify, my father got rid of them, not me, because his "girlfriend" didn't like them. Not my fault, they didn't die or anything...)

Anyway, the problem. My fiancee decided he wanted a corn of his own a month ago. Our local PetCo had just gotten a new shipment of hatchlings. This is also where I got the older corn. PetCo has a 15 day return policy. The first corn that we got wouldn't eat. I've NEVER had a problem getting my herps to eat. We took it back after 2 weeks of trying. While we were there, they had a blizzard that ate rather agressively. We took that one as a replacement, assuming it wouldn't have this issue. It's been 2 weeks today, and now this one hasn't eaten at all. We've brained the pinky, tried live... nothing is working. This is the same clutch the other non-eater was from. I hate to take the snake back and look like a poor owner, but... I don't want the snake to die on me, 2 days after the guarantee is up. Is there any hope for this corn, or should I take it back?
Also, one of the other snakes in the clutch, looked like a blizzard, but with a strong pink pattern, had a spot on it's side, about a half inch long, that looked almost like the skin there was trying to come off (as in more pale than the rest, and drier). Now our blizzard has that spot. I've never seen it before, and I was wondering if it hurt itself somehow?

[Nanyque]

Oh yeah, and, out of the clutch of 10, only 2 had eaten, the blizzard being one, and the blizzard/pink one I'd mentioned. Is it a disorder of somesort?

[snakemom1961]

Personally If it were me I'd take it back and get a refund. You said there was a clutch of 10 babies and only 2 have been good eaters. That tells me there may very well be something wrong with those babies. Alot of breeders will not breed known problem feeders, but those breeders who sell wholesale I'm afraid aren't as picky about what snakes they breed for a buck.

Do you have any reptile shows near you? That is a great place to go for snakes. You can talk to the breeder and alot of times get actual feeding/shed records on the snake your buying.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

[Nanyque]

Thank you very much for the advice. Unfortunately, there are no reptile shows near me. I mean, I live in central wisconsin and can get to 3 major cities within 3 hours, but, that's a long drive. I guess I am going to have to take it back. It is extremely frustrating.

[Nanci]

Have you tried putting the baby in a deli cup, with air holes, where it is in a very small confined space with the very warm (101-103F) pink, and just leaving it undistrubed for several hours?

Nanci

[tbtusk]

I'd have to agree you should take it back.

That patch your talking about on the side of the corns, if I'm thinking of what you are, is normal. For the whitest (snows and blizzards) corn hartchlings they will develope these patches that I believe are small amounts of fluid below the outer layer of skin (don't quote me on that!). I think they appear befoe sheds, but I'm not sure. Anyway, if that's what the patch is then don't worry.

I'm not 100% sure about any of that, but that's what i seem to remember hearing. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[Nanyque]

Well, first of all, I didn't try a deli container, but I was putting her in a small plastic pet thing (you know, the ones they sell at every pet store), and it wasn't that warm, but... anyway,

thank you all for your advice, but, I decided to try a live pinkie, one last time, before i gave up, and sure enough, she took it. So, looks like everything is okay for now.

Again, thank you all, very much.

[Nanci]

I meant the mouse should be 101F, not the container.

But congratulations!

Nanci

[DogStar5988]

Actually if you are willing to drive there is a reptile show in Manona/madison it my be a little bit of a drive but I am in Michigan and I was planning on going (although I am not now). Here is the Link (http://www.crestedgecko.com/Information/WI%20REPTILE%20SHOW.htm) if you want to check it out. Hope everything works out for you!


---Kenny

[Flagg]

Are the 2 snakes housed together? If so that could be the cause of it not eating.

[Nanyque]

Are the 2 snakes housed together? If so that could be the cause of it not eating.
no no. definitely not.... the older one, as I mentioned will eat anything, anytime. I have no doubts that she'd eat the baby

[snakemom1961]

Congrats on getting your baby to eat! Hope she continues now to eat for you. Please keep us updated.