hatchling regurgitated & hasnt eaten since

[undertherose713]

i just recently got a hatchling about 3 weeks ago. I fed it about 3 days afterwards for the first time and it took it. It regurgitated it 2 days later. I know it was my fault. I now know to leave it alone after it eats for a couple of days. It deficated 2 days after it regurgitated, so im guessing it ate while in the petshop. According to a source i read, it said to feed it 7-10 days after a regurgitation. I did and it didnt take it. And it also said that if it doesnt eat the pinkie try feeding it again every 3 days. I have been and its been about 2 weeks since it regurgitated. im worried. wat should i do? i feed it thawed pinkies btw.

[Susan]

It's generally recommended to wait the full 10 days after a regurge before feeding again. I wouldn't be overly concerned at this point. Wait a bit longer between offerings, try every 5 days, as sometimes, offering too frequently will cause a snake not to eat. For the next offering, try the smallest pinky you have and brain it (cut a hole in the skull and squeeze a little brains out...disgusting for us but really yummy for a snake). That will probably get your hatchling eating again. If not, let us know and we'll move on to the next step.

[undertherose713]

i tried wat u said, and it didnt take it. what should i do now?

[Lennycorn]

I know you stated that you tried what she said but ..please tell what you tried just to make sure. More likely you should just wait and/or try feeding once a week. Do you feed at night, in a dim room, separated container, a smaller size, slicing it back of a f/t.??
I would just forget about feeding for a good week, giving it fresh water and read up on Kathy Love treatment for regurges. Hard to do I know but...

[MegF.]

Have you tried live, and feeding it in the viv? Paper towel in there of course to avoid ingesting any substrate. Some can be shy and not want to take any food. Have you talked to the person you got it from?

[undertherose713]

-i feed it at night. the first time i fed it, which was when it ate it, i fed it in the tank it lives in. Lately ive been trying to feed it in a different container, but when i brained it i fed it in the tank it lives in.
-no, i havent talked to the person i got it from. i got it from petco. and i havent tried live pinkies.

[Velvet]

I recently had a similar problem with a new hatchling...

Are you still handling your snake? In between attempted feedings? The reason I ask is that because your snake is new, it may still be stressed and getting used to it's new home. This is what happened to me. I found that putting my snake into a smaller container for feeding etc etc only stressed her out more (I am not saying this is always the case and I think with a non-feeder, you should try everything the knowledgeable people on here suggest!).

What I did was leave my snake alone in her tub (3L Addis container) for about a week in a dim room. No handling, no attempted feeding and as little disturbance as possible. This worked brilliantly and a week later when I put a pink in, she took it and has been going strong ever since!!! I usually put the pinks in and leave them over night and check the next day if they have eaten, checking every 5mins also stresses them out a bit! :)

another trick I have used that works well is to pop in a pink and put the container into a dark cupboard in a quiet room for the night. :)

[Velvet]

A few more questions:

1. What was the snakelet fed before you got it (ie. is it used to taking thawed food?) and was it eating before you got it? (A reputable breeder will never sell a snake that hasn't eaten at least two meals, this is why it's not always a good idea to get from a petshop)
2. What size container is your snake in? Often hatchlings feel very intimidated and stressed if put into a large tank or viv straight away. I always put mine in 3L plastic tubs (with ventilation holes drilled in of course!) until they are bigger and this works wonders!
3. Have you checked your temps?

As a side note: I use newspaper as a substrate in my tubs so they cannot ingest substrate when fed in their homes.

Wishing you best of luck with your little critter!!! I am sure she will come right and grow up into a real beauty!!! :)

[undertherose713]

idk wat it ate before i bought it. My snake is in about a 2.5 gallon tank. I try to keep the temperature b/w 72 and 85 degrees, which is the suggested temp. range.

[susang]

idk wat it ate before i bought it. My snake is in about a 2.5 gallon tank. I try to keep the temperature b/w 72 and 85 degrees, which is the suggested temp. range.
IMHO you need to be a little more specific: the first time you fed it viv, what was the substrate? Do you have a warm side and a cool side, are you guessing or do you know the actual temp? Does the snake have water available? I think you said you fed it three days after you got it, did you leave it alone those three days? Try telling us everything you have done and how often, it can only help people on this forum help you. susan

[undertherose713]

ok. ok. ok. i handled it when i first got it. I fed it 3 days after i got it in its tank--it took it like 5-10 min after i put it in. The substrate is lizard litter. I continued handling it b/c according to this book i got it said its best to handle it everyday, which i learned is NOT the case. Then it regurgitates after the 2nd time i handled it after i fed it. I researched wat to do if a snake regurgitates. It said wait 7-10 days. I waited 7 days. I fed it in its tank. I read other resouces. It said offer pinkie every 3-5 days if it does not take it. I continued doing that. One of my friends had a cornsnake and she recommended feeding it in a different container. The different container was a tank 1/2 the size of the one it lives in. I put no substrate in it and put its hiding box in it (b/c i read that some would feed if u put the pinkie right outside its hiding box and i know a snake can get stressed if it doesnt have a place to hide). I did that a couple of times. SOmetimes i would try wiggling it a bit b/c i read that that would make the snake think it was alive. Then i went on this site. Someone said wait 5 days and brain it. I did that and fed it in its tank being that the 1st time i fed it when it took it it was in its tank. It hasnt past 5 days since the time i brained it. It has been 3 days since i last offered.
I have a thermometer inside the tank and keep the temp range b/w 72 and 85 degrees F. I do not have a cool/warm side, even tho i know it should. Wat type of warming device is recommended. heating lamp or heating pads? There is a water bowl in the tank, and a stick for climbing too.

[MegF.]

Most of us use under tank heaters. You can attach one to a piece of glass or tile so that as the snake moves up in tank size, you won't ruin the UTH by trying to pull it off the old tank. Comes in handy if you should ever break the tank during cleaning (ask me how I know this?). You need to get stable temperatures in there and the feeding box can be a small plastic container. You just put them in there until they eat the mouse, then return them to their viv. I would remove the substrate from the tank, put in paper towels or newspaper, and feed in the tank for now to reduce stress. Try the braining, washing the pinky with soap and then rinsing well, scenting with chicken. There are a lot of things. Perhaps live.

[undertherose713]

is it recommended to feed during day or night? would i have a better chance of feeding it when the snakes is out of its hiding box and moving around?

[MegF.]

Usually feeding in the evening is the best time. They get more active then.

[Roy Munson]

I have a thermometer inside the tank and keep the temp range b/w 72 and 85 degrees F. I do not have a cool/warm side, even tho i know it should. Keep in mind that the entire range of temps you specify should be available at all times. The cool side needs to be in the mid-70s, and the warm side should be in the low-to-mid 80s. If your setup is subjecting your snake to low 70s temps even half the time, this would likely cause regurge and lack of appetite. In my opinion, you might as well stop trying to feed it until you get the temps straightened out. Good luck.

[undertherose713]

i went to the petshop i got it from the other day and the employee (who seemed to be holding a high position) said that it was not good that it hasnt shed its skin yet. He said to give it another week and if not, hell take it back. I think that someone more experienced should take it b/c maybe they know what to do, so i think it would be best to give it back if it doesnt improve within this next week.
--Not only has he not shed his skin, his skin is loose.

[MegF.]

It's sounding more like there are some dehydration problems. You might try soaking in either plain water or a water/gatorade mixture for 15-30 minutes to see if it will drink some. Feeding is the least of your problems. Hydration is first and foremost although when they get ready to shed they can look pretty wrinkly.

[undertherose713]

It passed away yesterday. I went to the petshop today and it turns out that others of the same batch werent eating either. There was actually a dead one in the tank. There were 2 that shed their skin (b/c there were 2 skins in the tank) and one that was bigger than mine but had loose skin as well. Most of them looked pretty healthy. I was going to get another one but i asked the employee when they ate last and he said that some werent taking and its hard to keep track of whos eating or not. So yeah...im not getting one from a petshop again, unless they do actually keep records of the snakes of course. I also asked how often they feed them. He said every friday. And i noticed that none of them had a bulge in their stomachs. I've concluded that Petco sucks. Thanks for ur help and advice tho. I have learned alot and hopefully my next cornsnake would be healthy. Thank you.