Trying to eat objects that are not food.

[Laine]

It's the day before feeding day, and I went to change Rosie's water, only to find she was trying to eat her thermometer. She'd gotten the probe partially down, along with the wire. I had to slowly and carefully extract it - something she wasn't too happy about. This isn't the first time this has happened. A few months ago, she tried to attack/eat her hygrometer.

Has this happened to anyone else? Has your snake tried to attack/strangle/eat things that aren't to be digested? Is there any way to stop her from doing this without having to remove her thermometer/hygrometer?

She hasn't tried to eat anything else, but I'm worried that if she's trying to eat these objects, that her substrate might be next. She's on Reptibark right now, and it would be small enough for her to ingest if she tried to, but is in large enough pieces that she won't accidentally eat it during feedings.

[Corny Noob]

So you are feeding her in her tank then?

I would just assume that other items in her tank have at one point come in contact with the prey. When she gets hungry she's going after wahatever smells like mouse in her cage.

[Laine]

I remove her small/leafy objects from her tank before feeding her, in case she gets too into it. I take out her thermometer, hygrometer and fake vine before I feed her, mostly because she missed the mouse once when she was younger and almost ate a leaf(I've replaced the fake vine since). So I wouldn't think it would be scent. That and she doesn't even let the mouse touch bedding if she can help it, she wraps most of her body around the mouse and eats it from her coils.

[bigjerm]

It may be time to up the food size.

[Laine]

I've been feeding her the same thing every week for the past 7-ish years: two large f/t adult mice, once a week. She still has a visible lump for 24 hours after eating. I tried to put her on rats once, but she wouldn't eat them, though she will take live frogs. My cousin has two leopard frogs for pets and every spring there's a lot of babies. I grabbed a bunch of them when they were small and fed them to Rosie when they got bigger. She took them with no problem, though at first she couldn't figure out why they were moving. Even then, I'd only give her one frog and and one f/t mouse per week.

[SnakesRule1234]

I think just to be safe take out all the stuff that can be ingested. Replace the bark with newspaper and maybe change the therometer and hygrometer. Once you think it's safe put the items back.

[Laine]

Alright, I'll try replacing everything. But if she continues to attack objects, should I just remove them all together except when I'm taking readings of her temps/humidity?

[TrpnBils]

That's nuts...lol. I hope it works out for you. It does answer something I've always wondered about though:

Two years ago I rescued a central american redtail boa from a secondhand store downtown. Among other things that were wrong with it, I was told by the owner that they had been feeding it DONUTS. I always wondered how exactly that would happen, but I guess if yours is trying to eat plastic hygrometers then anything is possible.

How big is she anyway? My corn is 4 years old and kinda on the small side, and I feed him the same thing you feed yours, so maybe more food is the answer?

[Laine]

Rosie is about 4 feet, 10-11 inches. It's hard to measure her, as she tends to tear her skin when shedding(she crawls under her hollow log and pulls it off). I usually end up with a decapitated shedding =P. The mice I'm feeding her are rather large though, and they do leave a noticeable lump in her for 24 hours after she has eaten.

I can't believe they actually fed a snake donuts! How unhealthy can't you get? Not only are there starches and grains, but sugars and fats not designed for snake digestion! I can't believe the snake even ate them.

[Msterry]

My goodness, snakes eating donuts, and probes. Makes me wonder what else they have been fed. Donuts indeed..lol Perhaps they are trying diff things to see if they are food??
I always have used feeding containers for mine at meal times. Thats just because i worry aboout them ingesting the substrate.
I personally would try uping her mouse size. Nice to see if she has some buldge after 48 hrs... Good luck

[Laine]

I've changed her substrate to paper towel, and removed all small/leafy objects for now in case.

She's currently being fed the largest mice I can find here, I have tried rats but she won't take them. I've even tried rubbing the rat all over mice to try and scent it, and I've tried dipping it in raw egg(her favorite thing is raw egg, when she refuses to eat in breeding season, the only way I can get her to eat is by dipping mice in raw egg). neither have worked. Is there another way to try and get her to eat them? Or should I try to put her on the frogs, as I know she will eat those and they grow pretty large.

Thanks everyone for all of your help =D

[SnakesRule1234]

Well, You might try to go to frogs. But I don't think it's too much of a good idea. The frog might not have enough fat, nutritonal value..? I'm not sure though. Corn Snakes are meant to eat rodents not really frogs as far as I know..

[ilikefish92]

bit unrelated but, my brothers kingsnake tried to eat some underwear yesterday... it amused me greatly.

[Msterry]

:eek: Underware!! Mercys sakes a kinky snake :roflmao:
Im sorry she will not eat rats and you can't find any bigger mice. Is it a possibility you could raise your own?
I had one female that would only eat mice and i wanted her on rats. Daughter said rats feel diff from a mouse. She suggested i feed her a much smaller then normal meal rat pup. It worked she now eats rat pups..
Sorry i am of no help and i hope some one has some suggests for you...Good luck

[Jimmy Johnson]

It's not because the snake is underfed.
Just clean the tank and thermometer probe.
It's an odor she's picking up.
Don't over feed her thinking that will cure the problem.
Two adult mice is more then enough to feed an adult corn snake every week.
Once you clean the tank and accessories, start feeding her outside the tank.
I'd be willing to bet you won't have this problem again.

[Lennycorn]

Once you clean the tank and accessories, start feeding her outside the tank.
I'd be willing to bet you won't have this problem again.

I agree to Jimmy whole statement and I was thinking the same as stated above too.
Just feed outside of the tank.

[JustineNYC]

If you can switch to feeding her in a separate tub, itll get rid of the mouse in the tank smell altogether. Thats what it is.

[Laine]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
I will try feeding her out of the tank from now on and see how it goes.
Hopefully she won't try to eat her thermometer again, she did give me quite a scare :(. I'd hate to think of the surgery she'd need to get the whole thing out of her if she did manage to get it down!

Thanks again everyone!