2 year old corn, feeding problem

[coloradoflower31]

Selu is the only cornsnake (or snake) I have and he has never refused to eat before. He has refused to eat for four and a half weeks now. I have tried to feed him four times and he actually tries to get away from the food. I tried soaking them in an egg & even tried one time to feed him a live one. Should I be concerned or take him to a vet? Is this normal at his age? He usually eats about every week and a half to two weeks, but has been eating frozen since I bought him. He has never had an incomplete shed or any problems. I know a lot of the users on this site have much more experience than I do so I wanted to know if anyone could give me some advice.
Thanks!

[Bram]

Sounds like a hunger strike. Perfectly normal for 'teenage' boy full of hormones. It'll pass. There have been many threads along these lines in recent weeks. :)

[coloradoflower31]

Sounds like a hunger strike. Perfectly normal for 'teenage' boy full of hormones. It'll pass. There have been many threads along these lines in recent weeks. :)

Thanks, that makes me feel better, I just hated to think that something was wrong. Just how long can this hunger strike last before I should be concerned?

[Duff]

Just how long can this hunger strike last before I should be concerned?From my experience, I'd say up to 3 months. If it does start to drag on, you should get regular weights to make sure he isn't dropping too much weight. Of course you would need a starting weight for this to help, so if you don't have a recent weight, I'd get one soon as possible. Just space out the food offerings for now and hunger should eventually beat out the hormones.

[bekers71]

Thanks, that makes me feel better, I just hated to think that something was wrong. Just how long can this hunger strike last before I should be concerned?

Don't worry too much. I have a male that has ate 2 times in the last 3 1/3 months. But he would only take a rat fuzzy. Thats a meal less than half the size of his normal meal. His weight has remained good and he is a lean mean breeding machine. LOL

[coloradoflower31]

Maybe I should feel bad because he is a lone snake & I never had any intentions on ever getting into breeding.

[Nanci]

Three of my four males are on feeding strike.

[bitsy]

Maybe I should feel bad because he is a lone snake & I never had any intentions on ever getting into breeding.

Not at all. He's a maturing lad and fasting is just what they do. It wouldn't improve for him if you found him a female - he'd still go off his food. Don't let it worry you as long as he's otherwise healthy and doesn't lose a significant amount of weight. Just keep offering food at his normal intervals - he'll take it eventually.

It's a concern the first time it happens, but once you get used to his annual patterns of behaviour, it'll be a lot less daunting.

[Sssabel]

My three year old male went on strike for almost 3 months but was very active. After talking to the pet store guy, we suspected his home was too cold this winter. It wasn't cold enough to put him into hibernation mode, which can be dangerous because he is very active and can lose weight. I moved him into a smaller tank that is easier to regulate the heat in, and moved him to a warmer part of the house. He ate within a week.

I had him in a large tank thinking he'd like the space but it was too hard to keep it warm when it is so cold outside and at night.

This may not be the problem for you, but if he goes for several months and still isn't eating, try looking at his other basic requirements.

Good luck!

[tbtusk]

Snakes do strange things when it comes to eating someitmes. One of my females refuses to eat from the time she breeds to the time her eggs are layed. She won't take anything. One male wouldn't eat from hibernation till a good two and a half moths later. He cost a lot in vet bills trying to figure out what was up, but in the end he just chose to grab a meal one day, and now he's back to normal. As said, I wouldn't worry, although checking temps is a good idea.

[coloradoflower31]

Thanks for your help everyone.

Jen

[jp575]

I once had a cornsnake refuse to eat for a few months. The way I got him to eat was by feeding a few fuzzies/pinkies. AFter that he went back to regular mice.

[Weebonilass]

My '01 male had his last meal on 3/2...sigh... He does it every year and never had a girlfriend - haven't found one worthy of him... at least that's the story I'm telling him :D so don't feel guilty. As others have said, it'll continue to bug you, but you won't go into panic mode :) Definitely keep an eye on his weight and if he drops too much then take him to a vet. Might want to try to find one now just in case you need one in the future. They aren't as easy to find as one of the dog or cat... or even the horse.