just got my first corn.....

[T00Lboy669]

hey guys i just got my first snake and was wondering why if the pet store said he hasnt eaten in a week and a half.......why it wouldnt eat when i tried about 15 minutes ago.....ive had him for about 6 days now....is tehre possibly a problem w mym snake?

[drizzt_19]

Hi, please try and give as much info as possible when asking a question...

How big is your cornsnake???What is he housed in???What are the temps???Most impotantly,what reason did the pet store give you about your corn not eating for the past week and a half???

Sorry for the questions, but they are essential for helping the others on the forum to help you...There are many reason's why cornsnakes may not want to eat...Please give us a few more details and we will be glad to try and help you out....


BTW, Welcome to the greatest place on the net to find care and other helpful things for your corns....

Gregg

[T00Lboy669]

hi and thanks for posting a reply....the snakes about 1 month old and maybe close to 16 inches...its housed in a ten gallon tank w sand, which i dont really know if its healthy for him or appropriate but the store told me it was.....temp is right now 80 degrees in the tank....hes got a hidebox and a small plant for climbing....the store didnt feed him for a week and a half so thats the reason why he hasnt eaten...like i said i tried to feed him about 15 minutes before i posted....any help can be invaluable....also im just wondering if maybe his size and age are a factor as far as him not eating....plus new surroundings and schtuff.....

[Alex Dew]

Hey

I have a corn that is about 2ft long and I use paper towels for bedding. I wouldn't use sand because it can go in the snake's mouth very easly and thats not good for you snake.

What I do when I feed my snakes is I put them in a little box and with a lid and try and feed them and if they dont eat I leave the dead mouse in the box with the lid on and with the snake in the box and leave them for 20min and then comeback and the mouse has normal been eaten by then.

I hope this helps

Alex

[T00Lboy669]

hey thanks...it a worthy experiment..and i will try it....as far as the paper toweling is that really that safe either?....i guess that may be a dumb question because paper to a human isnt harmful....lol...but ty.....yea i thought the sand wouldnbt really be a good idea....just figured id ask because the sand is calcium based abnd the store said the snake could digest it more easily then it could normal sand.....ill try the paper topwles and see how that works also...thank you

[Alex Dew]

No Problem

Lots of people who keep snakes use paper towels. Becasue its easy to replace when a snake has pooped on it and its very cheap. Its not very nice looking but a lot of people use it for their young snakes and for some of their older snakes.

If you need anymore help just ask:)

Thanks

Alex

(p.s. what type of corndo you have??? and have you got a picture of it???)

[T00Lboy669]

actually im not sure of the specifics of it.,..all i know is that the store called it a black ghost....its got dark eyes and im not too sure as this is my first snake and i need to be schooled on morphs....im not too sure what the geneology is but its a gray snake and hes got dark brown/black markings as far as a pic no i do not...tho i hope to get a digital cam sometime soon also




ps...this is what part of the alphabet would look ike if q and r were eliminated

[Alex Dew]

Ok

Well I not that experianced myself, so im not very sre about morphs.

From what I can tell in you post, it seems that you have a GHOST CORN SNAKE

Thanks

Alex

[T00Lboy669]

k....thanks much and if i get anymore info on it as far as geneology i will post...and ill definately post a pic....we named him youma...means vengeful spirit in japanese.....and i can only hope that i can rear him to full length...shouldnt be too hard

[snakeladyamy]

what size are you trying to feed him? try feeding him a smaller pinkie than the last time, and if you fed live before, try pre killed or frozen/ thawed (sometimes they can be shy of wiggly prey)- do a search on the forums about getting stubborn snakes to eat
I agree with alex about feeding separately as well- make sure the box is secure, though, when you leave them or all that will be left in the box is the mouse!!

I would definitely use paper towel for now at least, so you can make sure everything else is normal- poops and what not. The pet store probably wanted to make the sale regarding the sand- i would definitely avoid it (it can also get between scales when they get bigger among other things)

I have never heard of a black ghost, but there are plenty of pictures available on the forum- it could be a ghost with lots of melanin, but it sounds like it might be anertherystic ('black albino')... look these up on a forum search, and/ or buy 'the cornsnake manual' by Bill & Kathy Love- it has pics of most morphs & the genetic backrounds
If you post a pic, someone can probably tell you what it is.
hope that helps!

[snakeladyamy]

PS- have you been handling him a lot since you got him? he could just be a little stressed with his new surroundings...

[T00Lboy669]

yep ive been handling him a lot...i handle him maybe on average about 2 hours a day.....i dont know if thats too much or too little.....but i think hes a cool lil critter and deserves to be shown affection heh...im feeding him small pinkies...tho i doint really know how small small is since this is my first snake....and i was told the night i got it to feed it in a different place then his living quarters.....thats what i tried doin but he wasnt taking to the pinky.....

[T00Lboy669]

hey guys i just wanted to say thanks....i fed youma and he seems to be happy with his food....last night i put a pinky on a paper towel and put it in the tank with him.....i was goin to be gone most of the night so i didnt wanna keep him in a lidded cup with a jealous cat running around without supervision....well....i left at about 930 in the eve and called at 1100 to check up on him.....the pinky hadnt moved.....so i thought he wasnt goin to eat....well...i come waltzin in the door at 430 this morning from my LAN party and there is no pinky....needless to say im glad he ate...so thatnks guys and gals for all your help

[Alex Dew]

No problem

I really advise you to get the book called "The corn snake manual" like Snakeladyamy said. About 3 weeks before I got my first corn snake I got that book and it helpd me so much. Its the best cornsnake I have ever read and seen.

Good luck with your new cornsnake

Thanks

Alex

[snakeladyamy]

are you still going to post a pic? i'd be interested to see what he looks like-if you do, try to take it in natural light so it is easier to tell the colors...:)

[mattsnake]

You should hold him less than two hours a day. To much handling can stress him and that is probably why he is not eating.

[MariaOrrom]

:) I can't believe it he ate..... its brilliant! I am so thrilled about it as I was getting worried that I wasn't doing anything right. I was on this forum reading how Alex feeds his snakes, by putting him in a small box and going away. Well I did that straight away. I put him in a dark box on a paper towel with the mouse. I left him about an hour or a little more and came back to find the mouse was gone. I couldn't believe it. I got him on Monday and he was due to be fed on Monday but he wouldn't. I left him to de-stress and tried him all day today but again he wouldn't. So I tried the box thingy and it worked.. Gonna do it that way in future.

Thanks Alex for your help........... great!!!!!!! I can relax a little now. :D :cool:

[Alex Dew]

No Problem
:)

So if your snake does not take the food strait away, now u know what to do.

Thanks

Alex