Would this help for a reluctant feeder?

[Conagher]

I have heard that rubbing a pinky on a lizard might help with a reluctant feeder (corn snake). I read that a preferred food of corns are anoles, so it would stand to reason that rubbing a pinky on an anole would be best. However, the only lizard I have access to is a mature bearded dragon.

Would you recommend rubbing the pinky on the bearded dragon? Or would that particular scent make things worse, being as the dragon is a good sized critter (about 18" long)?

This attempt is the last chance I have to get this snake to eat. If it still refuses to eat, I dont see me having much choice but to return it to the store. Today is the last day I can return it. :(

[tricksterpup]

How long have you had this snake?
Have you tried live pinks?
What are your temps like?
Have you tried the paper bag method or a deli cup method? Place the snake in a small container and then place the warm pink in there and leave him be for an hour.

[Conagher]

As of today, I have had the snake for 2 weeks.
I have only tried frozen/thawed pinks as I do not have a resource for live pinks at this time.
This past week I have observed the temps to be in the 82-87 range.
I tried to feed him Wednesday in a box in his tank. The box wasn't is small as what I would have preferred for the sack/cup method but he was in the box with the pink overnight with him not eating it. I have a nice small box (with loose lid) for him today when I try to feed him.

I have also tried to feed only a pink's head. I have tried to slice the head open for more scent as well. I am at a loss.

[bitsy]

You could try offering a whole pink, but first dunk the pink's head in the oil (not brine) from a tin of tuna. It doesn't work for all of them, but I can usually kick-start two or three reluctant feeders each season with that trick.

[BobbyHill]

Conagher, I think it should also be mentioned that ideal temperatures for a corn would be ~75 on the cool side and ~85 on the warm side. Obviously a few degrees in either direction is fine, but if 82-87 is your total temperature gradient in the snake's vivarium you may want to cool it down just a couple degrees.

[CrousesCorns]

I have had alot of luck with the brown paper bag as mentioned before. Just place the snake in the bag and then back in the viv. and leave for a few hours.

[Conagher]

Conagher, I think it should also be mentioned that ideal temperatures for a corn would be ~75 on the cool side and ~85 on the warm side. Obviously a few degrees in either direction is fine, but if 82-87 is your total temperature gradient in the snake's vivarium you may want to cool it down just a couple degrees.

sorry for the confusion there. That temperature gradient was for the warm side only. The cool side has varied a bit more... from about 70 up to about 82.

The snake moves back and forth quite a bit throughout the day.

[danielle]

He may be too warm and trying to cool off. I put the UTH under 1/3 of the tank making it 80-85 in a smaller area with a hide and have another hide and waterbowl on the cool side which is between 70-76. All corns are different but some prefer lower temps.

[pwargcm]

ok i know a lot of people dont like this. but i had a reluctant feeder and i tried to just feed him in his viv and he liked it. also, are you using tongs or something to present the mouse so you big hot hand is not there interefering. mine was also bothered by this i think, now he will full on kill a f/t hopper like noones business. also try feeding different times of day. i find most of my snakes like feeding dusk/night time when theyre not relaxin and are just cruisin around. make sure the pink is warm too. they seem to like the body heat.

[nrfitchett4]

wow, I'm so glad both of mine are hungry snakes. Both come to me when I dangle the pinkie!!!

[TripleMoonsExotic]

The type of lizard used to scent for reluctant feeding cornsnakes are Anoles. It is very doubtful that the BD would work as Cornsnakes and BDS are from completely different continents.

[Nanci]

I hate to say it, but you should probably return him and get one that is a good eater. It may be nothing, but refusal to eat may be a sign of a worse problem, too. I know it's hard, we become attached to them in such a short time...

[Conagher]

*nods* I am thinking you are right Nanci. I did talk to the store yesterday and convinced them to extend the "return grace period" by another 2-3 weeks. So the snake has been given a reprive for the time being. I am working on getting his tank spruced up a bit with even more hides, and more items to crawl up on.

If nothing else, it will be better suited for the replacement snake...

Thanks for confirming my suspicions TME. The information I found about rubbing pinks on lizards didn't specify what species. Doing more investigating, led me to exactly what you stated, which prompted me to post for confirmation of my theory. Thanks again.

[Nanci]

This is what I would try, before any tricks. Thaw a pink in hot water, mking sure the pink was over 100F. Cut a few slits in the pink's back, even the head. Put the snake in a small container with the pink, cover, do not peek or otherwise disturb for an hour! Do this at or after dusk. If he hasn't eaten the pink, reheat, and put him in a paper bag in his viv and leave overnight. If that doesn't work, do nothing for at least three days. You don't want to offer every day. Really, if you can get a live pink, that might be your best bet. If he doesn't take it, you can always freeze it, although that is not a humane way to euth mice. Can you buy an anole and keep it as a pet? Could you find one on a warm day?? People lately have been having excellent results with scenting the pink with cooked fried chicken skin- like KFC. Don't know why. Someone else has been having luck with raw chicken juice. Are the pinks you are trying appropriate size? Not too big?? Was he a good feeder at the petstore? (If they will even tell you the truth). Then there is tuna water, washing (and rinsing) with Ivory soap, braining, although slitting is similar...Lots of things for you to try. I think I would try, in order, slitting/braining, fried chicken-scenting, raw chicken scenting, anole scenting. And I wouldn't handle him at all, in case this is stressing him. And you could remove his substrate and put him on paper towels and try to feed him in his viv, but that really only works if you have a snake in a very small viv, otherwise they just wander off and forget about the prey...

[KachineK]

That is some great advice, Nanci! I was just going to look for different methods of enticing a reluctant feeder today. My baby ate wonderfully at the store (supposedly ate two pinkies the day before and came home with a full belly), ate great last week, though she would only eat one pinkie for m, but this week is just not interested. I'm not too worried yet, but I will be sure to keep your suggestions in mind if she won't eat tomorrow!

And any excuse to get KFC, right? LOL

Hope things turn out okay with your new buddy, Conagher.

Kachine Kolgon

[Nanci]

Don't forget, there are plenty of snakes out there that refuse when they are going blue, before you can tell they are blue.

[JustineNYC]

I have heard that rubbing a pinky on a lizard might help with a reluctant feeder (corn snake). I read that a preferred food of corns are anoles, so it would stand to reason that rubbing a pinky on an anole would be best. However, the only lizard I have access to is a mature bearded dragon.

Would you recommend rubbing the pinky on the bearded dragon? Or would that particular scent make things worse, being as the dragon is a good sized critter (about 18" long)?

This attempt is the last chance I have to get this snake to eat. If it still refuses to eat, I dont see me having much choice but to return it to the store. Today is the last day I can return it. :(


This may help you. One of my corns would not eat for a few months unless I warmed her pinkie in Lipton chicken broth. Seriously. I did this for a while.

Try chicken broth. Defrost the pink like you normally would, and warm some broth in a cup in the micro.....dont make it to hot, and then swirl the pinkie in the cup with the broth for a few seconds, and leave that pinkie with the snake over night.

[JustineNYC]

Don't forget, there are plenty of snakes out there that refuse when they are going blue, before you can tell they are blue.

Great point Nanci. My best eaters do this.

[Caryl]

Don't forget, there are plenty of snakes out there that refuse when they are going blue, before you can tell they are blue.

Great point, to go with your other great advice, Nanci! It can be hard to tell with some morphs when they're going into a shed. I worried about a refusal last spring on my butter that turned out to be nothing more than a shed cycle.

I'd also like to offer hope for the keeper of a hard-to-feed baby. I was getting worried last year after a hatchling I purchased wouldn't eat for me. The breeder (Susan Willis) was helpful and supportive, and so were the good people on this forum. I tried all the usual tricks, including tease feeding. IHe went 33 days without eating. With Susan's advice, I finally tried a more aggressive version of tease feeding, actually bumping Wizard's nose with the pinky. Wonder of wonders, HE ATE. And he's never refused a meal since.

Wizard is growing up beautifully, and I'm so glad I persisted with him. Once a difficult feeder doesn't necessarily mean always a difficult feeder.

Best of luck with yours.

[Conagher]

I took the small box to a LPS and asked if I could put the box in the tank with a bunch of mice, to get the smell of mice very strong in hopes that the scent would trigger a response. Again, snake and pink were in the box for several hours with no response. I even sliced the pink open in several places to get blood all over it after the first 2 hours yielded no results.

I should be able to obtain a LIVE pink today or tomorrow, so we will see...

[Conagher]

if the live pink doesn't work, I will be trying the chicken broth for the next attempt.

[Caryl]

One of mine that wouldn't do brained, live, lizard-rubbed, or chicken broth dipped ATTACKED the pink soaked in tuna water. If the chicken broth doesn't work, you might give that a try.

[Rotach]

try tuna juice. I heard that helps though I have never tried it because all my snakes are pigs!

[Conagher]

SUCCESS!!!!!!

After racing home from work, I went up to the LPS and got one of the live newborn pinks that the store just got in this morning. Jump back into the still warm car, and raced home while trying to keep the little thing warm. Luckily, it is only a 2-3 mile trip. Got the pink home and quickly put it into a box and put that box into the vivarium and inserted the snake. Less than 3 minutes later, the pink is up in the air being swallowed. :devil01:

I am so hyped right now. :dancer: