New Born wont eat?

[Werner]

Hi, i have a clutch of 8 normal corns and they have all shed and eaten but their is just one that does'nt want to eat. I have tried leaving pinkie over night but still nothin. So now its been 3weeks sins they were born and still haven't eaten any yet. pls give me some ideas on how i can get him to eat? thx

[henry2009]

Not all babies are going to eat. You might want to uthinise the snake. I think 3 weeks is a long time for a baby not to eat. Im only basing my opinion on what i have read on here.

[Nanci]

Have you tried live? Just a pinky head? REALLY hot pink? Scenting with chicken broth, chicken juice, cooked chicken fat, tuna water, anole, dirty mouse bedding. Washing (and rinsing) the pink in Ivory or Dawn soap. Are you feeding in a deli cup? Covered? At night? With the lights off? Tried tapping her in the face with the pink till she gets mad and strikes?

[Werner]

Hi, i have tried live one's as well. Thanks for your ideas. I will try it.

[chia44]

good luck! let us know what works!

[Werner]

Thanks i will let know.

[Tang...]

Aww, thats really quite sad...Good luck & yeah...keep everyone informed. =[

[starsevol]

Yup, try everything that Nanci said!
Also, as wierd as it might sound, try earthworms. RichZ posted once that he actually knew someone who fed a hatchling earthworms, and if you think about it, it might work.

I hope your little one eats for you, but no matter what 7 out of 8 feeding is pretty darn good!

[wax32]

Some of my hatchlings last year went 8 weeks before eating. I wouldn't do anything rash yet. Main thing is: don't offer more than once a week. If he hasn't eaten in another couple tries (and by this I mean a live pink left in a deli-cup over night), then assist feed him. Sometimes you just need to jump start their feeding response.

[bitsy]

Three weeks is nothing for hatchlings. Certainly far too soon to consider euthanasia. I've had some persistent non-feeders last for months before showing signs of fading.

Another trick is to try dipping the pinky head into the oil from a tin of tuna. It doesn't work for all of them, but I've found it useful now and again.

But I agree, 7 out of 8 is OK really. Some really just will not eat (despite all human efforts), for reasons that never become apparent. As sad as it seems, Corns lay large clutches of eggs because in the wild, the vast majority of them will either fail during incubation, or will produce hatchlings that die.

[DeeDee357]

Some of my hatchlings last year went 8 weeks before eating. I wouldn't do anything rash yet. Main thing is: don't offer more than once a week. If he hasn't eaten in another couple tries (and by this I mean a live pink left in a deli-cup over night), then assist feed him. Sometimes you just need to jump start their feeding response.

We had a clutch of nine, and 2 didn't eat for almost 3 months....I was worried, but once they ate, they never missed a meal. I actually held them just an inch or so below the neck and put the pinky in front of them, it took several minutes, but they all finally took it.

[CrousesCorns]

Have you tried live? Just a pinky head? REALLY hot pink? Scenting with chicken broth, chicken juice, cooked chicken fat, tuna water, anole, dirty mouse bedding. Washing (and rinsing) the pink in Ivory or Dawn soap. Are you feeding in a deli cup? Covered? At night? With the lights off? Tried tapping her in the face with the pink till she gets mad and strikes?

Nanci covered most of the tricks but I have one more that has worked. Place the snake in a brown paper bag with the appropiate sized food (pinkie or pinkie heads) and fold the top closed. Leave a few hours or overnight in something where the snake can't get loose(Kritter Keeper or it Viv). Good luck and let us know which trick works for you.

[Cat_Eyed_Lady]

One other trick to try is 'cooking' the pinkie a little. By this I mean put it in almost boiling water for a few seconds, let cool til you feel it is about 100F and feed. This is how I got almost all my non feeders to eat and over the past couple years I have bought many non feeders and had a few of my own too and it almost always worked.

[environmentalteach]

I have had hatchlings that have not fed for six months on their own. Of course during that time period I had to force feed them. Then one day they just start eating. I would also try some of the techniques some of the others have mentioned. Do not try force feeding until you have exhausted other options. Do not however, wait until the snake looks emaciated. I have had about a 75% success rate with hatchlings that will not eat. Good luck! You can search my threads and see some of my methods. If you need help, PM me and I will try to help. Don't despair just yet!