She won't feed

[Hydroxy]

My little wriggler appears to have some issues when feeding.
She's almost a year old and weighs about 428 grams. It all started about a month ago when she'd stop striking at her prey and wouldn't take it unless it was left on the floor for her. And then she started refusing her food. We tried loads of different things, braining the food, heating up her feeding tank, leaving her and the food in the dark on their own, putting the feeding tank inside her regular viv.. but nothing seems to work.

She has now refused two feeds and hasn't eaten in over 2 weeks. We've checked for mites and breathing problems, and she seems to be fine.
This used to be our little gannet who never refused a feed and always wanted more the day after! :awcrap:

I have heard that sometimes they just get lazy.. but this is really out of character for her, and I guess I'm just a worry wart :p
And it doesn't help that she is staying with my ex and not me... :( and being the worry wart that I am, I worry he's not doing it right XD

Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated

[danielle]

Is this your snake or his? 2 weeks for a snake thats full grown really is nothing to worry about so I would just relax. I have to assume at one point this was a shared pet between the two of you, but if this is now going to be his snake you kinda have to cut ties and let him care for this snake on his own. If this snake is going to be living with you and he is just keeping it temporarily I would bring your snake home, give it time to settle in, and try in another week or so. I once shared a pet with my ex a dog in fact that I was very attached too. it was actually harder to leave the dog than him, lol but when we decided to go our separate ways I had to allow him to be this dogs father.

[Susielea]

She's almost a year old and weighs 428g? :eek:

I'm sorry but if that wasn't a typing error you have one humungous corn for a 1 year old! What have you been feeding her and how often?

[CrousesCorns]

She's almost a year old and weighs 428g? :eek:

I'm sorry but if that wasn't a typing error you have one humungous corn for a 1 year old! What have you been feeding her and how often?

I was thinking the same thing. Wow that must be one obese snake and it's no wonder it won't eat.

[Hydroxy]

She was a shared pet yeah.. and I do want her, but he won't let me. So I suppose you'd have to say it's his pet now.

I don't know what he's been feeding her or how much for the past 8 months, and there was a typing error in there ^^ she's almost 2, not 1 ;)

Sorry for any heart attacks caused by that, lol.

he just came to me about 2-3 weeks ago and said she won't feed.. I don't know for how long but I'm hoping that he came to me straight away, as the guy knows nothing bout corns. I looked after her when we had her together, and I did all the research, he's learning on the job so to speak...

[danielle]

Why does he want a snake you cared for- is he just being a typical male butthead? I would tell him to hand the snake over or figure out her care his self, but even at two thats one big girl she can miss a few meals and be just fine.

[Hydroxy]

Why does he want a snake you cared for- is he just being a typical male butthead? I would tell him to hand the snake over or figure out her care his self, but even at two thats one big girl she can miss a few meals and be just fine.

Yeah, he's being a typical male butthead... Says I can't look after her as I'm moving away and claims that snakes don't travel.
I would tell him to figure it out himself, if I didn't really care about her, which I do.

I did tell him she was fat, and he says she isn't... But now I guess I can tell him that I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Oooooh I just wanna :eatsmiley him. Never mind =)

I'll tell him to stop overfeeding.

Thanks alot for all your advice =)

[Nanci]

Are you sure she's a female?? Males are on springtime hunger strike right now!

[Em Wright]

Yeah... That's overweight even for a two year old...

And snakes, can to travel. Does he think everyone with snakes never moves? :p That's kind of silly.

I understand how you can't very well tell him to shove off, even though you might like to. The animal needs your help so you help the animal. See if he'll let her come live with you for a few weeks... tell him she needs to be with you or you can't help her. Which is true. And from then on, just work it until he says you can keep her. If you were giving her care before and are caring for her now, you should be the one that owns her!

Good luck.

[danielle]

I would go get her while hes at work, lol, but then again that probably wouldn't go over too well so I guess you just have to hope he is doing a good job.

[Hydroxy]

Are you sure she's a female?? Males are on springtime hunger strike right now!

Well... when we bought her, she was being sold as a male. And then we went away over xmas and had her stay at someone elses house, and they had her mates check her and they said she was female.... seems to be a common thing with our pets, we bought a rabbit that was meant to be male but turned out to be female.... so no, I'm not sure she's a she! lol

apparently he thinks that people with snakes either never move or give the snakes up when they do.

his own words were that she'd be better off living with him, even though I disagree... I cared for her when we lived together, and now that I've moved out of the house and into alternative accommodation he won't let me have her. And then I'm moving to another city in May and he says she can't come with me cause she can't travel. He's being a typical male butthead...

I just don't know what to do, cause I can't really make sure she gets the best care possible if I can't look after her, he won't listen to me cause he thinks I think he can't look after her, and he's determined to prove me wrong, but he's not doing anything about it other than asking petstores for advice... and I don't trust petstores after seeing how alot of them keep their animals, not only reptiles!

[danielle]

Well she has weight to spare so no worries she'll eat when she's hungry and males do go off feed for 1-2 months over the spring right about at this snakes age so maybe she is a he and will eat once spring is done. When you move you can always get a new corn to love!

[Hydroxy]

what would her ideal weight be? or roundabouts?

[danielle]

I would guesstimate anywhere from 180-250 grams the later still being good sized for two. Think about it like this the rule for breeding is 3 years and 300grams so at two this one is pretty big probably. How often does she/he normally get fed and how much. I believe adults should be fed every 10-14 days 1-2 small mice.

[Hydroxy]

he's feeding her adults every seven days. Says he's following the Munson Plan..

[Hydroxy]

When I left her she was 176g, and that was mid september last year... I wonder how the hell he has managed to get her to put on nearly 205grams in 8 months.....

[Caryl]

Are you sure he actually DID get her to that size? Maybe he's just messing with your head. The Munson plan is excellent, and does indeed call for weekly feedings of animals that size. A healthy corn that size can go a couple of months without food, but I know you're frustrated by the situation. Do you think if you acted like you didn't care he'd let her go? Alternatively, what if you offered to pay for her? Just some thoughts. I hope things smooth out for you.

[Hydroxy]

Well... he weighed her when he was on the phone to me, and he said the reading was 428 ish... I don't see why he'd lie to me about it, as he knows it would worry the life out of me as I am really attached to her. If he did make it up then I'm gonna :fullauto: him, the bastard, lol.

I'm gonna have to have a serious chat with him, see what he's playin at. Cause he has made it painfully clear that I'm not getting her, he did say he might bring her by to mine for a visit tomorrow tho, so will have to have a quick look at her...

I dunno, I might sound like a peeved off ex, but I just really want what's best for the animal. And its frustrating that I can't do more for her...

Am gonna tell him to take her to a vet too, make sure she's female.

[Floof]

Well... he weighed her when he was on the phone to me, and he said the reading was 428 ish... I don't see why he'd lie to me about it, as he knows it would worry the life out of me as I am really attached to her. If he did make it up then I'm gonna :fullauto: him, the bastard, lol.

I'm gonna have to have a serious chat with him, see what he's playin at. Cause he has made it painfully clear that I'm not getting her, he did say he might bring her by to mine for a visit tomorrow tho, so will have to have a quick look at her...

I dunno, I might sound like a peeved off ex, but I just really want what's best for the animal. And its frustrating that I can't do more for her...

Am gonna tell him to take her to a vet too, make sure she's female.

Wow, that's... Disgusting! This guy is disgusting! Augh, you must be a MUCH more patient person than I am, because I would have already beat the crap out of him. Or tried to. With a baseball bat. Or a snake hook... Or, better yet, thrown my meanest snake on him! >=( Then, I'm sort of a violently unstable person in that respect.

I REALLY hope you can talk (or beat!) some sense into him!

And if you can't, hopefully he WILL take her to the vet...

I don't know if it's the same with all herp vets, but when I took my beardie in because I thought he had parasites, she had me answer a bunch of questions about my husbandry. She didn't do the same with my corn, but I think that was because the beardie's was obviously a husbandry problem (MBD, emaciated) and the corn's wasn't (smooshed tail). If the vet sees a problem with the weight (and the food refusal, actually), hopefully s/he will set him straight! And if he's listening to pet stores, he should be willing to listen to the vet.

[Hydroxy]

He came with her today, and I got to have a quick look at her..

She's almost 4ft long, and about an inch and a half in diameter. Her belly did feel a bit squishy but nothing major. The rest of her (sides and back) was hard like muscles tho. I couldn't see any "saddle bags" on her either...
I asked him again if he was sure about the weight, and he said yes. So apparently she does weigh 428g.
He refused to take her to a vet, said he didn't want to pay to have her sexed when a petstore did that for him for free last xmas, 2007, (when he turned into she), and he didn't see her not eating as a major problem.

She was very active in the transport viv as well as when I had her out. Constantly moving about and sniffing everything. When I put her back in the viv, she immediately went into her striking position and took aim for my finger outside the viv. She didn't strike but she did follow it when I moved it. So I told him she must be hungry, to which he replied that she doesn't eat when she's given food so he's now starving her for a month. And then he'll wait 3 weeks between feeds and then go down to 2 weeks.

At which point I got really frustrated and said that I'd take her myself, and that I'd look after her from now on, which was not received well.
I don't know, is the best thing to just let go and let him deal with it all on his own? Or should I keep on pestering him to make sure that she gets looked after properly?

*pulls hair out in frustration*

[danielle]

Honestly he's obviously keeping the snake to piss you off. The more you inquire, help, and feed in to his need for attention the happier your making him. I would wipe your hands clean of both of them, ignore all calls, or other types of communication. He may realize he has no power to piss you off, get bored of her, and give her back; or not but either way the more you show you care the more he will lap it up. He goes out of his way not to take your advice, brings the snake by to keep you interested, and seems to love telling you "you can't have her". Trust me I've been there- get a new snake and resist every urge to check in on her- there is something wonderful about having the last laugh and if you do this it will be all yours!!!

[Hydroxy]

ack, I was afraid you'd say that, lol.

I've been thinking about just cutting it all out of my life for a long time, because as you say, he seems to go out of his way to ignore my advice. Maybe ignorance is the best thing in this instance, and maybe he'll pull his together before it's too late..

Getting over her will be harder than getting over him... damn men.. I will def be getting another snake when I've settled in properly where I'm going in May.

Thanks for all the advice and support folks, it is as always greatly appreciated