Not eating

[360EvoChris]

i have a female corn snake which refuses to eat, its the same snake from the thread Snake with no tongue but she does have a tongue but doesnt use it. every time i have tried to feed her she just refuses all the time i have tried leaving her over night with a pinkie she still didnt eat it, i have tried separating her from the other two males and she doesnt eat. she has been force fed but once she regurged a rat tail but she keeps the pinkies down, i still have her separated just incase she will start to eat but if she doesnt eat then what else could i try??:shrugs:

[BobbyHill]

Check your temperatures. They cause most of the feeding problems I've run across.

[360EvoChris]

Well when she was with the other 2 corn snakes she didnt eat but the other too did eat every time

[BobbyHill]

Well when she was with the other 2 corn snakes she didnt eat but the other too did eat every time

I hope this is a joke. Just in case it's not...

This is exactly why we say co-habitation of snakes is bad. Your snake is too stressed out by living with other snakes, which is why it's not eating. Separate it into a different viv immediately, and then try feeding after a couple days.

[360EvoChris]

yeah i have had her separated for a month now but she still didnt eat

[danielle]

Only attempt to feed once a week, don't handle her, and kep her separat forever. She'll eat she's just stressed:)

[BobbyHill]

So, I'm not sure if this was ACTUALLY addressed. What are the temperatures in the viv?

[Susan]

I briefly went to your thread about the snake with no tongue to see if you mention the age of the snake, but I didn't get past the fact that you purchased this snake, plus another one, the beginning of September and you put them in the viv with the corn you already have. You have separated this one from the others, but you have done nothing but ask for trouble since you made that purchase. If the 2 new snakes are ill (which this one might be if it isn't eating and has regurged at least once), you have already infected your first snake. You may just end up losing all of them.

You need to try a variety of food for this snake...F/T pinky, live pinky, scented (lizard, tuna, chicken)pinky, washed pinky (to remove all scent), brained pinky, in a small container (if a hatchling, a deli cup is perfect), etc. Always leave the snake with the meal over-night and undisturbed. Offer every 5-7 days, no more frequently.

[danielle]

What about mouth rot? Reduced tongue flicking and not eating is definitely a sign and reason to go to the vet.

[ZoologyGirl]

Have you tried live?

I was having a hard time with my 09 golddust stripe. He ate frozen for me once...but refused everytime thereafter. After about 3 weeks of refusals I tried live and it took him about an hour but he finally decided to eat it. Now he is eating live like a champ, within 5 seconds of giving it to him he will go after it. I will be trying to switch him over to F/T in the future, but for now I am just happy he is eating with zeal.

[360EvoChris]

Live feeding is banned in the UK :( The tempurature is between 75F-78F

[BobbyHill]

Live feeding is banned in the UK :( The tempurature is between 75F-78F

That temperature is a little cool for the warm side. You want to shoot for about 10 degrees warmer.

Is there seriously a law mandating how you feed your pets? Ugh, nanny states.

[bitsy]

Live feeding is banned in the UK

Actually, live feeding is not specifically illegal in the UK as there's no law which explicitly covers it.

It has been suggested that laws covering "causing unnecessary cruelty" could potentially be applied to anyone feeding live food to an animal, but this has never been legally tested in the courts as no case has ever been brought.

Your best approach is to ensure that you have no other alternative than feeding live (defrosted or fresh-killed is better with Corns anyway) and you don't make a big deal of buying live food and draw unwanted attention to yourself.

[360EvoChris]

Oh really? well i will give it a go they sell adult mice for £2.95 at my local pet store so i could try feeding her live then :)

[360EvoChris]

but my parents disagree they say "no were not having killing in this house!"

[bitsy]

Just don't tell them in the shop that this is why you're buying them, and don't go to the same place every week!

Are you sure that you have no alternative? Adult mice can do a lot of damage to a Corn.

[360EvoChris]

Woops i meant i could buy the adult mice then breed them and feed her live pinkies but like i said my parents disagree

[Vinman]

Actually, live feeding is not specifically illegal in the UK as there's no law which explicitly covers it.

It has been suggested that laws covering "causing unnecessary cruelty" could potentially be applied to anyone feeding live food to an animal, but this has never been legally tested in the courts as no case has ever been brought.

Your best approach is to ensure that you have no other alternative than feeding live (defrosted or fresh-killed is better with Corns anyway) and you don't make a big deal of buying live food and draw unwanted attention to yourself.

Good info, someone did their homework:dancer::dancer::dancer:

[Asbit]

I tend to agree with the others that you need to keep all the snakes separate for ever! As well as get the temps in her viv stabilized between 85-88 on the warm side, that is ideal for thermoregulation and digestion. Some corns will not eat without optimal temps. Do not handle except to attempt feeds every 5-7 days until you can get her to feed. And yes a vet trip may be in order to get a fecal done and rule out parasites.