New corn snake

Helloo

My mom just got me a corn snake for x-mas.and i have fallen in love with it. any way I have had him for 4 days now.and he will not eat.the last owner of him(a pet store)had written the dates that it had been fed.they were about a week apart.and since I have had it it will not eat.I have been giving it pinkys.but he has no interest in them.
What should I do?just wait it out.cause it could just be the the stress of a new enviroment. or should I put him in a smaller container with the pinky. The cage I have him in is really huge.
any help will be great.thanks

CORN HOLE E O

It could be , if your snake is in a really large tank, that its not warm enough.

Ideally , you need to set it up so it has a "hot end" at about 80-85 degrees fahrenheit on the surface of the substrate , and a cool end. See this thread ....

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=9124

Was the snake fed just before you brought him home? , if so you might be trying to feed him too early.

A smaller container might help as many people think that corns feel more secure in a smaller tank while theyre young (presuming that your snake is a baby )

Thanks

They had written on the top of the container, that the snake came in. The dates he was fed.the last being on the 19th of november and the 8th before that.so he is do for a eating soon. and It could be that the cage is too big.its a huge wooden one. But I have 3 lights on him. A uv light. a heat lamp and a aquraim lamp. but it could be that the heat is not staying in. I', going to try putting him in a smaller container.seee if he'll eat in there.

It will just be the stress of moving and him getting used to a new environment. leave him be for about 3 days (totally, don't even take him out-it's hard I know ) and that'll give him time to settle in. YOu should be feeding him in a separate container anyway to ensure he doesn't ingest any substrate. Just pop him in a small container with the mouse and put it somewhere warm (back in the viv if you like) and leave him for an hour. he should have eaten by then. Then leave him be for a couple of days after feeding to let him digest his food and things should be ok!

Ps you don't need a UV light for a corn.

Have fun with your new snake!

thanks so much

thanks so much.

I will try that out, and respond later,to let you know when he eats.thanks so much for your advice.


p.s. this message board is the best.

CORN HOLE-E-0

Good Luck

Hello all

I still can't get him to eat I have left him alone and not touched him for a few days now. to leave him to get used to his new enviroment. And everynight I put his food in .and he never even goes near it. I keep the lights on in the one end. so he has his hot side and cooler side. So tonight I put him in the smaller container.that he came in, with his pinkie,and he still will not look at it.
Is it ok to give it crickets? I was thinking that he might not Like the dead pinkies. or that it only wants live food. any help would be great. he hasn't eaten since the 19 of last month.I'm really worried. How long can they go with out food? he is still drinking lots.

Corn hole e o

No, don't offer him crickets.
When you say you're leaving the lights on all the time I take it they are night bulbs?? If they are normal bulbs put them off at night. Have you removed the uv light yet?

Also, what are your temps? Maybe they are a little too high or too low and that would explain the non feeding. Your snake can go without food for quite a while, less than a month is nothing to worry about. Mine didn't feed for over 6 months (but that is a bit drastic). If your snake still wont eat after two months take him/her to a vet for a check up. Good luck!

you could also try warming the pinky by putting it in hot water for a few seconds before feeding. Also try snipping the pinkys head slightly , just to let a bit of juice out.

My ghost used to be a really fussy eater , and the only way I could get him to eat was in a dark quiet room , warm pinky and leave it by his hide for a couple of hours on his own.

As rachel says , no way offer him crickets!!

You can always try lizard-scenting as well. And have you tried putting your snake and the pinky in a paper lunch sack? You would tape the bag shut and then put the bag back in the snake's enclosure with the lid closed (just in case the snake gets out of the bag).

And it's best to not offer him food every night. It will condition your snake to not eat...basically it will become a habit that is almost impossible to break! I would only offer food every 3-4 days.

How are you thawing the pinks, by the way? Good luck!

Your snake is either stressed or not warm enough. Usually really huge viv's with little itty bitty snakes means more ambient heat. A baby snake wants to hide all the time. Definately mostly on the cold side. Warming up the cold side of your viv' to about 75 deg. will not be too warm but will be warm enough untill your snake gets up the guts to make regular trips to the warm side. It usually only takes about two weeks of this before your snake is acclimated and can be put on a regular feeding regiment. Don't press the situation. It is pretty hard to starve a snake to death. Reduce the stress and slightly raise the ambient temp. of your cold side and pretty soon you will be shopping for rats to feed your zillacorn!!