bitsy

With eating so little, his gut flora will be low so even if he does eat, he may have trouble digesting (it's like the snake equivalent of our "good bacteria" that we hear so much about in the UK!). A supplement like Nutribac will help boost this.

Also, a general pick-me-up supplement like Critical Care Formula would be an idea - that'll provide some basic nutrients, vitamins etc.

Don't put them in his water both at the same time as you don't want to tax his kidneys. Try Nutribac one week, CCF the next week and plain water the third week (then keep repeating). The dosing instructions will come on the bottle/tub.

Well that poitns to him being an adult and a large mouse every two weeks sounds about right (that's what my adults eat).

However, the fact that he was eating reliably before you got him and isn't now, does seem to indicate that he's taken exception to some aspect of the setup or husbandry. Loss of appetite is one of the first indicators of stress in a Corn.

You need to have hides on both the warm and cool sides, so he can move between them and thermoregulate. If he isn't able to get to his preferred temperature and stay hidden, this might be affecting his ability to digest and so put him off eating. You can boost ground cover with plastic plants and foliage and cardboard cereal boxes make cheap disposable hides (at this stage I think aesthetics are the last thing on your mind!).

UV light is not necessary for Corn Snakes as they are not basking reptiles and get all their Vitamin D from their food instead of sunlight. My "quick fix" idea would be to switch it off. It shouldn't be contributing to heat in a major way and it might be stressing him to the point of putting him off his food.

Having the water bowl on the cool side is the best position for it, so that's good. They don't need "bathing facilities" per se as they rarely sit in the water. The bowl should be primarily for drinking water but big enough for them to sit in if he wants (if he spends a lot of time in the water bowl, this is generally an indication of a problem such as over-heating or mites).

35 degrees C (about 95 degrees F for our American colleagues), is really too high. try to get it down around 30 degrees C. 25 degrees C is about 75.2 degrees F, which is about right for the cool side.

I think there are others here who look after Corns kept in public places, so that shouldn't be a problem in itself. However, Corns are individuals, so it could be that he's more of a peace-loving guy and the noise and bustle are stressing him. Is there any chance you could take him home for a couple of months and see if he does better in a quieter environment? I know that schools spend a lot of their time empty and silent, but sudden bursts of sound and movement can sometimes be as disruptive as the constant type.


My only other idea would be to find a knowledgable reptile vet (please note - this isn't necessarily the same thing as a vet that tells you they can treat reptiles!) in your area and take him in for an overhaul. You might want to consider getting him tested for internal parasites.

Oh and another off-the-wall idea - do you know what happens with the school cleaners? Most domestic or industrial cleaning products are poisonous to Corns and if they're spraying the Mr Sheen or floor polish around near him (or even if it's just used close enough to be blown into the room where he is), then this might be a factor. Also considr the other types of fumes that can be wafting round a school, like chemicals from the labs, industrial glue from flooring or paint fumes from decorating work. Things that are innocuous to us might affect a Corn.