Potential problem feeder

I acquired 3 new cornsnakes from the Columbia show on 4/23. I tried feeding each of the new corns for the first time 5 days after I first acquired them. My miami, who seems to have a bit of an attitude, eagerly ate his first meal and passed it with no problem. My free corn (that had the mite issues) also fed with no problems. My ghost corn, however, seems to have no interest in mice among other odd issues.


When I first held her when looking at her she was a beauty. She moved around and seemed alert and free of pests. So, I bought her. After I brought her home I noticed her behavior seems a bit...subdued. As compared to my 3 other corns she's either very docile, or something may be wrong with her. The first time I held her she didn't resist at all. Her tail hung down and when I put her in my hand she just laid there. My first fears were that something was wrong with her because she didnt' seem to move much. After more observation and seeing her move she doesn't seem to have any lack of muscle strength or ability to be active. I've witnessed her on numerous occassions exploring her viv just as actively as my others. The more odd things about her though: She doesn't really coil up like the others. She will sometimes stretch out in her hides and lay her head in strange positions. She's very easy to handle and doesnt' seem to be uncomfortable or try to run off. She seems like just a very very calm snake. The problem is, I haven't been able to get her to eat. Now, very bad me, I didnt' ask the guy I bought her from what she had been eating. After thinking more about it she might have been fed live mice, which could be part of the issue: I feed f/t. I've tried to feed her 3 times prior, and today is her 4th.

The first day I tried I moved her to my normal feeding cage. She seemed more obsessed with exploring the container than eating her food. I left her for about 20 minutes and found her just laying in the corner. I moved the mouse closer, even wiggled it in front of her and she seemed to shy away. She did, just once, put her mouth around the head of the mouse, suddenly stopped, and then removed her mouth. I left her in there about an hour and she didn't eat. I waited 3 days and tried again. This time, I cut the head off the mouse. Left her an hour and a half. Nothing. The third time I moved her to her small deli cup so she'd have nothing else to pay attention to. I made sure her mouse was smaller in case the last was too big. Nothing.

Today I'm trying again. I'm using a rather small pinky, definitely her size, and placing her in the deli cup with the mouse and some small cuts. THe mouse was warmed a bit in hot water before I put it in there.

So, my question(s): Has anyone see behavior like this one in their own corns? The slow, or no movement most of the time and normal behavior some of the time? Could there perhaps be some problem? What other methods to feed should I try?

Thanks in advance.

The obvious suggestion is to try feeding a live pinky in a deli cup in the viv under the hide.

If that doesn't work, you'll have to try scenting.

There might be a problem, but picking that out is going to be impossible.

The problem might be feeding outside of the viv. Some of my hatchlings are weirdos about that, so I feed them inside their viv by putting a pinkie in a deli cup. If you want, you might try using newspaper for a substrate and placing a live pinkie inside the viv, and place a towel over it.

If the snake was fed strictly on live pinkies, any change in the frozen ones might make her refuse to eat. If the temps are off a bit, she might refuse. It might not smell right, so she might refuse.

I'd honestly try feeding a live pinkie inside the viv. If that doesn't work, consult an expert.

Her behaviour sounds a lot like my 04 snow, Rosella. She's always been extra limp and lazy, laid back and sort of listless, doing everything you've described including laying stretched out with her head in weird positions. Never once shown fear to a human, Rosella is the one I always introduce people with a fear of snakes to since she's so mellow and pink. Sometimes I wonder if she doesn't have a neurological problem, but she's always been healthy with good muscle tone and active. Never had a problem with getting a feeding response, although when she eats it's a bit odd. Most of my corns strike at the prey, and snatch it back into their coils. I just hold a f/t pink out to her, she sniffs it, then she gingerly swallows it right from my fingertips. She never tags it or anything, but has never refused a meal.

Joe is right, possibly offering live to your girl might work if that's what she is used to. Hope this is helpful.

All 4 of my snakes have VERY distinct personalities, which I find fascinating. I have 1 guy, my male ghost Orion, who is out of his hide a LOT. He'll just lay stretched out across his tub! He's very docile and actually seems to like attention. My ghost girl is jumpy as anything, a VERY nervous girl! My crimson alternates between being totally psycho when I handle her to being totally nice. My normal male is in his hide almost all the time, yet when I handle him he is the nicest snake ever. They are all just very different, so I don't think you should worry too much about your girl acting "weird".

The eating thing I can't help you with a lot, tho you've got some great advice on that. I've actually never had an out-right refusal, tho I have had to re-warm a couple of pinks for Orion. It seems he will only eat them if they are pretty warm, while the others don't seem to care. On the other hand, Petunia (the crimson) will go crazy looking for her mouse and slither right over it time after time before she finally locates it and gobbles it down! I have no idea why she can't seem to find it . . . but it's a good thing she doesn't mind if it's cold. LOL They are all different!

Good luck, keep us posted!!!

Thanks for the info, folks. I tried leaving her in her deli cup with a pink overnight and placed the actual deli cup in her viv. I woke up this morning and she's in the same position I left her in last night. Doesn't seem to have even touched the mouse. I really REALLY hate to go to feeding her live mice because that's not something I'm willing to sustain for the duration of her life. Hopefully if that works she'll one day switch to f/t or we could have a problem. Making a guess on my own part though based on her behavior my instinct tells me a live pink isn't going to do the trick...in which case I'm pretty stumped.

Have you considered trying to 'tease-feed' her? I have used Kathy Love's method (in her book) with much success to 'jump-start' problem feeders....It has worked for me about 80% of the time....If you need instructions on how to do it, let me know.
Good Luck!!

If you mean holding her in one hand while wiggling the prey in the other..yes, tried that.

I had a similar situation earlier this year, and the snake ended up not eating and dying. I think my mistakes were handling the snake too much (don't handle it at all) and trying to feed too often. My temps also might have been a bit low.

I would try a live 'peach fuzzy' next time, and if that doesn't work, try to get ahold of a baby lizard and try feeding that. Also, put the food in the viv in the late afternoon and leave it there until the next morning. As a last resort, I've been told about something called the Pinky Pump, which is used for force feeding. I'm not sure where you'd get it, but maybe someone else here knows. Good luck.

Many baby snakes want live the first few times, but will usually switch to f/t after a little while. Sometimes the live pink is just more stimulating, and they haven't learned to go completely by smell yet. I have also had babies that were already feeding on f/t, but refused and held out for live after the stress of moving to a new home. But it didn't take too many meals for them to change back. You should always have a back up plan to get live pinks, even if the seller tells you they feed on f/t. You just never know what the stress of a new home will tell their little brains to do. But don't think that a few live will mean a lifelong commitment! Just get her eating anything, and you can switch later.

Sometimes actually cutting the f/t pink in half and putting both halves in the deli cup works. Sometimes you have to scent it with something, who knows what? Lizards, gerbils, rats, hamsters, deer mice, even bird scenting has worked for some. Maybe its little brain is hardwired for kangaroos, lol! Of course, if she does have some kind of medical problem, then all of this scenting and teasing will be for nothing. She most likely won't eat if she is not healthy.

You do have her in a separate cage with a hot spot, etc? Don't remember if you mentioned that already.

Good luck!

I don't know what type of viv you have her in, but a small Kritter Keeper is what has worked for me, as far as getting newly arrived hatchlings to eat. You also want to leave her alone, for the whole evening. No peeking in. The blue thing underneath about 1/4 of the small plastic tank is a heating pad that also heats another tank (on a very low setting, of course.) The coffee cup is kept about 1/3 to 1/2 full of water, and they usually will climb on it. Obviously this is not a long term solution, just a way to provide a small area for a small snake to find its food, especially if it is a questionable eater, as that snake in the picture might have been (but she ate just fine). I would use the 'keep it simple' philosophy and only have paper towels for a substrate and no separate container for the prey item.