Adult corn feeding problem. Urgent.

I have two adult corns and two babies - of the four of them three are voracious eaters - with the adults on medium mice, and the babies just transferred to fuzzies (and isnt that a change - they're huge in comparison to pinkies.)

The problem is with Phantom - my ghost corn female. I cant get her to eat whatever I try and shes starting to get weaker. I have tried splitting the two of them up but that doesnt help. I have tried feeding mice that have been thawed in warm water, hot water - or thawed naturally. No joy. I have tried thawed mice that are then heated to body temperature (hairdryer) and she wont take them either. I have tried a fuzzie, I have tried it cut. I dont have any clue what else to do. Shes quite small - about 3ft long all in all.

Shes active if I hold her and she'll sit in my hand and slither about the room but shes so slow compared to flamenco - the male - that its almost painful to watch.

I have listened for the signs of breathing problems - nothing that I can hear and I have phenominal hearing. she seems completely disinterested in the food whatever I try. So far as I can tell she is defecating properly.

I know shes been bred by the male but I cant see her getting gravid at all and there is no evidence of any eggs - so I dont think its egg binding syndrome. Her belly is soft and I cant feel any masses anywhere, not that its particularly easy to tell.

I put a mouse in with her last night in a separate vivarium - left her overnight and she didnt touch it - just carefully pushed it to one side of her under the hide and curled up...

Im at my wits end here, its like shes slowly fading away, and I cant think of anything left to try - anyone have any suggestions?

How long has it been since Phantom has eaten?

I have had her just over the month - and in that time she has accepted one feed of 4 pinkies (because that was all I had available) - other than those she wont accept anything @ all

Braining has worked for me: poking a toothpick through the eye socket of the mouse, then squeeze a little so that brains come out. Gross, but snakes love the smell. After braining the mouse, I just kinda bump the snake in the mouth with the mouse until the snake gets irritated and strikes. Or starts mouthing the mouse.
But, different things work for different snakes...

Have you tried offering her pinkies again? Since she ate those once, she might eat those again.

But, remember that adult corns can go a long time without eating. So far she has gone less than a month, and I bet she can survive at least another couple of months.

If she is acting weak, she might have something medically wrong with her. You may want to take her to a vet if you are concerned. But, if you think she is alright medically, just continue to offer her food at regular intervals (remember not to offer food too often)

I have heard of snakes being stubborn and not eating during breeding season, maybe that's what's wrong with her.

Going without feeding for 3 weeks shouldn't affect a healthy adult corn to the point of making it weak, my adult males get fed ar 3 or 4 week intervals. Have you weighed her? Without tracking her weight you won't really have an accurate idea of how she's affected.
The most common reasons for an adult non-feeding are related to the snake being ;
a male in breeding mode
a gravid female
temps too high or too low
lack of security because of over-handling or lack of hides

I'd go with feeding pinkies as well, if thats all she'll eat. It's an expensive option, but if she's really going downhill (and truly you'll be the only one who knows), then it has to be better than nothing. Maybe you could try h with a fuzzy at the same time as offering pinkies?

If you really do feel that she's fading, then I'd definitely take her to a vet for a checkup in your place. If nothing else, she could get a calcium shot, which my vet uses as a pick-me-up (and which can sometimes work wonders). I agree that going without food for a month really won't affect a healthy adult - even one on a breeding season strike (which is unusual in a female). I'd have thought there must be something more going on.

Maybe run through Janine's checklist and make sure her conditions are ideal, before spending money on a vet.

Do you have any idea of what she was eating and how often, before you got her?

And as she's been mated, do you have a laying box in with her, just in case? It doesn't really sound like she's gravid, but some can conceal eggs very effectively.

Cohabbing could also be causing her stress, shes living with the male, right? You said you tried splitting them up, how long did you split them up for? It can take some time for them to relax after prolonged stress; try housing her alone for a few weeks and see if you can get her eating then.

URGENT

Well, the cohabbing issue is solved for the moment - flamenco forced the glass panel on the front of the vivarium and has disappeared. I cant find him in the flat anywhere - I have looked outside and cant see him there either - he hasnt been on the road because he would most likely have been hit by a car and I have been up and down it and he hasnt.

Worst of all I had just fed him so hes not going to be hungry for a while so tempting him out with food is not going to work. Hes a full grown adult snake around 4.5 - 5 feet long so I dont think he could have gotten out of the flat with a full belly..

Anyone have any suggestions as to finding him?? Im really worried about him getting out since its waaay too cold outside for him at the moment. The other thing that worries me is if hes gotten trapped in something and cant get out...

would I hear him if he was moving about in the flat and would he be likely to go outside even if it was cold out?

You won't hear him. The best thing to do is make sure your flat has as little on the floor as possible, and then leave small piles of things in warm areas. Check those regularly, and behind and underneath all furniture.

Most often they don't go very far at all. The farthest away I've found an escapee has been about 15 feet.

As to the earlier problem: If you've only had the snake for a month, split them up and returned them to the same viv, the split up was nowhere near long enough. It took Ferenea over a month to eat after I stopped cohabbing her.

Shiari said:

As to the earlier problem: If you've only had the snake for a month, split them up and returned them to the same viv, the split up was nowhere near long enough. It took Ferenea over a month to eat after I stopped cohabbing her.

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Oh, so you were still co-habbing anyway. So add that to the reasons why she isn't eating. It's a shame your pets are having to go through this learning curve with you. Corns can be co-habbed successfully, it's more common over here and on the continent to keep them in larger vivs, but it doesn't seem to be working out for you, but then of course you must realise that by now?

diamondlil said:

Oh, so you were still co-habbing anyway. So add that to the reasons why she isn't eating. It's a shame your pets are having to go through this learning curve with you. Corns can be co-habbed successfully, it's more common over here and on the continent to keep them in larger vivs, but it doesn't seem to be working out for you, but then of course you must realise that by now?

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Actually no. I had separated them. But I should have paid more attention to his attempts to get out of the vivarium that he was in and I didnt realise how strong and persistant he was. He eventually managed by dint of much rubbing at the glass to shift it enough to get his nose between it and the wood and that was him gone.

I have put Phantom in there for the moment on her own since its the bigger of the viv's I own - but she still doesnt seem to be thriving so I am probably going to end up losing that one another way... such is life I guess.

Ive looked through the room the snake was in thoroughly, but its open to the hall and two other rooms and at least one of those I cant examine fully because I cant get at things.

will have to wait and see I guess

Be patient, adult corns are surprisingly good at hiding, but with a full belly he shouldn't go too far. Look up on top of wardrobes etc as well as under and on things, along the top of curtain rails too, they are good climbers.

When one of my snakes escaped, she was in the bookshelf, behind some books, about 5 feet away. Another time, she was in the closet, about 10 feet away.
Check out cramped, dark places. He probably won't go far, or outside. I bet he is somewhere real close.

Again, if you are worried about your female, take her to the vet.
A snake shouldn't be loosing energy after less than a month of not eating.

Cohabbing=stress=not eating....
also,
moving a snake from cohabbing to its own viv=stress=not eating
(they are sensitive little things, huh?)

But, not eating wouldn't account for weakness.
Neither would stress, unless there is something else wrong with her.

Good luck on finding your guy!

I would suggest closing the door and shoving something under the door of the room his cage is in, since he is probably still in the room and at least you can keep him there.

If you're saying you put the non-eater into the escapee's tank....that's another move and more stress. When you find him, she'll be moved yet again. She should just stay in the tank she was in. But her not eating for such a short period is really a non-issue. Relax! Snakes do have different personalities and activity levels, but if you really think she's not well, take her to a vet.

I believe that each new setting you put your snake in, you need to give them time to adjust just like you should when you first get your snake. If you are moving your snake from viv to viv it is probably stressing her out and thus she is not eating.

Several changes could well be a factor here. Some Corns don't take kindly to change - my old male goes on a hunger strike if I move him to a new viv. It takes him months to settle again.

If you have a Corn like that then she'll behave as though she's a new arrival in each new home. Hiding away/looking frantically for a way out (depending on inividual habit), being more nervous and going off food. You need to treat her as though she's a new arrival each time - no handling or disturbance and hold off on feeding for a while. You might even consider putting an old towel or some newspapr over the glass part, to avoid her being disturbed by movement outside the tank.

It could be that yours has compounded the stress of being separated (they have to change their behaviour in order to cohab, so separation does involve a period of adjustment) with the stress of tank moves.

In your place, I'd leave her absolutely alone (apart from spot cleans and water changes) for at least ten days - no handling and no attempted feeds. She needs absolute peace to adjust to surroundings and the lack of the other snake. I'm not saying that she "misses" the other snake, just that she needs time to realise that she no longer has to compete for the optimum heat spot, hide etc.

I wouldnt have believed it if I hadnt seen it...

two days ago im in the bedroom reading before going to bed and hear something fall in the front room... I go into the front room and what do I see trying to get back into the vivarium but flamenco...

I swear I had all the furniture out in the lounge, kitchen - had the panels off the bath - had the dryer apart - no snake... all the chairs, under any piles of clothes or other bits like old bike tyres... couldnt find hide nor scale of him... and he wanders back...

Hes taken to curling up in the water bowl, but I think thats because I have to fine tune the heat lamp at the moment - its acting a little screwy - but he seems perfectly happy.

The lock is now securely on the vivarium and will remain so - he is a real escape artiste.

really glad he's back safe - was really worried!

Now all I have to do is fill in alot of government forms and get some bits so I can get my bike back on the road....

Congrats on the find! Is the other snake eating yet? Are they still living together?

So does this mean there are now 2 corns, one with feeding issues, in a vivarium with unstable temperatures? Do you have a pulse-proportional thermostat for the bulb?