Snake afraid of f/t mouse

So, I own two adult corns. One female, and one I believe is male. They are around the same age, kept in separate cages but same environment (temps, bedding, humidity). The only difference between the two is I got the female from a breeder and I got the (?)male from Petsmart. Perhaps that was my mistake. They didn't have any information on him, not even a hatch date.

With that being said, back in late April, the male cornsnake stopped eating. I didn't worry about it because I figured it might have been breeding season. Also, it's not the first time one of them refused food.

It is now August. He refuses to eat and he's obviously lost weight. I haven't changed how I heat the food, only how I present it. They got too big for their feeding cage so I started feeding them in their vivs. The female eats fine. I leave the mouse overnight and hers is gone. She poops and sheds and is at a healthy weight.

If it was just a husbandry issue, then I would think the female would've stopped feeding too.

Anyway, I tried to feed the male last night and he licked the mouse, flinched away, then darted. I left it in the tank overnight and it wasn't touched. He's never been fed a live mouse so I don't know where this fear is suddenly coming from. I've tried braining the mouse (though maybe I didn't do it quite right), heating the head with a hairdryer, I've put him in the feeding tank and covered it with a towel. Nothing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying so hard to be a good snake mom and I think I'll break down if he dies.

See if you can get access to quail chicks. Anything to get him started eating. Since he's losing weight, I'd start with just a day old chick.
You should also schedule a vet visit to make sure there's nothing going wrong internally.

If i was you i would double check everythink, and try to feed in 5-6 days, what was the last shed like? was it a full or partial

failing that i would take a trip to the vets just to be on the safe side...

Hope the lil fella gets better.

Okay, I just ordered some quail chicks. They'll be here in a couple days so I'll try it then.

If he doesn't eat it, I'll get a vet appointment. I'm really low on funds. Does anyone know what they typically charge for a check-up?

Also, his last shed was full. But I can't for the life of me remember when it was. Not that this is an excuse, but my friend died unexpectedly back in May and I was living in a haze I only recently crawled out of. My note taking skills have been lacking.

i have no idea what they will charge in the USA for a vet im in the uk so its different i give my corns day old chicks as a treat just to keep things different, sorry to hear about your freind! hope things get better !

Okay, I went ahead and scheduled a vet appointment for him on Monday. We'll see what happens.

Good luck let us know how you get on

Originally Posted by StayWithMeArienette

....... Anyway, I tried to feed the male last night and he licked the mouse, flinched away, then darted. I left it in the tank overnight and it wasn't touched. He's never been fed a live mouse so I don't know where this fear is suddenly coming from...........
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying so hard to be a good snake mom and I think I'll break down if he dies.

Just because the snake did not eat the mouse does not mean he's afraid of it. In fact I'll go on record right now and say he's not. There is something else going on.

He could be sick, internal parasites, infection, shed issues, temp issues, there are a lot of reason a snake may refuse food. Fearing the mouse is not likely to be it.

I'd take him to a qualified reptile vet.

Karl sometimes they do develop aversions though I definitely agree it's not likely in this case. But quail can get them started again. A vet visit is definitely a first order of business.
My Eugene refuses any and all mice in my care (he ate mice for his previous owner) but will eat quail and rats. And my snake Ratbait had a rodent aversion from years of being feed live rats while blind. If he smelled them he would jerk and flee. But he would take quail and time, scenting, and patience got him on f/t rats after 18 months.

Originally Posted by Shiari

Karl sometimes they do develop aversions though I definitely agree it's not likely in this case. But quail can get them started again. A vet visit is definitely a first order of business.
My Eugene refuses any and all mice in my care (he ate mice for his previous owner) but will eat quail and rats. And my snake Ratbait had a rodent aversion from years of being feed live rats while blind. If he smelled them he would jerk and flee. But he would take quail and time, scenting, and patience got him on f/t rats after 18 months.

Just got to say well done on the progress you made on Ratbait