Any more ideas on how to get this little guy to eat?

My first post is a few threads down on the page... our baby corn still hasn't eaten. I tried feeding him today (a day early, I know) but he didn't want anything to do with the pinkie. I warmed it, brained it, dangled it in front of him, and when he showed no interest, I left him with it in a Mason jar inside his cage.... came back 2 hours later to find the snake had crawled out (and this was a TALL jar) and left the pinkie laying there.

We had pretty much left him alone to get used to the cage, then yesterday gave him a warm bath. I am wondering what else could we be doing wrong? The temp is right, humidity seems right, he has plenty of water, we're leaving him alone except for a warm bath here and there..... He has hides on both sides of the cage and a branch to climb on. Could his aquarium be too *big* for him at this size? He is in a 20 gallon *long* aquarium with a mesh lid.

Help! I'm getting worried and frustrated and we're really going through the pinkies! My son loves this little guy and I don't know how to get him to eat!

Thanks!

I haven't seen your previous thread, and I don't have the time to go check it out.

Is this the only way you've tried feeding him?

I think tease-feeding is the best way to go, if you haven't tried it already.


Has he eaten anything before? Lizards, anything?

I just need to know before I go off with all of my pointless suggestions.

-before I forget because I know I will-

How did the store feed him before you bought him? You should also try duplicating his previous eating environment so that he feels more comfortable and will know what to do.

When I first got Bentley he wasn't eating, and so I tried putting Bentley in the brown paper bag that the pinkie came in from the pet store (I"m sure it could just be a brown lunch bag etc) with the pinkie, folded the bag at the top so that he couldn't get out, put the bag on the warm side of the viv and then turn off any excess lighting you have and if it's still light, try putting a blanket over the viv so that its nice and dark. I checked on him a couple hours later and he had eaten it up. It works every time for me... just a suggestion...

We got him from Petco, and they said he ate f/t pinkies there, once a week. He was in a smaller enclosure, temp and humidity the same as what we have here. I've talked to the people at Petco several times, and we're doing exactly what they did, only he won't eat for us.

I've tried the tease feeding (what I understand it to be- dangling the f/t pinkie in front of him, making it move slightly, touching his body with it, waiting for him to strike it.) Also tried the brown paper lunch bag trick- even leaving him in the bag, in the cage, overnight. Nothing happened.

Shouldn't he be used to his viv by now, even though it is bigger than what he had at Petco? It's been about 3 weeks (2 weeks since shedding) since he's eaten.

Thanks for any help and advice!

Try to give him some break. Trying to feed him too often can make thing worse. Leave your snake for at least 4 days and then try again.
Besides if he ate earlier then he will eat in future. So don't worry too much.

Thanks to all of you for the advice. I'll let you know how it goes!

Originally Posted by Jay's Mom

Could his aquarium be too *big* for him at this size? He is in a 20 gallon *long* aquarium with a mesh lid.

yes

read this thread
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22478

Sounds like you've been trying pretty hard.

You'll have to wait and then keep trying, and in a few weeks you'll probably have to force feed him, but that's a last resort.

Corns are usually active at dusk, so try putting the smallest pinkie you can find in front of the entrance of his hidebox at sunset and leave it overnight. Don't come back until the next morning and see how it goes.

If his cage is big he might feel lost, so make sure the water source is near his hideout. It helps a lot if he is well hydrated. Make sure the temperature is in the mid 80s (F) and the cage has a high humidity. If you can mist his cage with warm water, I've heard that helps, but I've never actually had a problem like that before.

Keep us posted!

You should definitely try a LIVE pinky, and leave it for several hours in the dark before checking on it (probably best just to leave it overnight, undisturbed.) The fact that it may or may not have eaten f/t before is meaningless at this point.