Hey there! I have a baby coral corn snake, named Medusa. She is adorable and I have had her since last Tuesday. She has not eaten in a almost two weeks. I have tried several methods from friends with snakes and petsmart. Still no eating. She doesn't look to be shedding and I hold her 2 to 3 times a day for about ten minutes. when I try to feed her I don't hold her. She is in a 20 gallon tank with a Under tank Heater and has proper lights. I have correct temps according to all the thermometers. Tons of hiding spots although she only hides in one spot. Is there anyone to help if I am doing something wrong. she is very inactive and doesn't seem to want to eat!!!!
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Beginner with a BABY SNAKE! HELP
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RobbiesCornField
Bring it on.
I would say leave her alone for a bit to get more acclimated. You'll only stress her out if you don't let her settle in to the new environment. Don't hold her, even though you'll want to. What are the temperatures you have her at? If there's lighting and a UTH, it's possible that it's too hot in there for her. Are the thermometers up on the tank wall, or probes in the substrate?
I have one thermometer and it says it is 80 degrees in there. the pet store told me to put the heater and light on the same side because she wasn't moving unless I picked her up. I would leave for work and come back and she would still be in the same spot. It is on the wall. How long do you think that it will take her to get used to her new home. She is the same colors as the snake in your pic but a less then 12 inches. I am just scared i have never had a snake and I want to make sure I am taking proper care of her. If i leave her alone will she bite later?
RobbiesCornField
Bring it on.
Wall/air temperatures don't matter as much as the ground temperature, where your snake will be. It's entirely possible that the UTH is overheating the ground, causing her to want to be as far away from it as possible. Do you have the UTH on any sort of regulator (something that will turn it on or off, based on the temperature of a thermometer probe)?
You can leave her alone for days, or even weeks at a time (except for feeding and watering) and she'll still be friendly.
You can leave her alone for days, or even weeks at a time (except for feeding and watering) and she'll still be friendly.
NO I went to the pet store and they said the one I had was great! So I listened to them. She stays on the side with the heater. Is there a name for that kind of thermometer that I should look for? Should she feel cold. Do you have recommendations for feeding her. This coming Wednesday would be the second week she hasn't eaten. When should I be worried?
AliCat37
Michelle's Candied Corns!
First, congrats on the new baby! You've already gotten great advice. First things first, turn off your UTH. You are likely cooking your new baby! She should feel cool to the touch, because a good temperature for a corn is 85 degrees, our bodies run much warmer. You'll need to go out and buy a thermostat- this will control the temperature for the UTH, without it, the UTh will reach temps over 130 degrees- 40 degrees higher than the safe maximum temp for your baby. You should get a digital thermometer with a probe, you can pick one up at a home improvement store for about $10. You will attach this probe inside the tank, under the substrate, over the UTH. It is important that this is where the temp reads 85-89. Usually it is recommended that the temperature here reads 85. Since your corn snake can burrow, and probably will, the temperature of the glass is what matters. I recommend that the glass temp is around 89 because my corns don't seem to burrow too much and stay on top of the aspen. Once you have your thermostat (there are some on Amazon for about $35- those are the cheapest I have found) you will not have to use your lights. Using lighting and UTH is over kill, and lights are not the best way to heat your corn. Lighting can dry out the air a LOT and cause poor sheds, and the hiding behavior you see. They are nocturnal, so the UTH is all they need. Snakes can go quite a while without eating, even the young ones. I suspect that if you leave her alone completely for about a week after you get your temperatures corrected that you will see her eat. It is also possible that you've stressed her out by offering food too much. If she refuses to eat one day, wait 5-7 days to offer food to her again. I have found that slitting the mice up the backs really gets my babies going in a feeding frenzy. Offer her the pinkie when it is dark, I would place her inside a plastic sandwhich box with the pinkie and place her inside her cage (in the box) and leave her over night with it. Good luck!
RobbiesCornField
Bring it on.
Sorry, I was busy at work, and didn't have a chance to respond right away, but it looks like Ali has you covered!
RobbiesCornField
Bring it on.
Unplug the UTH now, for the reasons Ali said. The UTH is more likely to burn/cook your snake than the light is, at the moment. The lethargy might be due to either stress, or overheating.
rosewood
Dedicated Reptile Lover
That is a matter of opinion, some say over night, others a couple of hours. Personally its not something that has ever worked for me. I have heard of it working very well for lots of people but every time I have tried, no dice! So dont be too worried if she doesnt take it, if she does yay!
How often are you trying to feed her? Offering prey items too often can put a snake off of food for even longer, offer every 5-7 days and you should be safe.
When are you offering food? Night time is when they are most active and most likely to accept a meal.
How are you offering the food? A snake will react better to a hot/warm mouse then a cold one. Try dangling the mouse close to the snake (but dont force it out of hiding, leave her be), if nothing happens leave the mouse at the entrance of the snakes hiding place over night, toss out the mouse if it is still there in the morning.
Also, this is the hard part, dont start to hold the snake again until it starts eating! Holding the snake as often as you were before it was acclimated properly is probably what has put her off food. It is the main mistake I see novice keepers make right along with heating but it sounds like you will have that figured out soon
Once she starts eating take is slow, hold once a week for a couple of weeks, then twice, so on so forth but never hold the day of or the day after a feeding until she has grown some.
Scenting the mice has worked well for me in the past. I have dipped the mouse in tuna water with great success starting troublesome hatchlings, where that failed usually rat scent would prevail.
Hope this helps!
How often are you trying to feed her? Offering prey items too often can put a snake off of food for even longer, offer every 5-7 days and you should be safe.
When are you offering food? Night time is when they are most active and most likely to accept a meal.
How are you offering the food? A snake will react better to a hot/warm mouse then a cold one. Try dangling the mouse close to the snake (but dont force it out of hiding, leave her be), if nothing happens leave the mouse at the entrance of the snakes hiding place over night, toss out the mouse if it is still there in the morning.
Also, this is the hard part, dont start to hold the snake again until it starts eating! Holding the snake as often as you were before it was acclimated properly is probably what has put her off food. It is the main mistake I see novice keepers make right along with heating but it sounds like you will have that figured out soon
Once she starts eating take is slow, hold once a week for a couple of weeks, then twice, so on so forth but never hold the day of or the day after a feeding until she has grown some. Scenting the mice has worked well for me in the past. I have dipped the mouse in tuna water with great success starting troublesome hatchlings, where that failed usually rat scent would prevail.
Hope this helps!