Hi, all. I am new to the forum and new to being a snake owner. I got my amel hatchling this past Sunday from a chain pet store. I just checked out a book today on corn snakes (by Philip Purser) -- that's how I found this forum.
Indy, (the snake) appears to be healthy enough. I have no clue how old he is. I think the kid at the pet store said they'd had this batch a couple of weeks and Indy is about a foot long. There is one discoloration on his belly that the kid at the pet store said was where you could see his last meal moving through. I believed him because I've never had a snake before and had no clue. It hasn't moved a bit since Sunday and I was reading in this book that discoloration can be a sign of poor health.
Also, we were told that he (or maybe he's a she!) ate on Sunday because that's when they feed all the snakes. Then, the kid admitted that he had no idea whether or not Indy had actually eaten. Since we weren't sure and since the kid said they only feed them once a week, we tried on Monday to feed him. He wouldn't eat, so we tried again today. Still no dice, even though we left him alone with the pinkie for several hours. I did not try covering him up with a towel (just read that in the FAQs), so I may try that next time. I did try dangling the pinkie around trying to get him interested. That didn't work either.
I'm feeding him in a small, plastic "critter keeper." I did thaw the pinkie in warm water. Since Indy was in the critter keeper, I'm guessing the temp was the same as that in the house -- around 73-75 degrees.
Any suggestions? I've become quite attached to the little guy already, so I really want to make sure he's eating and healthy. I'd love some advice! Thanks!
~Kris
Indy, (the snake) appears to be healthy enough. I have no clue how old he is. I think the kid at the pet store said they'd had this batch a couple of weeks and Indy is about a foot long. There is one discoloration on his belly that the kid at the pet store said was where you could see his last meal moving through. I believed him because I've never had a snake before and had no clue. It hasn't moved a bit since Sunday and I was reading in this book that discoloration can be a sign of poor health.
Also, we were told that he (or maybe he's a she!) ate on Sunday because that's when they feed all the snakes. Then, the kid admitted that he had no idea whether or not Indy had actually eaten. Since we weren't sure and since the kid said they only feed them once a week, we tried on Monday to feed him. He wouldn't eat, so we tried again today. Still no dice, even though we left him alone with the pinkie for several hours. I did not try covering him up with a towel (just read that in the FAQs), so I may try that next time. I did try dangling the pinkie around trying to get him interested. That didn't work either.
I'm feeding him in a small, plastic "critter keeper." I did thaw the pinkie in warm water. Since Indy was in the critter keeper, I'm guessing the temp was the same as that in the house -- around 73-75 degrees.
Any suggestions? I've become quite attached to the little guy already, so I really want to make sure he's eating and healthy. I'd love some advice! Thanks!
~Kris