adult acting strangely. Is this normal?

[Debsi]

I have had my adult cornsnake for 3 months now. She is 40 inches long, unsure of how old. She has been so easy to care for and hold. I usually put a large adult FT mouse in her viv and within seconds, she is out of her hide and eating. Two weeks ago she shed for the second time (a complete shed), I waited a couple of days past her weekly feeding to offer her a mouse. She sniffed around and refused. I waited another week, offered another meal and she refused. She also has be extremely active in her viv. For hours a day she is climbing up the sides, pushing on the cover. Her viv has remained constant, temps ranging from 75 to 85, aspen bedding. Is she going through a "stage"? Could something be wrong. Should I keep offering her a meal every week? Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[DAND]

Has she been alone? I have had some non-bred corns that produce eggs (slugs) displaying this pre-laying activity. Try allowing her to slide through your hands while placing your index finger on her belly as she is sliding through your touch. You may be able to feel if there is any egg developement.

I would still offer her meals, but I would suggest smaller ones.

 

[Dave123]

Yes, do what Dand said and also make sure she isn't ingesting any aspen when she is eating. Maybe you should put a smaller mouse in a seperate container for a while and see if she eats.

 

[MegF.]

Are you sure that she is not a he? Males typically go off feed and become more active at this time of year. Males have fooled people before. It's easy to mis-sex them.

 

[Nanci]

I have an adult, sex undetermined, that ate like clockwork (in a container) weekly for a year, then went off feed. I tried many things to get her to start again, and after six weeks she ate a fresh-killed mouse. She'd still refuse sometimes though and I _thought_ she was just wanting to be fed less frequently, like every 10-14 days. I'm re-evaluating that. I recently tried to get her to switch back to FT by thawing the mice and blowdrying them. (You wouldn't believe the looks I get when I am doing this!) She's taken three like that so far. But I am starting to think that what I interpreted as needing to be fed less often was really needing a lot of time and privacy to eat. I fed her a couple days ago, in her container, in the laundry room on the washer, with her container mostly covered, in the dark, with the door just cracked open, with the kitchen dark except for a small light under the cabinet. I checked her after a couple hours, and she was cruising around, looking tortured by having to stay in the container, (and in the old days I would have given up at this point, actually much sooner, and returned her to her viv and tried to feed again a week later) but I gave her one more hour and she ate. I wonder if all the previous refusals wouldn't have happened if I'd just out-waited her.

Nanci

 

[Debsi]

Actually, She could be a He. I only call her a she for the benefit of my children that wanted a girl snake. She has always eaten on a plastic plate in her viv. I have never taken her out to eat. She always comes immediately to the FT mouse and "sniffs" around and then leaves it alone. Her/his behavior does somewhat make me think of someone looking to mate. He acts desparate to get out! I'm also a little nervous to handle him because he hasn't eaten in 2 1/2 weeks now. I like my snake to be well fed. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[MegF.]

I'd lay money that your she is a he. My male went off feed for 3 months the first year, and 2 months after brumation last year. Don't worry about it. Offer every week or so and one time...boom...he'll eat!