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Baby corn snake not eating?

alduin--snake

alduin--snake

New member
Last week I got my new snow corn snake Alduin, he is 2-3 months old and has just finished shedding; I've allowed him to settle in the best he can and yet he still hasnt' eaten and he was due for feeding last Friday but was shedding. Naturally I've looked online and even invested in a book about corn snakes. I've brained the pinky mouse and have cut it open so that he may smell and taste the brains... But, he still hasn't eaten! I'm getting worried... Any tips?
 
When my peppermint refused to eat I washed the pinky off with Dawn soap and he's been eating ever since. Maybe try that, you can also sent the pinky with anole skin.
Also, if hes on the closer side to 3 months he may need fuzzies?
 
make sure temps are right. Incorrect temps make fussy corn snakes.

Also, a snake that is about to shed or is shedding or has recently shed may not eat. (I just went through that with my snake). If shedding is the case (you said he just shed) wait a week and try to feed again. In my case I waited 4 days and then Rufus started eating again.

Also as stated above, your snake may not want pinkies. You should weigh your snake. At 3 months old my snake was already on Hoppers. Not saying your's is, but if it's 2 or 3 months old it could be up to bigger mice. You won't know that unless you weigh the snake and follow the Munson Feeding plan which is based on the weight of the snake along with the weight of the mice being fed.
 
PeppCorinder said:
When my peppermint refused to eat I washed the pinky off with Dawn soap and he's been eating ever since. Maybe try that, you can also sent the pinky with anole skin.
Also, if hes on the closer side to 3 months he may need fuzzies?
Click to expand...

I've done everything remotely possible, and he's still not eating. And, I don't know if he is since I can't weigh him. Plus, he's a tiny little thing! I was told by the seller two weeks ago he was two months and he said he was eating pinkies... I'm at a loss of what to do and i'm getting worried.
 
Look for options -

Option 1 - can you post some pictures of the snake? Some of us may be able to tell by the way he looks what his age is or if he's malnourished or not

Option 2 - Can you post pictures of his living arrangements. We may spot something you need to correct

Option 3 - Can you take him back to the seller? Maybe get your money back or exchange him for another snake.

You stated above: "I've done everything remotely possible, and he's still not eating. And, I don't know if he is since I can't weigh him........"
(That sentence is confusing and doesn't make a lot of sense.) Are you saying he's definitely not eating or you don't know if he is? And why can't you weigh him?

Option 4 - Get a scale. Most of us know what our snakes weigh.

And finally,

Option 5 - you can force feed a snake, but if you don't know how, take him to a vet
 
Karl_Mcknight said:
Look for options -

Option 1 - can you post some pictures of the snake? Some of us may be able to tell by the way he looks what his age is or if he's malnourished or not

Option 2 - Can you post pictures of his living arrangements. We may spot something you need to correct

Option 3 - Can you take him back to the seller? Maybe get your money back or exchange him for another snake.

You stated above: "I've done everything remotely possible, and he's still not eating. And, I don't know if he is since I can't weigh him........"
(That sentence is confusing and doesn't make a lot of sense.) Are you saying he's definitely not eating or you don't know if he is? And why can't you weigh him?

Option 4 - Get a scale. Most of us know what our snakes weigh.

And finally,

Option 5 - you can force feed a snake, but if you don't know how, take him to a vet
Click to expand...

I'll post a picture tomorrow since it's late where I am. But, I mean he is quite active and acting normal. I do have scales but I think he's too small/light to way anything of pure significance. I have cleaned the pinky and such but it doesn't seem to be working.
 
if he is 2 or 3 months old, he should be approximately 15 to 18 inches long and weigh 10 to 25 grams.

You would not be the first person a seller has lied to about age and feeding.

If your snake is less than 15 inches long, I'd speculate he's only a few days or weeks old. (Corn snakes are typically 9 to 12 inches long at hatch).

It's always best to wait and purchase a snake that is at least several weeks old and has fed a minimum of 2 times with no problems. Of course just because a seller tells you, "Yeah, he's 2 months old and he eats pinkies" doesn't make it so.

If you bought him from a seller that has a good reputation for raising and selling healthy baby snakes, then he will probably work with you on the problem. If he's "Not" willing to work with you on the problem, then I'd be willing to bet he either has no reputation at all, or he has a bad one. Either way, you have a snake that won't eat.

I'd double check everything. Temps @ 85 hi, 75 low, 2 hide boxes - 1 on each side, fresh water daily, no pine or cedar in the cage, and measure and weigh the snake.

Pinkies are for snakes at or below 15 grams. Above 15 grams you feed double pinkies, and above 24 grams you feed fuzzies.
 
alduin--snake said:
I'll post a picture tomorrow since it's late where I am. But, I mean he is quite active and acting normal. I do have scales but I think he's too small/light to way anything of pure significance. I have cleaned the pinky and such but it doesn't seem to be working.
Click to expand...

There is no such thing as a corn snake that is too small to be weighed. You do need to have a digital scale that weighs in grams. I also weigh the frozen thawed mice I feed my snake. If a 2 or 3 gram pinky can be weighed, your snake can be weighed. If you need help with weighing ask and we can give details.
 
Still not eating? If all else fails I would force feed him a mouse tail. No, it isn't all that nutritious but it might offer a few calories and keep him alive. More important ... it could jump start the feeding process. That is, the next attempt to feed might be successful. Also, here is the scale I got through Amazon. They are not expensive and very accurate. **Click Ozeri Pro**
 
Karl_Mcknight said:
if he is 2 or 3 months old, he should be approximately 15 to 18 inches long and weigh 10 to 25 grams.

You would not be the first person a seller has lied to about age and feeding.

If your snake is less than 15 inches long, I'd speculate he's only a few days or weeks old. (Corn snakes are typically 9 to 12 inches long at hatch).

It's always best to wait and purchase a snake that is at least several weeks old and has fed a minimum of 2 times with no problems. Of course just because a seller tells you, "Yeah, he's 2 months old and he eats pinkies" doesn't make it so.

If you bought him from a seller that has a good reputation for raising and selling healthy baby snakes, then he will probably work with you on the problem. If he's "Not" willing to work with you on the problem, then I'd be willing to bet he either has no reputation at all, or he has a bad one. Either way, you have a snake that won't eat.

I'd double check everything. Temps @ 85 hi, 75 low, 2 hide boxes - 1 on each side, fresh water daily, no pine or cedar in the cage, and measure and weigh the snake.

Pinkies are for snakes at or below 15 grams. Above 15 grams you feed double pinkies, and above 24 grams you feed fuzzies.
Click to expand...

I just measured him and he's around 12 inches long. So, seems i've been duped... I'm going to take him to a local pets store and see what I can do. Thanks for your help guys.
 
alduin--snake said:
I just measured him and he's around 12 inches long. So, seems i've been duped... I'm going to take him to a local pets store and see what I can do. Thanks for your help guys.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. There is no sure way to tell age from size. He may just be growing slowly, especially if he is not eating well. I think "duped" is a little strong. I think a vet would do more good than a store.

Also weight is much more important than length because prey size is based on weight. I don't even know how long my corn snake is, but I do know she is 15 grams. When I've seen her stretched out I think she is 18 inches, but it is just a guess. My snake is 2 months and 11 days old. She is eating one 3 gram pinky every 5 days.
 
DollysMom said:
Not necessarily. There is no sure way to tell age from size. He may just be growing slowly, especially if he is not eating well. I think "duped" is a little strong. I think a vet would do more good than a store.

Also weight is much more important than length because prey size is based on weight. I don't even know how long my corn snake is, but I do know she is 15 grams. When I've seen her stretched out I think she is 18 inches, but it is just a guess. My snake is 2 months and 11 days old. She is eating one 3 gram pinky every 5 days.
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There's a reptile specialist at my local pets store; and there is no vet in my area that knows a lick about reptiles. Plus, at the pets store they can weight him for me... So, I'll have to wait and see when I get there.
 
Duped is a strong word, but that's exactly what happened.

There is no way his snake is 2 1/2 months old. It would be dead by now if it had not eaten any time in it's life, and if it had been eating (even just 2 or 3 times) it would be bigger than a hatchling.

His snake is just slightly larger than birth, in fact some corn snakes come out of the egg as big as his. Either his snake is not growing at all or it's only a few days old.

Either way, he was lied to by the person who sold it to him.

I'm sorry for my bluntness, but it is what it is.
 
alduin--snake said:
There's a reptile specialist at my local pets store; and there is no vet in my area that knows a lick about reptiles. Plus, at the pets store they can weight him for me... So, I'll have to wait and see when I get there.
Click to expand...

No point in going to a vet that has no experience in reptiles. Be careful of these "reptile specialist" especially at big box pet stores. They can be specialists in title only.

One of the first things I do with any non or slow feeder is to reduce the amount of STRESS on him/her.

A snake can be still at hatch weight and length even after a few months if it is eating sporadically. As an example I have a yearling beauty snake that hatched out at 14g that stayed at 12g for 4+ months. At a year she is at 35g and growing fast FINALLY! She was a non-feeder for the first 2 months. The third month I force fed her twice. The forth month she was at 12g and still not eating on her own. In the end it turned out that she preferred her pinkies rancid. She would eat them after they sat in her tub for 2-3 days and only at night. Now she eats 2 prey items at a time. :)
 
daddio207 said:
No point in going to a vet that has no experience in reptiles. Be careful of these "reptile specialist" especially at big box pet stores. They can be specialists in title only.

One of the first things I do with any non or slow feeder is to reduce the amount of STRESS on him/her.

A snake can be still at hatch weight and length even after a few months if it is eating sporadically. As an example I have a yearling beauty snake that hatched out at 14g that stayed at 12g for 4+ months. At a year she is at 35g and growing fast FINALLY! She was a non-feeder for the first 2 months. The third month I force fed her twice. The forth month she was at 12g and still not eating on her own. In the end it turned out that she preferred her pinkies rancid. She would eat them after they sat in her tub for 2-3 days and only at night. Now she eats 2 prey items at a time. :)
Click to expand...

I just got back from the visit and the woman contacted someone who works with reptiles for me, and he suggested taking some hamster urine from the store and bathing the pinkie in that. I'm planning to do that, but if all else fails, I might have to force feed him. For now I'm giving him light in his vivarium until I can find a better light for him; and I'm doing my best to keep his environment simple and relaxing for him since he's only small. I've provided two hiding places for him and a little jungle leaf decoration that he seems to love!

For now, I think he is quite young and I'll just have to do my best for him. I won't give him away unless it's completely necessary -- I love him too much already, and I aim to help him the best I can.
 
I've used the used hamster bedding trick with success. We call it "shake and bake". You put the pinky in a bag with the bedding and shake then let it sit (bake) in it for and hour. Hope it works for you.
Not sure what "light your referring too? Heat, UVB or viewing? Light will stress him out. I would even go as far as to cover the sides of your Viv to make it feel more secure for the little guy. Again with a lot of non-feeders it comes down to stress and environment :)
Read the sticky's on this forum. Great info from VERY experienced herpers
 
alduin--snake said:
I just got back from the visit and the woman contacted someone who works with reptiles for me, and he suggested taking some hamster urine from the store and bathing the pinkie in that. I'm planning to do that, but if all else fails, I might have to force feed him. For now I'm giving him light in his vivarium until I can find a better light for him; and I'm doing my best to keep his environment simple and relaxing for him since he's only small. I've provided two hiding places for him and a little jungle leaf decoration that he seems to love!

For now, I think he is quite young and I'll just have to do my best for him. I won't give him away unless it's completely necessary -- I love him too much already, and I aim to help him the best I can.
Click to expand...

Best wishes. I'm glad you are getting local help. I'm glad you love him that much. I love my snakes that much, too, so I really understand.
 
I'm just curious but why are you so reluctant to just take him back to the person who sold it to you and demand your money back? I'm surprised in this whole 2 page thread with all the discussion, you seem to be unwilling to even try that.

Also, here is a video I found of a guy feeding a baby corn snake for the first time. The snake is only 8 days old and looks to be about the size of your's. Anyway, if you watch this video, it might give you some ideas. I'm just trying to help you, but if it was me, I'd carry the snake back.

(video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p72gJsM55e8
 
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