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Baby not moving after first feed!?

H

Hthr91

New member
I'm super anxious. I was so anxious my hatchling wouldn't eat and she did after a few hours. Yay!! But since she ate Saturday night she has essentially been curled up in the same spot. I scooted her gently to her hide cause she was freaking me out just laid up against the glass I thought she may get cold. I know not to handle her but I'm so nervous.

I can see the mouse has moved through her a little but it will be 48 hours tonight and I can tell it won't be digested all the way yet. I'm so anxious to know she is ok! Is them being very still while digesting normal?
 
What size did you feed her? I have a similiar thing my two. Ayesha especially as she's on the slightly larger pinkies. For about two days she doesn't want to move.

I actually feed both my snakes in my hand and once they've eaten i put them both in their warm hides. Trust me hun, if you move her onto a warm patch [under a hide if preferable] then just lift the hide a little to check on her and if she moves a little don't worry. She'll just be digesting her meal.

If you are worried about the lack of movement you could try offering small food. Like a pinkie head.
 
Hi Hthr91, new baby stress! Eeeeek! Haha, it's normal to stress about everything at first.

Your baby is going to find the spot that has the right temperature for digesting, or the spot where she feels safest (which would ideally be the same spot), and then will hang out there until she's hungry again. Usually 2 or 3 days later she'll start moving around again, mostly in the evening, and will probably move more and more as she gets hungrier. Most likely, everything is just fine.

I would probably suggest not to force her to use her hot side if your heat pad is currently running unregulated. If she still has only one hide, make sure it's not directly on the heat. Empty toilet paper rolls (or any tiny box like the ones playing cards come in) make excellent hatchling hides, by the way. Just squish up/flatten a couple of those and place them in a couple different locations to allow her to choose the temperature she wants, and you may see her hiding instead of laying in the open.
 
the snake will seek out the spot she prefers to digest her meal in. By moving her to a spot that "You Prefer" could be doing more harm than good. As I recall, your heat pad has no thermostat on it. Maybe it's too hot under her hiding place and maybe she picked out the spot against the glass because it was more comfortable.

It's better to let the snake decide rather than you decide for her. And please, get a thermostat for that heat pad.
 
I put a toilet paper roll in their with her she loves it! She's moving around a bit again and tomorrow I'll be able to handle her again. I finally get to pick up her thermostat tomorrow from a reptile shop I found about 30 miles away! I found one that two heat sources plug into and I'm quite happy because I already want another baby! I'll also be picking her up a second hide and some moss for when she is ready to shed. This is so nerve wracking but I just want her to be healthy!

Do most people do check ups or just take their slithery friends in when sick? I was going to make her an appointment?
 
Also I prefer being able to see her so it wasn't about that with me moving her I thought she'd feel more secure in her hide. Her hide isn't over her heat pad because I've been nervous about it even though I've laid my hand on it for 20-30 seconds and it's not too warm. I just thought I was doing the right thing helping her feel more secure I didn't think of it that way...
 
They know what they need better than we do!
Mine is about 3, and he hangs out in his cool humid hide almost every time he is fed. Never had an issue and he has a bunch of hides to choose from.

I wouldn't pick up another baby until you have your current setup spot on, and have everything set up spot on in a new enclosure before you even get a new one. That means at least 2 hides, a good water dish, digital hygro and thermometers, and a thermostat.
Just my 2 cents!
Best of luck

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk
 
As someone said to me when I was brand new at this - your hand is not a thermometer. I was also feeling things to see if they were too warm or too cold.
Look at it this way, normal body temperature is what, 97 or 98 degrees? And the heat pad should be regulated at about 83 to 87 degrees. So the hottest it should ever get could technically still feel cooler than your hand, assuming your hands aren't cold at the moment. So if it feels warm it's quite possibly WAY too hot. Since our hands change temperature quite a lot, it's really impossible to tell what the temperature of anything is simply by touching it. That's why people test baby bottles on the inside of their elbows rather than with their hands. I recently tested a small heat pad unregulated, and it was at 115 degrees and still rising when I turned it off.
It's awesome that you found a thermostat. Once that's in place, you can breathe easy... and then go shopping for your next baby! :)
 
Absolutely I'm excited to finish up her home and start handling her some more! She's been acting quite different since eating so I'm interested to see how she is when I get off in the morning!
 
Hthr91 said:
. . .
Do most people do check ups or just take their slithery friends in when sick? I was going to make her an appointment?
Click to expand...

Whoa!! You are worse than ME!! (If that's possible, as I am more anxious than a ceiling fan storeowner with a comb-over!!)

Just breathe. Count to 10. Breathe again. It does work!!


But there's also few things better than the excitement of a new snake owner! Just be careful and receptive of suggestions from those who are more experienced, as good intentions without the appropriate info can actually harm your little sneaky one! For example, I thought I knew almost everything as far as caring for cornsnakes, but it wasn't until I actually listened to folks here that I separated my 3 adult snakes that I was cohabbing for almost 8 full years!!!

Just be open minded and you and your little sneaky one will be thankful for it!!!
 
I guess I'm just nervous lol I just want to make sure she is doing well! She was so wonderful being handled today! She is so curious but very docile. She seems bigger already after her feed! I got her thermostat hooked up and it has a place to plug in another heat source. I'm going to possibly bring home a ball python this weekend my fiancé and I have been constantly arguing about who Yuna belongs too so this may even things out lol. Also I think a ball may be a better fit with my children currently but Yuna has my heart! Here she is today!
 

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don't try to run a heat pad for a ball python off the same thermostat you use for a corn snake.

They have different heat requirements. The corn snakes do best around 85 degrees, the ball pythons around 91 degrees.

2 snakes = 2 cages = 2 heat pads = 2 thermostats
 
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