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My new snake is starting to cause me stress.

J

Jared O.

New member
Hi all,

As a new snake owner my little guy is starting to cause me some stress, simply because this is all new to me. I have a couple of questions, some of which people have touched on but I am still not sure.

First off shedding. My corn shed the front half of his skin on Monday. He has not shed the back half. His whole body looks fairly uniform but I would imagine that he has to shed the whole thing, right? The humidity keeps going low and I have to mist the tank a lot to raise it. I am currently using the overhead lights as a heat source. Is it possible that this is making the tank to dry? Do UTH have the same affect or will they make the tank dry as well. I am heading out shortly to buy a new hide that has the moss in it to see if that helps.

Also, I am currnetly using the reptbark as a substrate, will the aspen bedding help keep the tank moist? With the aspen bedding to do you need to worry about the mites that I have heard about?

Lastly (for now), tonight will be the third time we are trying to feed the snake. We bought him last Friday and the store only got him in the Wed. before, so they never fed him and neither have we. This is what I tried last time and am gonna try again tonight unless anyone can offer better advice.

We take him out of his tank in the evening (7:00 or so) and put him in a small deli container. We then put in a thawed warm pinky. We put the lid on him and put the whole thing in a cardboard box and put him in a dark quiet room. We left him for 2.5 - 3 hours and when we checked on him he didn't even touch it. I am assuming he is not eating because he was shedding but I am open for some insight on how to improve what I am doing.

Thanks for the help.

Jared
 
I am no expert by a long shot.
But this is what I would do:

If the store received the snake on wed, then you purchase on Friday, there is a lot of stress the snake has received this past week from being shipped then purchased by you. If I was you, I would leave the snake alone for three more days, do not pick it up, do not disturb it! Do nothing with it! Wednesday night offer the warm pinky like you have been. If the snake still refuses, I would consider a new offer on Friday but this time "braining" the pinky. Ditch the overhead heat lighting and go with an under tank reptile heater pad, this will help with the humidity problems, keep a dish of clean fresh water in the vivarium. If you are using a tank with a wire mesh lid, then you can cover up to half of the lid with aluminum foil, this will help to alleviate the De-humidification of the tank.

Like I said, I'm no expert but this is what I would do in this situation.
 
Just to clarify, this was a week ago, Wednesday and Friday. As of today the snake has been in my house for 10 days.
 
First off shedding. My corn shed the front half of his skin on Monday. He has not shed the back half. His whole body looks fairly uniform but I would imagine that he has to shed the whole thing, right?
Click to expand...
Yep, the whole thing should ideally come off in one go at the same time. The back half of the old skin has now dried out and is stuck to him.

The humidity keeps going low and I have to mist the tank a lot to raise it. I am currently using the overhead lights as a heat source. Is it possible that this is making the tank to dry?
Click to expand...
Yes, this is the main downside of using a light as a heat source.

Do UTH have the same affect or will they make the tank dry as well.
Click to expand...
No. They just heat the floor rather than the air in the tank. The Corn needs belly heat for digestion and to thermoregulate, and it doesn't care about the ambient temperature in the tank. This make a UTH with a thermostat (they get too hot without) ideal for use in a Corn's tank.

I am heading out shortly to buy a new hide that has the moss in it to see if that helps.
Click to expand...
Excellent. That's a humid hide and should help the stuck shed. You could just get a cheap plastic sandwich tub, cut a hole in it and part fill it with damp moss. They only usually need a humid hide during sheds, so it doesn't have to stay in the tank all the time.

Also, I am currnetly using the reptbark as a substrate, will the aspen bedding help keep the tank moist?
Click to expand...
It could help, although that's not its main purpose.

With the aspen bedding to do you need to worry about the mites that I have heard about?
Click to expand...
I've not heard of this being a problem.

Lastly (for now), tonight will be the third time we are trying to feed the snake. We bought him last Friday and the store only got him in the Wed. before, so they never fed him and neither have we. This is what I tried last time and am gonna try again tonight unless anyone can offer better advice.
Click to expand...
I just despair of shops that aren't selling proven feeders. Do you know if it ate at all before it arrived with the shop?

A new arrival should be left absolutely alone for a week when it first arrives. A transfer from shop to owner is stress enough to put it off eating. A longer move from breeder to shop to owner is going to compound the problem. A stuck shed could cause a regurge and might also be putting it off eating. Repeated efforts to feed it when it has already refused may now be making the problem worse.

I'd recommend leaving it completely alone for 4 days before trying again. Don't handle it, don't do anything apart from put the humid hide in, spot clean or change the water.

We take him out of his tank in the evening (7:00 or so) and put him in a small deli container. We then put in a thawed warm pinky. We put the lid on him and put the whole thing in a cardboard box and put him in a dark quiet room. We left him for 2.5 - 3 hours and when we checked on him he didn't even touch it. I am assuming he is not eating because he was shedding but I am open for some insight on how to improve what I am doing.
Click to expand...
Once a Corn refuses a feed, it's best to not try again for a few days. You don't want the snake to associate food with stress.

At the moment I think your first priority is to get that stuck shed sorted. You might well find that once this is off the snake is more keen to eat.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Snakes can go a while without a meal, ten days in house is not that big a concern yet.
Click to expand...
That depends whether it ate for the breeder before it arrived in the shop. It may have been without a meal for longer than that - or it may never have eaten at all.
 
We use butter and margarine containers as humid hides for baby corns. Put a bit of moss in there, dampened slightly, and let them use it as they will.
 
There's a sticky in the Health section about how to remove a stuck shed. It's very easy. Many snakes do not eat while they are in blue. I would get the shed off tonight, and then feed him four days from your last attempt. Make the pink HOT not warm. Cut a few slits in the pink's back with a tiny scissors. He _should_ eat in 30 minutes or less. I'd put him in his deli, cover him up, check in 30 minutes. If he hasn't eaten, reheat the pink to hot, cover him, check again in an hour. If he still hasn't eaten, reheat again and leave him, in the deli, overnight in his viv, not over the heat. If he hasn't eaten by morning, repeat in four days.

I think Reptibark is _very_ dry. Aspen is much softer for burrowing. Next time he gets ready to shed, you can mist his viv every couple days, and keep the top covered loosely with plastic wrap to keep the humidity in. He may or may not use a moist hide.
 
Yes first thing's first get that old skin off - if a humid hide does not work pretty quickly, here's the link to how to help him yourself (very easy and safe):

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56170

Really important that the old skin is not left on there. Check the first half for the eye caps (they should come off) and the tail tip too, when the other part comes off.

Would suggest getting rid of the lamp and just regulating your UTH properly. Then leave him completely alone for 3-4 days before you try another feed.

I really hope this guy comes right for you. Good luck.
 
Ahhhh... some relief.

So yesterday I took all of the advice that was offered here and at my local pet store.

I bought some moss and some new plant decorations while I was out. When my wife got home she worked on the tank and I took Oscar swimming. He stayed in the water for while and then when he was out I noticed the skin was getting loose.

When the tank was all finished I let him go for another swim and then we put him back in the tank. It was noticeable almost immediately that he was trying to get his shed off. We put the lights out and then this morning when we got up the rest of it was off. I almost feel like when my son took his first steps.

The tail tip did come off, but I am gonna look up eye caps as this is the first time I have ever heard of it. I will check the link you posted.

We did put the damp moss in the tank and it is keeping the humidity much higher than before. Is it ok to keep moss in the tank when he is not shedding? We had it in his hides and then a little bit in the open just for the moisture. He seems to love it.

Thanks
 
Result! I know that feeling well - pride and relief!

I wouldn't leave the damp moss in with him all the time. I once did that and the Corn ended up with scale rot because it preferred it over the other usual hides and stayed in there all the time. If yours likes it, I saw someone suggest that you just replace the damp moss with something dry until he's about to shed next.
 
Great news Jared! :)

Next to regulate the temps and then you can attempt a few in another few days. Shout if you need any help!
 
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