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My snake is scared of the mouse!

J

johnnylivs7589

New member
hey, im new to the forum, but have been having some problems with my snake
i bought an albino corn snake a little over a month ago, but have been experience some problems.
THe first day i got the snake, i fed him and he ate the food right away. The next day, though, there was this weird looking thing in the tank, im guessing he threw it up...
i tried to feed him again the week after, and the week after that, but he refused each time....
then, after 3 weeks of not eating, he finally ate and it passed through normally.
he just shed last week, but hasnt been eating... It's been almost 3 weeks since he's eaten, and it's starting to get really frustrating... Whenever i put the pinky inthe tank, he flinches and runs away from it. he doenst get too close to it without running aaway.
i also noticed this black spot inside of him, i dont know what it is..
what should i do!!
 
The black spot is probably from where it digested its last meal, but it should have pooped that out by now. Have you found any poop? If not, she might not be eating because something is wrong with her digestive tract and I would take her to the vet. The weird looking thing you found might have been a poorly digested pinkie because her digestive tract might be messed up. Also are you feeding her live or dead pinkies. She shouldn't be flinching from dead pinkies. If she still is, then just leave the pinkie in the tank for awhile and turn the lights out and leave her alone for a few hours, she should get use to the pinkie and take it. Hope this helps.
 
Double check your temps just to make sure they're right, (mid 70's to low 80's with a gradient), snakey wont eat if he's too cold.
If the temps are OK, then I'd suggest not giving him chance to run away. Put him and his meal into a small container that you can leave overnight. Again make sure it's warm enough, and has enough air holes.
You can also slice the back of, and brain, the pinky so that it gives off more of a scent. Don't handle said pinky too much as you will cover it in your scent.
 
Make sure if you do this that you are using frozen/ thawed mice only of course! I'd invest in a little Nutribac also to help replenish any gut bacteria. It's available on Kathy Love's website www.cornutopia.com It's only $12 complete and it lasts forever.If your temps are normal and everything else seems fine, I'd have this one checked by a vet. Amels are easy to see thru so you could be seeing internal organs as well as residual stool in the digestive track. It's never completely clean.
 
Is this a snow rather than an amelanistic corn)? Snows are nearly translucent when they are small. If it's a snow and the dark spot is just past midbody, it may be the gall bladder.
 
Amels are also translucent on the underside and you can easily see internal structures.
 
the temps are good, i think
i have the heat lamp on the left side, and the thermometer on the right side reads around 76

also, i feel like the tank is too small. its a 5 and a half gallon tank, but the guy said it would be ok.
also, my snake moves around fine and seems normal in his activity.
i feed him live pinkies, too. it is just easier, kind of.
also, how much does a vet for a baby snake cost. like, i'd feel like it wouldnt be worth it, considering that i got my snake for a decent price.
 
johnnylivs7589 said:
the temps are good, i think
Click to expand...

This isn't something you should think. You should know what your temps are on both sides of the tank. I recommend you get a good digital thermometer with a probe.
 
5 1/2 gallon should be fine for a hatchling, but you'll have to move up to a 20 gallon sooner or later. I have a cage much bigger than a 20 gal, but that's just me. Many people have then in 20 gals.

And like Becky said, you should get a digital probe and thermometer. It'll give you accurate measurements and keep your snakey healthier. You can and should get a thermostat, too, to control the temperatures of the heater.

Normal vet trips, for checkups, usually cost less than $100, but I don't know about a herp vet. We've never had to take our snakes.

No offense, but if you value less than 100 dollars over the life of your pet, then you shouldn't be a pet owner. I mean, I don't know, you might have meant 500 dollars wasn't worth it or something, but I, personally, value the lives of my pets over most things, including money. If I can afford it at all, I'll spend the money. Just my two cents.
 
I spent $60 to have my snake examined for health etc. If you think that your snake is not well, you are morally obligated if nothing else, to provide care in all ways. Even if the animal was received free, I would still feel that I need to care for it completely and that includes veterinary care if necessary. Now if the cost becomes exorbitant you have to decide if it's worth it. The value of the animal may come into play, how much you can reasonably spend and outcome.
 
Yeah. I just meant that if you can afford it, you should pay for it. Like you said, the owner is morally obligated to care for the pet. It's a different story if you actually can't afford it.
 
Actually, if you can't afford it, you shouldn't have it in the first place. I can understand thousands of dollars making a difference in a decision, but $60-$100? If you get the animal examined and it's determined that it would cost thousands, then yes, it might be too much for you, but you need to at least make a minimum output before you make that decision. Part of pet ownership is knowing that you might have medical expenses incurred while keeping that animal. That should be figured into the cost along with housing and food for it. It's irresponsible not to.
 
Yeah, I guess you're right.

Right now, the shelter cat we have, Jimmy, is worth more than 5000 dollars because of a hip surgery after the coyotes got him. :rolleyes: Glad I'm not the parents right then. Quote my dad: "We better not let him die. He's worth 5 grand, he better live at least another 10 years!"
 
I know what you mean. My $90 shelter dog is now worth $1,5000 after she had a seizure. I never regret spending that much to save her. :)
 
"i'd feel like it wouldnt be worth it, considering that i got my snake for a decent price."

No matter what you paid for your snake, you should give it medical care if it needs it. Pets are not disposable.
 
you should take your snake(or any pet ) to the vet if needs it. my parents spent a little over $300.00(this price includes gas to get there and back) for my BP that had an RI and had to go to the vet every other day for 2 weeks for a shot to make her better and now she's perfectly healthy and growing like a weed.

hope your little one feels better soon..and sees a vet soon if needed.
 
No offense, but if you value less than 100 dollars over the life of your pet, then you shouldn't be a pet owner. I mean, I don't know, you might have meant 500 dollars wasn't worth it or something, but I, personally, value the lives of my pets over most things, including money. If I can afford it at all, I'll spend the money. Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

This might be off topic, and I apologize if it is...but in class our teacher asked us a question. Say you were walking the street and you came across a, corn snake in this case, and it looked like it was unfed and sick. Then seconds later and orphan, sick and unfed came out. Who would you tend to if you could only choose one. The little girl or the snake? We had to write an essay on what we would have done.
 
SunnyCorn said:
This might be off topic, and I apologize if it is...but in class our teacher asked us a question. Say you were walking the street and you came across a, corn snake in this case, and it looked like it was unfed and sick. Then seconds later and orphan, sick and unfed came out. Who would you tend to if you could only choose one. The little girl or the snake? We had to write an essay on what we would have done.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but I don't see what this has to do with anything. Why should any of us have to choose which life form is more important or more worthy of our help?

I always hated questions like this. It's unrealistic and you could tie yourself in knots trying to reach a conclusion. I feel that it's never a case of "should I help him, or should I help her." It's just "let's help them." And in the case of this post - which is more important, the money or the snake? Well, that's not even a question. Love comes first.
 
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