So I made a post a few days ago about getting my new baby corn snake last wednesday. I stated how I tried to feed him this last sunday and monday to no avail. I decided to go with suggestions and give him more time with no interaction at all (which I hadnt before besides feeding. SO I decided to take him out a feed him today. I put him in a tub with a lid and let him sit for like 15 minutes, and then I tried to feed him an xs small pinky I ordered offline. It did not once strike and he tried to get away the entire time. I also noticed that there was some some yellow fluid with a bit of brown in it (Im assuming it was poop). This was found before I tried to feed. So basically this is a plea for help and advice before I think about going to a vet for help(I am moving back to school in 9 days so asap help would be nice)
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New Baby still wont eat! Help!
- Thread starter smale492
- Start date
The yellow and brown stuff is indeed poop. To be more accurate, the yellow stuff is urates, which is their form or urine as they pass it as a yellow-white solid rather than a liquid, and the brown stuff was actual poo.
For the feeding, you should not have tried to get him to strike since it has already refused food. You should have left him in the tub with the pinky, lid on, all night in a dark, secluded place and not peeped in until the morning. The tub should be as small as possible - a lot of people use deli cups with holds in the sides - so the snake can't get away from the mouse but the mouse isn't "threatening it" by being dangled near its face.
For now, what I would do is leave him another 3-4 days (he'll be stressed again now) and then try the above. Others swear by heating up the pinky by running it under hot water so its piping hot first, and slitting open its back so that the scent is really strong. I haven't personally tried this but so very many successful keepers report that it works.
All of this I say assuming he has had his first shed, as if I remember correctly the snake was exceptionally young to have been sold and this was in doubt - I can only assume that he has shed by this stage and, if he hasn't had it with you, he did before you got him. Have you gotten in touch with the breeder and asked exactly when they last fed him, and with what method?
For the feeding, you should not have tried to get him to strike since it has already refused food. You should have left him in the tub with the pinky, lid on, all night in a dark, secluded place and not peeped in until the morning. The tub should be as small as possible - a lot of people use deli cups with holds in the sides - so the snake can't get away from the mouse but the mouse isn't "threatening it" by being dangled near its face.
For now, what I would do is leave him another 3-4 days (he'll be stressed again now) and then try the above. Others swear by heating up the pinky by running it under hot water so its piping hot first, and slitting open its back so that the scent is really strong. I haven't personally tried this but so very many successful keepers report that it works.
All of this I say assuming he has had his first shed, as if I remember correctly the snake was exceptionally young to have been sold and this was in doubt - I can only assume that he has shed by this stage and, if he hasn't had it with you, he did before you got him. Have you gotten in touch with the breeder and asked exactly when they last fed him, and with what method?
I tried to see when he was last fed and all he said was they feed on Wednesdays so I assume that he is claiming it was fed the Wednesday before I got him. I have my doubts if he was even fed though like you said being how young he is that they normaly dont eat due to absorbing the rest of their nutrients. Im gonna try and get in contact with him again to see his methods. I am super stressed since I leave for school on the 29th and dont want to head out with him knowing that he hasnt eaten yet.
Dragonling
Doesn't do "casual"
Teeny babies are usually very shy eaters and aren't used to their prey chasing them. I have 13 hatchlings and after 6-7 consecutive feeds maybe two will even consider taking food from tongs, and even then they tend to drop it as soon as I so much as move.
Give him a day or two and try the deli cup method. If you don't have a deli cup available, a paper bag with the top rolled up works really well too. Put him in the cup/bag with the pinky overnight inside his cage. The boil method also works well on a lot of hatchlings. Once you have the pinky thawed, pour a little boiling water over it (or as I do, dip it in boiling/near boiling water for 2-3 sec.) and offer while still very warm.
When you go off to school, is your snake coming with you or is someone else going to be taking care of him?
Give him a day or two and try the deli cup method. If you don't have a deli cup available, a paper bag with the top rolled up works really well too. Put him in the cup/bag with the pinky overnight inside his cage. The boil method also works well on a lot of hatchlings. Once you have the pinky thawed, pour a little boiling water over it (or as I do, dip it in boiling/near boiling water for 2-3 sec.) and offer while still very warm.
When you go off to school, is your snake coming with you or is someone else going to be taking care of him?
The snake is coming with me. And Can I use a small tubaware instead of a deli cup since I dont have any? Or does it have to be not transparent so they cant see out? I am kinda iffy about the whole paper bag idea =/
Tupperware would be fine I'd have thought, as long there's holes in the sides, obviously. Not sure whether it would matter whether it's transparent or opaque, since the idea is it'll be dark anyway, but you could always wrap the tupperware in a tea towel - I do this when transporting/temporarily keeping my stressier snakes in transparent tubs.
Thanks for the help I shall keep everyone posted (fingers crossed)
axis1
Fuhgeddaboudit!!!!
A very small container, opaque if possible, if not, wrap in a towel or something big enough to cover it to minimize any distractions.
You MIGHT be surprised how well the quick-boiled method works! I have 11 hatchlings left out of a clutch of 16 hatched the week of 7/11/16 and to this day, 3 have not yet eaten. I think this may be due to a combination of factors, including the fact that most hatchlings in the wild do NOT choose a pinkie or baby rodent as their first meal, but rather hunt for baby or very small lizards!
Anticipating a challenge, I chose to listen to the advice of a breeder who recommended not feeding my hatchlings till one week AFTER their first shed, which didn't happen until 2 weeks after they hatched! For the first week, they're OK with the yoke from the egg they were in. Then after a week or so, they shed. By the NEXT week, they HOPEFULLY will have built up some sort of appetite. The 8 that I have that do eat every 5-6 days, sometimes refuse the pinkie when I first give it to them. Yesterday, 7 of 8 refused until I immersed the pinkies in boiling water for about 20-30 seconds, let them cool for about 10 seconds, then put them individually into the respective containers with the hatchlings. Every one of them ate the boiled hatchling within 1 or 2 minutes! It is phenomenal how well this works!
That being said, I still have the three stubborn hatchlings who refuse to eat. Either that or they don't see a pinkie as potential food. I've even tried giving them just the pinky heads, to no avail. However, I also knew what I was getting into, so I'm not complaining, just stating what IS.
I have 6 good eggs from another clutch of 9 eggs my female corn laid that are due in early September (she laid them on July 2nd and I removed the heat source from the incubator due to this unusually hot summer we're having in NYC!). I only hope these eggs are in better shape, since they are slightly larger individually than the ones laid in May which hatched out the week of July 11th.
The hardest part is watching the hatchlings who WON'T eat as they literally waste away to nothing while their counterparts look nice and healthy! I don't know at which point I should give up and even think of euthanizing them. I had two that lingered for almost 3 months last year! That was hard but I didn't think I would see a repeat of that since I tried to do things correctly this year. Needless to say, Mother Nature can be a heartless wench sometimes!! (No offense intended ladies! I'm just sayin'.).
You MIGHT be surprised how well the quick-boiled method works! I have 11 hatchlings left out of a clutch of 16 hatched the week of 7/11/16 and to this day, 3 have not yet eaten. I think this may be due to a combination of factors, including the fact that most hatchlings in the wild do NOT choose a pinkie or baby rodent as their first meal, but rather hunt for baby or very small lizards!
Anticipating a challenge, I chose to listen to the advice of a breeder who recommended not feeding my hatchlings till one week AFTER their first shed, which didn't happen until 2 weeks after they hatched! For the first week, they're OK with the yoke from the egg they were in. Then after a week or so, they shed. By the NEXT week, they HOPEFULLY will have built up some sort of appetite. The 8 that I have that do eat every 5-6 days, sometimes refuse the pinkie when I first give it to them. Yesterday, 7 of 8 refused until I immersed the pinkies in boiling water for about 20-30 seconds, let them cool for about 10 seconds, then put them individually into the respective containers with the hatchlings. Every one of them ate the boiled hatchling within 1 or 2 minutes! It is phenomenal how well this works!
That being said, I still have the three stubborn hatchlings who refuse to eat. Either that or they don't see a pinkie as potential food. I've even tried giving them just the pinky heads, to no avail. However, I also knew what I was getting into, so I'm not complaining, just stating what IS.
I have 6 good eggs from another clutch of 9 eggs my female corn laid that are due in early September (she laid them on July 2nd and I removed the heat source from the incubator due to this unusually hot summer we're having in NYC!). I only hope these eggs are in better shape, since they are slightly larger individually than the ones laid in May which hatched out the week of July 11th.
The hardest part is watching the hatchlings who WON'T eat as they literally waste away to nothing while their counterparts look nice and healthy! I don't know at which point I should give up and even think of euthanizing them. I had two that lingered for almost 3 months last year! That was hard but I didn't think I would see a repeat of that since I tried to do things correctly this year. Needless to say, Mother Nature can be a heartless wench sometimes!! (No offense intended ladies! I'm just sayin'.).
Nanci
Alien Lover
Time to try ivory washed, which is actually dunked in half water/half ivory, BARELY rinsed. Still soapy. If that doesn't work, same with blue Dawn.
A month out, you should be slap feeding them if you can get them to bite you.
Do this, with boiled pinks, and I've found jabbing the hatchling in the neck, not the face, works better.
axis1
Fuhgeddaboudit!!!!
I agree, it is just about that time Nanci!! Way OVERDUE, as a matter-of-fact, but I really DID try almost everything already.
For now, I'm gonna try the boiled pinkies first; the boiled Dawn pinkies second, then the slap-happy-neck-slappin' third! Wish me luck!
I'll post the results when I'm done! Thanx again for all of your help and suggestions!!!
For now, I'm gonna try the boiled pinkies first; the boiled Dawn pinkies second, then the slap-happy-neck-slappin' third! Wish me luck!
I'll post the results when I'm done! Thanx again for all of your help and suggestions!!!
Nanci
Alien Lover
Don't forget, you can always try whatever trick you want, and if the baby doesn't accept, then slap feed, or assist. Then the next week, try something different. If they don't like it- assist. Just keep rotating through the tricks, especially the top three.
Really, if they are at all bitey, they are generally simple to slap feed.
For assist feeding, I've been having pretty good luck, taking a tiny boiled pink, and pressing it against the baby's mouth, and you can gently coax the jaw open with the pink's head, then just weasel it in. Usually once the snake's mouth is filled, if you just freeze and do nothing, it will swallow.
axis1
Fuhgeddaboudit!!!!
Hi Nanci!! How ya been?
Not a great day for some of my little sneaky ones. On a positive note, 8 of the 11 hatchlings are voracious and at this point are just about ready for new homes. (7 snows and 1 stripe amel with a small kink, but if I can't get rid of him I may just end up keeping him anyway, so we'll see. The wifey will be ECSTATIC to hear THAT!!). But the real problem is the 3 stubborn non-eaters. I followed your suggestions to the letter, including what was done in the video, all to no avail. However, Dollysmom sent me a recent video clip by Brian at SnakeBytes TV, where he shows how to assist-feed some python hatchlings with fuzzies. Very similar situation, but he goes a step further by pushing the fuzzy in a bit further and hooking it on the baby python's fangs or teeth. When he lets go of the mouse, there is almost no choice for the hatchling to swallow. My corn hatchlings put up a fierce struggle and even seem to SPIT OUT the pinkies (or they wiggle and drag it around until it becomes free from their grasp!). But I haven't been as invasive as he was and it seems like I HAVE TO try that now, since there is little other hope for these three little dwindling babies. It's kinda sad watching them as they act normal otherwise but are SO skinny!! They're like 1.5 grams each, IF that!! I mean, I KNEW it was gonna be a challenge when this clutch hatched out, but they look like they could tap dance on razor blades! YIKES!! (If I don't keep a sense of humor, I will just go frickin NUTS!!).
Makes me THINK TWICE about wanting to breed these little sneaky ones EVER again!! And I do have that little second clutch of 6 eggs (out of the original 9) which should be ready to hatch within a week or two!!! :eek1:
What the hell was I thinking??
Oh well, one can only HOPE!
I will also, if time permits, seek out some pets stores in the hopes that they might sell anole lizards, as I've read that the skins from their sheds can be used to scent a pinky or pinky head (YUCKY POO! This is getting BEYOND gross, did I mention that? As I have my morning coffee sans pastries! Almost like the thought when you were a kid of kissing. . . . lemme stop here as this is a family-oriented site!). I will also try the local animal rescue that deals with reptiles, as they have to have experience with animals who were neglected and who didn't wanna eat for one of many reasons.
Just wanted to thank you and DLena & Dollysmom while apologizing to smale492 for seemingly hijacking this thread but it's all relative, no? BTW, did that hatchling that this thread was about originally ever suck down a pinky?
I apologize for being outta da loop somewhat but my life has been slightly chaotic, what with work, a moderate skydiving injury to my left foot which is becoming a real concern as I go for my SECOND x-ray today (had a bad landing a couple of weekends back which hopefully WON'T ground me for the rest of the season - fingers crossed!) and a couple of other extra-curricular concerns, like one of my cousins who had a stroke and recently became demented and is circling the drain in a nursing facility as we speak! But these are just all a part of this wonderful bowl of cherries we call LIFE - just have to watch out for the PITS!!
In any case, I WILL keep you all updated!! I'm busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kickin contest and literally FEEL like one now, as I hobble around with my trusty cane!! YIKES!! :eek1:
So I gave my baby 4 days to relax before trying to feed again, and still not dice... he did not eat last night. I put him in a small tubaware container with a pinked that I thawed and then let sit under boiling water for a few seconding a nd cut back open. I left him alone in the dark with a tiny little thing of water in his little contianer all night. He has still not eaten and this monday if he has not eaten it will be a month with out eating since he has been born (he was born the 29th and I highly doubt the breeder fed him base on its unwillingness to eat) Pleas help
axis1
Fuhgeddaboudit!!!!
Oh well. Tried Dawn, boiling, just pinky heads, slap-feeding AND assist-feeding. The three non-eaters have chosen to remain just that, non-eaters! As of now, anyway. Just put them back in their respective shoeboxes and will try again in a couple days. Can't wait too long in between bouts because of the length of time they haven't eaten (they hatched out the week of July 11th!!).
Dollysmom sent me an interesting video of Brian at SnakeBytes TV where he assist-feeds python hatchlings. What's interesting is that he seems to insert the rodent (fuzzies, in this case) a little deeper into the throats of the hatchling. At which point is it considered force-feeding? What concerns me is that firstly, corn hatchlings don't have any fangs or teeth to speak of that you can "hook" a rodent or pinky onto. Secondly, these hatchlings really STRUGGLE to dislodge the pinky, to a degree that makes me think they might even be retarded or developmentally stunted (no matter HOW much I tease or slap them, they WON'T strike - and I have seen the correct way to do this by hitting them gently in the neck and not the face!). I eventually forced the pinkies (gently) into the mouths of the hatchlings but they struggle fiercely to dislodge the pinky. I think I may have to call the vet I know that treats reptiles to see if pumping a liquefied pinky (YUCKY PEW!!!) down into their throats might be worth it.
Either way, it's both incredibly SAD & STRESSFUL to do this to little hatchlings.
On a positive note, the other eight (7 snows and 1 amel stripe) are voracious eaters!!!! I have new homes lined up for all, even Kinky!! (The striped amel has a slight kink in his tail!).
Have to look at the positive in the face of so much negativity!!
Dollysmom sent me an interesting video of Brian at SnakeBytes TV where he assist-feeds python hatchlings. What's interesting is that he seems to insert the rodent (fuzzies, in this case) a little deeper into the throats of the hatchling. At which point is it considered force-feeding? What concerns me is that firstly, corn hatchlings don't have any fangs or teeth to speak of that you can "hook" a rodent or pinky onto. Secondly, these hatchlings really STRUGGLE to dislodge the pinky, to a degree that makes me think they might even be retarded or developmentally stunted (no matter HOW much I tease or slap them, they WON'T strike - and I have seen the correct way to do this by hitting them gently in the neck and not the face!). I eventually forced the pinkies (gently) into the mouths of the hatchlings but they struggle fiercely to dislodge the pinky. I think I may have to call the vet I know that treats reptiles to see if pumping a liquefied pinky (YUCKY PEW!!!) down into their throats might be worth it.
Either way, it's both incredibly SAD & STRESSFUL to do this to little hatchlings.
On a positive note, the other eight (7 snows and 1 amel stripe) are voracious eaters!!!! I have new homes lined up for all, even Kinky!! (The striped amel has a slight kink in his tail!).
Have to look at the positive in the face of so much negativity!!
axis1
Fuhgeddaboudit!!!!
Sorry smale!! Didn't forget you, just going through the same thing!
So, where are you in terms of trying to feed your little sneaky one? Have you been able to try day-old pinkies? if not, you may have to try just the head. That's where I am right now. I know the feeling, since it's going on 6 or 7 weeks since my little guys hatched.
Whatever happens, don't give in to the urge to give up!! Just remember, anything is possible!! And patience is the best method to use sometimes!!
Yeah I have been using xs pinkies. I tired to use a head to start with ( first time I tried to feed week or so ago, but I was using tongs when I apparently shouldnt have). I just dont know if i should try assist feeding next? I was thinking of going to a well known pretty classy pet store and asking them for advice and possibly go to a vet for help once I am up at school, I just dont know how much they would charge to help with feeding..
jet_set_willy
New member
Don't know if these are available for this price over the pond http://www.livefoods.co.uk/pinky-press-p-809.html