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New corn not eating

X

xlevix

New member
Some background: We bought a corn at a shop while we were on the other side of my town, the staff seemed knowledgeable and we kind of bought the snake on a whim. We soon realized the staff was less than knowledgeable. They told us to feed the corn crickets which I already knew was wrong, but they didn't say this until we were already rung up and about to leave.

The first corn we bought died 4 days later. So we went back and they said they wouldn't give us a refund but would exchange, we figured if we got there as soon as they got it then it would be ok since they wouldn't have it long enough to stress it with a cage full of crickets. So we got the new corn and took it home, cage temps are 80-85 on the hot side, 70-75 on the cool side, im using an UTH and it has 3 hides in the viv. We waited 7 days after getting it to handle or feed. First feeding we offered a f/t pinkie but it denied, so we tried with a live pinkie, still refused. Then waited 5 days (removed water for last 2) and today tried to feed it a f/t wet, brained, zombie danced pinkie, still refused. Not sure if this would have something to do with the problems but the corn did shed the night we got it, which was about 2 weeks ago now.

I spoke with a friend and he said since the shop didn't know much about corns they might get supplied from a sketchy breeder who distributes non feeders. The corn generally acts afraid of the pinkies, it tries to get as far away from them as possible. So where do I go from now? I tried to find a shop around my side of town that has experience with force feeding but they aren't willing to because they don't want to be blamed if something happens to our corn. So my questions are: How many feedings should be rejected before force feeding becomes the last option? Should I attempt to force feed(never done it) or should I try to find someone who knows how and will?

Any other tips/advice/comments welcomed, Thanks!
 
Are you feeding the baby in a small separate container, like a deli cup? I would wait 4 days again, put the snake in a container the size of a margerine tub (smallest), in the evening, with a FT pink, VERY hot, which has been slit down the skull and back in crosswise slits, about 4-6, and cover him up, and leave him in a dark, quiet room for an hour, no peeking.
 
Nanci said:
Are you feeding the baby in a small separate container, like a deli cup? I would wait 4 days again, put the snake in a container the size of a margerine tub (smallest), in the evening, with a FT pink, VERY hot, which has been slit down the skull and back in crosswise slits, about 4-6, and cover him up, and leave him in a dark, quiet room for an hour, no peeking.
Click to expand...

Arg, thought I covered everything, but I forgot to add this info...
Yes we are feeding him an another small container, but it is see through... and the room was somewhat loud. I did slit the first pinkie as well, i'll try the smaller/dark container and see how it works :D thank you!
 
I agree with Nanci.. If that doesnt work i have used anole spit..I thaw the anole to room temp..and rub the thawed pinky sometimes washed with dial soap all over it including inside the anoles mouth..then let the pinky get nice and hot on a heat pad. I always feed the non feeders at night in a very small deli cup , I cover them and leave the room. Sometimes it doesnt work the first time but keep trying..
 
Hey xlevix,

You will need a small deli dish so go to Bill Millers and order a fruit salad to go. Know you have a small deli dish after you eat fruit salad and wash the dish and make air holes. I would start off with a small live pinky in the deli dish and the corn and place the deli dish in it container and cover it with aspen so that the snake can not see out at all. Leave the corn with the small pinky over the night and see what happens. If that does not work put pinky in freezer bag and freeze it and try what Nanci said.

P.S. If what one dies and you want one that will live look up a local breeder like South Mountain Reptiles. You will not have to pay shipping if you meet him at the Burger King parking lot north of New Braunfels or you could look in the for sale section here and fine a nice lady in Austin that will sell you a very nice corn that eats like a champ in the parking lot of Petco in Kyle. I may not do drug deals in parking lots but I have bought a ton of snakes in them.

Love the Fatman
 
Fatman608 said:
Hey xlevix,

You will need a small deli dish so go to Bill Millers and order a fruit salad to go. Know you have a small deli dish after you eat fruit salad and wash the dish and make air holes. I would start off with a small live pinky in the deli dish and the corn and place the deli dish in it container and cover it with aspen so that the snake can not see out at all. Leave the corn with the small pinky over the night and see what happens. If that does not work put pinky in freezer bag and freeze it and try what Nanci said.

P.S. If what one dies and you want one that will live look up a local breeder like South Mountain Reptiles. You will not have to pay shipping if you meet him at the Burger King parking lot north of New Braunfels or you could look in the for sale section here and fine a nice lady in Austin that will sell you a very nice corn that eats like a champ in the parking lot of Petco in Kyle. I may not do drug deals in parking lots but I have bought a ton of snakes in them.

Love the Fatman
Click to expand...

Ahaha bill miller, thanks for giving me a reason to go :) I live on the south side so ive been having a hard time finding live small pinkies, but i'll look at some more places. I'll go ahead and try this, then follow up with what Nanci said if it still doesn't eat. And don't worry i'm used to the parking lot transactions since im a college student and selling textbooks on craigslist lol. If this one dies i'll definitely be checking out those places, but there is a reptile expo coming up in nov I might wait for too... Thanks for all the advice everyone :D keep it coming!
 
Hey xlevix,

If you goto the Nov. reptile show as you walk in the door after you pay and sign the waiver look to your right and you will see Shores Enuff Snakes. Don and Sally are good people to buy from. I have never bought anything off of them that did not eat me out of house and home.

Love the Fatman

P.S. Bill Miller is for lunch today however no fruit salad for me.
 
xlevix said:
I spoke with a friend and he said since the shop didn't know much about corns they might get supplied from a sketchy breeder who distributes non feeders.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry you're having these troubles. You're clearly a responsible keeper and it's such a shame to have bad experiences from the get-go.

Your friend may well be right. That said, don't give up. In addition to the things you've already tried and those that have been suggested, I'd like to pass along the idea of feeding f/t Mediterranean/house geckos and/or the tails of adult geckos. They're an invasive in much of the country. You won't normally see them during the day, but they're easy to find on the walls and eaves at night. Most nonfeeders love them.

You asked how long you could/should go before trying force-feeding. Do you know what the snake weighs? You mentioned that it shed right after you got it; if that was its first shed, it was only about 10 days old and it's no wonder that it's been put off feeding with all the shipping/shop/etc. If that was it's second shed, it was probably feeding before. If so, it will again; it's just going to take patience and time. Healthy snakes, even babies, can go a surprisingly long time without eating. Don't panic.

If you have a picture it will help us help you. Again, I'm really sorry. It's cool that you're reaching out instead of saying the heck with the whole thing. :bowdown:
 
Fatman608 said:
Hey xlevix,

If you goto the Nov. reptile show as you walk in the door after you pay and sign the waiver look to your right and you will see Shores Enuff Snakes. Don and Sally are good people to buy from. I have never bought anything off of them that did not eat me out of house and home.

Love the Fatman

P.S. Bill Miller is for lunch today however no fruit salad for me.
Click to expand...

Awesome, i'll keep an eye out!

Nanci said:
Have you tried washed??
Click to expand...

No actually I haven't, not sure how I missed that, i'll keep that in mind.

Caryl said:
I'm sorry you're having these troubles. You're clearly a responsible keeper and it's such a shame to have bad experiences from the get-go.

Your friend may well be right. That said, don't give up. In addition to the things you've already tried and those that have been suggested, I'd like to pass along the idea of feeding f/t Mediterranean/house geckos and/or the tails of adult geckos. They're an invasive in much of the country. You won't normally see them during the day, but they're easy to find on the walls and eaves at night. Most nonfeeders love them.

You asked how long you could/should go before trying force-feeding. Do you know what the snake weighs? You mentioned that it shed right after you got it; if that was its first shed, it was only about 10 days old and it's no wonder that it's been put off feeding with all the shipping/shop/etc. If that was it's second shed, it was probably feeding before. If so, it will again; it's just going to take patience and time. Healthy snakes, even babies, can go a surprisingly long time without eating. Don't panic.

If you have a picture it will help us help you. Again, I'm really sorry. It's cool that you're reaching out instead of saying the heck with the whole thing. :bowdown:
Click to expand...

Actually yeah those geckos are all over the place at night lol, would wild caught be ok... or would parasites be a problem? My gf isn't gonna like it though lol.

I don't know how much it weighs, I do plan on buying a scale though. Also, there are pictures here: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105314 since it was just a "corn snake" there was no identifier as to the morph lol it's about 12 inches long.

Thanks again everybody :D
 
Hey xlevix,

If you try the Mediterranean geckos thing. Freeze the gecko for a few days first to kill any parasites.

Love the Fatman
 
xlevix said:
Actually yeah those geckos are all over the place at night lol, would wild caught be ok... or would parasites be a problem? My gf isn't gonna like it though lol.

I don't know how much it weighs, I do plan on buying a scale though. Also, there are pictures here: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105314 since it was just a "corn snake" there was no identifier as to the morph lol it's about 12 inches long.

Thanks again everybody :D
Click to expand...

I can't see the pictures from work; will check again at home over the weekend.

Yes, wild-caught geckos were what I meant. If you do see any of these in a pet store, they're likely wild-caught also. There's virtually no parasite risk from feeding only the tail; the geckos will release their tails to predators in hopes of scurrying away. They regrow them, so it's a win-win. I said "f/t geckos" in the original post because freezing them at for at least 24 hours pretty well eliminates the risk of other parasites. You can put them in the refrigerator for a few hours first to chill them down and make the freezing process kinder.

There's always a risk of parasites or toxins with wild-caught food. You can minimize it but I'd be lying if I said you can eliminate it completely. However, a healthy active gecko is unlikely to be carrying a dangerous load of toxins; anything that would bother your snake would bother the gecko as well. It's not the first trick in my bag; it's just the only one that has ALWAYS worked for me.


Fatman608 said:
Hey xlevix,

If you try the Mediterranean geckos thing. Freeze the gecko for a few days first to kill any parasites.

Love the Fatman
Click to expand...

Yep. That's why I said f/t to begin with. :)
 
Dont give up hope, I had a runt Thayeri refuse food for 4 weeks.
I just tried the brained head from a freshly killed pink today and she attacked it. What a stress reliever that is. Now we can both enjoy our weekends.
 
I couldn't find any adults but I did find two babies, thats a half dollar not a quarter lol

8ajUV.jpg



One is already missing a tail though lol so are these small enough to feed whole or should I just let the tailless one go and pop the tail from the other?
 
I can sympathize with your frustration as well as your concerns about your little one. I'm so glad that my corn that I've had for almost four years has never ever been a problem feeder, but I'm going through something very similar with a baby CB San Gabriel Rosy Boa that I got recently that won't eat. The little dude hasn't eaten since 09/15 (He was still at LLL Reptiles) and hasn't fed with me after three attempts with both F/T and live. I makes me want to pull out what hair I have left. Hang in there and hopefully your corn will eat soon.
 
wrm12862 said:
I can sympathize with your frustration as well as your concerns about your little one. I'm so glad that my corn that I've had for almost four years has never ever been a problem feeder, but I'm going through something very similar with a baby CB San Gabriel Rosy Boa that I got recently that won't eat. The little dude hasn't eaten since 09/15 (He was still at LLL Reptiles) and hasn't fed with me after three attempts with both F/T and live. I makes me want to pull out what hair I have left. Hang in there and hopefully your corn will eat soon.
Click to expand...


It is very concerning, esp since i'm a first time owner lol so every little thing seems to make me worry! Sorry to hear about your boa :( it'll all be worth it when that first strike and eat happens though :D
 
I was the same way when I got my corn but after awhile things settled down. It's a sign that you love 'em and want them to be happy and healthy. Having my corn has been an absolute joy and I wouldn't trade her for the world. I've been fortunate to never have a problem with her feeding on F/T (She's been eating F/T since 11/06). I'm sure that I'll be through this feeding issue with my RB soon. I just have to exercise patience and not let it drive me nuts.
 
Thanks everybody for your advice yall are awesome! My corn ate a pinky tonight, I went ahead and washed the pinky and used a f/t anole I caught to scent the pinky and left it in a small container for 1 hour, very happy now :D
 
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