• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Not lookin good for little Plissken

Nythain

Nythain

New member
Where to begin. Well... for a while now he hasn't grown much. Ok, I can handle that. Maybe he's just a slow grower, it happens.
Recently though (two feedings ago, approximately 15 days now) he refused his dinner. Ok, I can handle that. There's lots of reasons a snake won't eat, not all are bad. Figured I didn't have to worry unless it became a problem.
His next feeding went without a problem. "Well that's good, must have just been a picky day before."
Then I started keeping track of his weight, thinking "Yay, records of his growth!". This is where I start to get worried. His last weigh in he was at 12 grams. Not a bad weight for his 14" measuring. I measure him today and he's grown an inch. Not a lot in the last month since his last measuring but again, maybe he's a slow grower.
The real problem comes when I preform his pre-feeding weigh in, and find he's lost 2 grams! "Holy hell, let's get this guy some food... STAT!" Unfortunately he's refusing his food again.
To recap...
04/11 Feed fine (large pinky)
04/16 Feed fine (medium pinky... switched back because bulge on large looked scarily big)
04/19 Weigh 12 grams
04/21 Feed fine (large pinky... tried a large again because he passed the medium completely in 2 days)
04/26 Refuse (large pinky)
05/01 Feed fine (medium pinky... switched again thinking large might be too much, causing previous refusal)
05/06 Weigh 10 grams
05/06 Refuse (medium pinky)

Will try to keep everyone updated after a few more feeding times and weigh ins, but my hopes aren't too high. I can't afford a vet bill and medications right now, so it's really up to Darwin at this point.
 
The first time you weighed him, was he "empty"? He may have lost the weight from simply passing waste. When Flatline was little she refused to eat a lot. Hope everything goes well!
 
AliCat37 said:
The first time you weighed him, was he "empty"? He may have lost the weight from simply passing waste. When Flatline was little she refused to eat a lot. Hope everything goes well!
Click to expand...

Agreed ^ This happens with all of my snakes, because sometimes there is still stuff in their digestive system and I don't know it. To really get an idea if you snake is really losing weight, you will need to take numerous weigh in's. I would suggest taking the weight every 7 days (with preference of the weigh-in 3-5 days after feeding) and, give it 1-2 months and then see if your little one is losing weight or there's just stuff in his digestive system.
 
Yeah... He was 3 days empty the first weigh in. Not a full 5 days so I guess there could have been some food still in him. But even then, a mean a whole undigested pinky weighs about as much as he lost, let alone any remnants of a 3 day digestion. Thanks for the words of encouragement from everyone though. Hoping the future evens things out. And here I thought I was over "new parent" worry.
 
As for handling, I try to get him out for a bit 2 days between feedings. I leave him alone for two days, handle for two days, then leave him alone again on feeding day so I don't stress him out before diner. He's never out for too long though, usually about 15-30 minutes each day I get him out. Sometimes he's crazy active, other times he's really chill. Not sure if that's too much or too little handling, but I was hoping it was about perfect. Trying not to stress him too much, but still keep him comfortable with being grabbed and handled.
 
Oh Nythain, hope things get better. Charisma bounces up and down by 2 grams. I watch it because she weighs between 8 and 10 grams but I'm not too alarmed. Charisma is on the move constantly. Frostbite has gained 1 gm every week. He is much more laid back.
 
I would keep the handling 10 minutes or less. How old is he? I have 2 corns about 3 months old and one is 11 grams and the other is 10g. Corns don't grow very fast on pinkies.
 
I wouldn't worry too much as the others have said, I always weigh Sirius before his feeding, and his weights have went up, down and stayed the same! lol I figured it was because their was either something still in his belly or some other reason I can't put my finger on, But I never worried myself about it.
I would record the weight and see if he either gained or lost more the next time.. and everytime he's always gained more. :)

here's his weigh Ins from the day I got him:

1. 12 g.
2. 14 g.
3. 16 g.
4. 17 g.
5. 19 g.
6. 20 g.
7. 21 g.
8. 21 g. - it stayed the same?
9. 26 g. - big gain after that tough,
10. 25 g.
11. 25 g. - again no gain,
12. 26 g. after his 1st fuzzy.
13. 29 g.
14. 31 g.
15. 34 g.
16. 36 g.
17. 39 g.
18. 43 g.
19. 47 g.- after his first Hopper,
20. 52 g. - he then went on a three week fast,
21. after his first meal after his fast he weighed 57 g.
22. 60 g.
23. 65 g.
24. 68 g.
25. 75 g. - at his last weigh in, which was this passing Sunday.

I guess the moral of this is to let you know to not to worry soo much!
they all grow at different rates, but they DO grow, lol little plisskin wont be little forever trust me. ;)
 
Seems a little soon to begin accepting the (potentially) inevitable.

How's his activity? Does he move from here to there, even if you don't see it? Or at least reposition if he's not moving around? Does he poop within a couple of days after eating?

How do you prepare his meals? Any braining and/or slitting? Do you hold the pinky with the tongs and wait for a strike, or drop it in with the snake and give him his time?

I've read somewhere that someone (some radical probably ;)) thinks it's best to not handle the snake in its first year. Dunno if that's necessary, but if you're really concerned, put off any special handling (besides feeding and weighing) for a month.
 
When I first got Scarlett she lost weight too, and I was sure I had killed her. In the last month she started gaining weight like crazy and growing longer too. She is 17 months, and when I got her at 13 months she weighed 20 grams, she is now 40 grams.

Give him time, don't give up, and just hope for the best!
 
Justine66 said:
I wouldn't worry too much as the others have said, I always weigh Sirius before his feeding, and his weights have went up, down and stayed the same! lol I figured it was because their was either something still in his belly or some other reason I can't put my finger on, But I never worried myself about it.
I would record the weight and see if he either gained or lost more the next time.. and everytime he's always gained more. :)

here's his weigh Ins from the day I got him:

1. 12 g.
2. 14 g.
3. 16 g.
4. 17 g.
5. 19 g.
6. 20 g.
7. 21 g.
8. 21 g. - it stayed the same?
9. 26 g. - big gain after that tough,
10. 25 g.
11. 25 g. - again no gain,
12. 26 g. after his 1st fuzzy.
13. 29 g.
14. 31 g.
15. 34 g.
16. 36 g.
17. 39 g.
18. 43 g.
19. 47 g.- after his first Hopper,
20. 52 g. - he then went on a three week fast,
21. after his first meal after his fast he weighed 57 g.
22. 60 g.
23. 65 g.
24. 68 g.
25. 75 g. - at his last weigh in, which was this passing Sunday.
Click to expand...

You don't say how long of a time span this was, could you give us an idea?
 
Bear in mind that pinks are digested and pooped out fast and each feed will only add a small percentage to your snake's weight. Personally I'd say stop handling at all, because you want all the energy devoted to growth. Wait a month before weighing with the feeds on a 5 day schedule and see if that makes a big difference. Good luck
 
diamondlil said:
Bear in mind that pinks are digested and pooped out fast and each feed will only add a small percentage to your snake's weight. Personally I'd say stop handling at all, because you want all the energy devoted to growth. Wait a month before weighing with the feeds on a 5 day schedule and see if that makes a big difference. Good luck
Click to expand...

I agree with Janine.

Drop all handling for 1 month. 15-30 minutes of handling is a lot of workout for a tiny baby that is not eating super steady. Just handle to change the cage/spot clean only for the next month. Keep the handling limited.

Feed on a five day schedule of small/med pinks. (or whatever size looks like it will fit best)

Resume weighing and handling after a month of steady eating.

Once he has started to make the turn, keep the handling sessions shorter (10 mins or so)

As he grows handling can increase in duration and activity level. Right now he needs to devote most of his energy to growth, you will have years and years to handle and hang out together once he start to sprout in size.
 
We have a lavender corn who is the most on again off again eater ever. he will eat one week then refuse the next. We were really cheering cause he ate 4 times in a row for us but he refused again last night after he shed. He is a slow grower but the point is he is eating and pooping and doing what he does but is just not a consistent eater. Although I would love if he ate every feeding I am over stressing about him refusing to eat.

Check your husbandry and make sure that is all in a good range to give him the best chance if that is good give him time. As long as he is active and everything else is good just try not to worry.
 
I think you have been given great advice from Autumn and Janine. Just wanted to assure you that not handling right now will have no long term effect on his demeanor. We bought our girl from a breeder at 10 months old. The breeder had only handled her for tub cleanings, feedings, weigh ins, etc. She is a dream to handle now at 1.5 years old. So, holding off in handling for the sake of him eating shouldn't change how he adapts to it in the future. Good luck. I bet he'll even out soon enough.
 
smigon said:
You don't say how long of a time span this was, could you give us an idea?
Click to expand...

yes sorry silly me!
this is from his very first feed, which was in November to this passing Sunday, so it gos over 7 months..

hope this helps!
 
I would definitely cut back on the handling. Those long handling sessions, especially since you say he can be flighty, may be burning off all the calories you are putting in him. Once he's older that kind of schedule should be fine, but I think it is a bit much for a baby.

Another thing that no one has addressed is the question of how accurate and consistent your scale is. My scale can vary a couple of grams between weighings even if all I do is pickup the snake and set it back down a moment later. Also, some scales can be sensitive to whether or not the weight is perfectly centered on the scale or not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top