• 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.

Six weeks...when should I consider an assist feeding?

S

samalifagus

New member
All,

I had posted on here about 2 weeks ago or thereabouts, and my little corn, Sijan, still hasn't eaten. He looks fine, moves around fine, shows no signs of being ill or stressed that I can see, he is not showing any signs of getting ready to shed, but he isn't eating. I've had him for nearly 2 months now, and the day after we brought him home, he ate fine. The next week, I suspect that the feeder was too large, and three days after he ate, he regurgitated it. A week or so later, when we tried to feed him again, he started to constrict, but quit. The next 2 or three times we've tried, he shows no interest in the pinkie.

Today, after leaving him with the pink for 3 hours, I tried tease feeding him (I held him in my left hand and bumped him lightly on the nose with the pink), and he struck at the mouse, causing it to squeak, but as soon as I set them down, he let go.

What I can't figure out is when I should try to assist feed him, and exactly how do you get the little guy to open his mouth...or should I try a different food item? His viv is 72 degrees in the cool end and 82 in the warm, with 35% humidity.

I would appreciate some help, or even if I am fretting over nothing, I could handle being told that, too.
 
OK.... Calm down.... Better... LOL
You don't need to break a sweat, yet....
I've had hatchlings go an unreasonable amount of time, then go on to being the best of the bunch.......
Someone will offer the advice you need.....
That didn't help much did it?.......Sorry.....Merry Christmas........
 
If when you dangle the pinkie and they strike and in fact engage you should hold still and allow them to take the pinkie in all the way before moving. I didn't see your old post, but how have you been trying to feed him? I would wait until night and put him in a container that is big enough for the snake, but not overly roomy with a cut in half f/t pinkie. Leave him in there an hour or so undisturded and completely alone you may even consider warming the pinkie in a cup of hot water to simulate a warm body temp after thawing. Maybe he is shy as you say he is new and just needs time to settle in. I don't know how often you handle, but backing off until his eating is established will really help him in the long run. I hope he eats soon and keeps it all down.
 
The first two weeks, when he ate, we put him in a separate carrying case and he ate with no issues. I have not tried using a deli cup, mostly because I have no clue where to get one. I try not to handle him too often, and hadn't held him in a couple of weeks until today.

Except for the fact that I had been told that a snake this young shouldn't go this long without feeding, I probably wouldn't be all that worried.

I did fail to mention that while we've had him for 8 weeks, I'm not 100% certain how old he is, but I would figure not much older than that.
 
You can take a Rubbermaid or Zip-Lock cup with a few ventilation holes drilled in it in lieu of a deli cup. The idea is to keep the snake in close proximity with the food item overnight. I have pyros that hatched in August that still haven't taken a meal. I'll force feed a tail section if they don't take anything by mid-January, often I brumate them with the breeders if they haven't lost weight. Sometimes they'll wake up the next spring and take right off.
 
Except for the possibility that I am mis-reading you, Elrojo, it sounds like I just might be getting worked up over something minor.

What I have done for tonight is to put Sijan in the little box (with air holes) that the pink came in with the mouse and I am leaving them in there over night.

It really would be a nice Christmas gift if the little guy would eat so I can relax a little.

Anyway, just in case I have to, is there a "how-to" guide anywhere to assist feed them? All I can find tells me to get their mouth open and place the mouse in...how the heck do you do that without hurting them?
 
I don't recommend assist feeding unless the snake is nearly without hope. Yours has eaten voluntarily, I'd try scenting, braining and less "intrusive" methods first. If you do go that route, get someone who has done it to show you. It's a bit tricky -if the snake goes backward, it'll almost always regurge.
 
We'll try the braining, etc., first. I don't really want to do anything traumatic to the little guy. I'm already quite attached.
 
Good news! Little guy ate over night. I left him with the pink in the little box that the mouse came in, and when I checked this morning, no more mouse, and a lump in Sijan's belly.
 
Congrats! I still have a few hatched August 29th that are being problem feeders. It's very stressful!
 
Shhh!!! If you talk about working with problem feeders, your friends will saddle you with theirs!
 
The number 1 thing I wish I would have done differently is that I wish I would have discovered this website first. I read a few books, etc., but browsing the threads here--and talking to folks on this site--has been the most helpful thing.

I think I'm going to get Kathy Love's new book, but I think that most of this "stress" over little Sijan was self-induced!

I'll get around to posting a picture of the little guy soon.
 
Glad to hear Sijan ate :) You're right, this is a great site! with lots of friendly, helpful members :) Looking forward to the pic.

Merry Christmas, Everybody!
from Jane and Scooter :-D
 
Bad news...got home from the kids' bowling league this morning, and the little guy had regurged again. Stank to high heaven, though he looks fine.

Any ideas?
 
Unless he is starting to show severe signs of weight loss, give him at least 7 days before trying to feed again. Limit the handling to a bare minimum. In a week or so, introduce the smallest runt day old pink you can find in the evening and leave him completely alone. If you have the stomach for it, a pinkie head or half a pinkie would be an even better idea.

Gurging is very hard on an adult animal and a lot harder on a neonate. It takes time for them to regenerate the stomach flora that aids in digestion. Your animal has the reptilian equivalent of an extremely upset stomach and will for a few weeks. The goal here is to get him to fully digest something tiny while the flora is coming back. You can't let him go too much longer without nourishment or you risk liver and kidney shutdown. At that age, a third gurge would probably spell disaster.

You might bump the heat in his cage a couple of degrees the day before you feed him as well. You can bring it up as high as about 85 ambient The additional warmth will aid digestion as well.

Good luck and feel free to ask questions
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top