Tube feeding my cornsnake

[whytie]

Hi guys, just wondered if you could help me with a problem. I bought an adult corn snake about a year ago and ever since its been plagued with problems, it ate wild caught frozen mice for about a month after I got it then it stopped eating. I tried feeding it every week after that but it wasn't interested. After about 6 months I took it to a reptile vet, the nearest of which was about 85 miles away. He done a blood test and it had 15,000 white blood cells per whatever, when it was only meant to have between 3 and 5 thousand. About 5 weeks later I got it back and its white blood cell count was down to 7,000. Once I got it back it began shedding but it is only coming off in small pieces and it only ate once, (about 1 month after I got it back). Two months later I eventually managed to get off work and take it back to the vet and its white blood cell count was down to 5,000 which the vet said he was happy with but its still not eating. He sent me home with some sort of dog food/cat food and a few syringes and a tube. I now have to tube feed it twice a week untill maybe February or March as he said Corns don't eat alot during winter. Problem is I tried to tube feed it but made a bit of an arse of it, I only got the tube in about 10cm's upon which the snake was thrashing about and I had to let it go. I managed to get half the food in but the syringe then jammed. I didn't feel at all comfortable doing this, could someone recommend a method to do this easily or has the vet gave me bad advice and this is something he should be doing? He advised me to do this myself as the surgery is far away and he is only in a few days per week which would save me alot of money. This snakes cost me a fortune in vet bills and I really don't want to give up on it. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[norsmis]

No Wild Caught Mice!

As far as a different technique for tube feeding, cant help you. But it sounds more like your snake probably has a parasite infestation from the wild caught rodents you were feeding it. Talk to a vet about getting a stool sample to be tested for parasites. Also, give more details about husbandry such as enclosure size, temperatures (cool and hot end), water provided ets, etc.
Most times when a snake stops eating it is a husbandry issue or parasites.

I forgot to ask, does the vet deal with reptiles on a regular basis? Many vets know nothing about reptile care as it is much different from other animals. This could be the problem.

 

[whytie]

thanks for your reply mate, the vet in question specialises in reptiles, it took me long enough to find one which does, he was very proffesional in the way he examined and handled the snake so I don't doubt his proffesionalism. As he was in the vets care and continually tested for weeks I am sure he would have taken and tested a stool sample. The snake is kept in a five foot long tank with a large heat bulb and a heat pad at one end and his hide at the other. The light is kept on for about 12 hours per day, although I have upped this to about 16 recently due to him not feeding and the mat is on permanently. The average temp is between 73 and 85 degrees depending on the time of day and the side of the tank. He's a very friendly snake and doesn't shy away in his hide, he usually prefers to bask on the upper ledge. I don't have a problem tube feeding him if thats what it takes, I just feel that its a bit complicated for a novice, however I'm sure its easier said than done and if anyone has done this I'd like to hear their methods. Thanks.

 

[PtDnsr]

Have you tried live mice at all? I usually wouldn't suggest feeding live but if it's an issue of getting him to eat it's a different story. Have you tried out of the cage and overnight (with f/t). Warming it up or even pre-killed or stunned. How many hides does he have? You say he's not shy but all of my snakes like to be able to have multiple hides on both sides of the tank. Also, are you sure it's a male? How much does he weigh? If he's not losing weight I honestly wouldn't be too worried. You can also try rat weanlings or small rats as another option.

~Katie

 

[poppycorn]

I don't envy you with the tube feeding. I had to struggle through it myself for the first time recently. I can't claim to be proficient yet (and I currently am not getting any practice, YEA!) but I will pass on some tips that helped me:

Run everything through a sieve first to minimize clogging. Have everything preloaded and ready to go before getting the snake. Make sure all the air is out of the line.

Sit holding the snake body between your knees. I put a towel between my knees for padding so I wouldn't smush the snake too bad if things got dicy.

Hold the snake vertically so gravity works with you.

I was doing hatchlings so an opened paper clip worked to open the mouth, but if I was in your position knowing I would have to do this on an ongoing basis I would invest in a special bent wire specula that is designed to keep a snakes mouth open while you slide the tube in. The Bean Farm (www.beanfarm.com) has them last page under "health care".

Perhaps others with more experience can chime in with additional advice.

Marsha

 

[whytie]

Thanks for the advice Marsha, I'm gonna try tube feeding him again tomorrow or maybe later tonight, I actually forgot about getting all the air out of the tube first! No wonder he was thrashing about! I'll also try feeding him out of the tank and maybe on small rats like you suggested Katie, although I assume the vet would've tried this when he was in his care. Anyway, cheers for the help, I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[PtDnsr]

I'll also try feeding him out of the tank and maybe on small rats like you suggested Katie, although I assume the vet would've tried this when he was in his care.

You never know what the vet has tried unless you ask. I had an adult female that I got last year and she refused every mouse I tried to feed her for two months straight or so. One day my boyfriend had a small rat out to feed to our savannah monitor while I was playing with her. She started sniffing the rat and we gave it a shot. It took her 45 minutes but she got the thing down and two weeks later ate her mouse like a good girl. You never know what will entice them into eating. Good luck!

~Katie

 

[BeckyG]

I would definitely question the professionalism of a vet who suggested you feed your snake dog or cat food. It would be better to puree pinkies in a blender, though gross. It is better for your snake.

 

[Gintha]

I agree with Becky. Snakes are carnivores, and the vegetable / grain content of the cat and dog food may agitate the snakes gut. Feeding a strict carnivore vegetable matter could cause some not so nice constipation problems, and likely indigestion too. Vegetable matter is actually harder to break down than animal matter, which makes sense I guess since we, as animals, break down our own matter on a constant basis (dead cells etc) although I believe its the fibre in vegetable matter than causes the digestive problems. I would toss some f/t mice into the blender and make a mouse "shake" this would be much better for your snake.

Its also a good idea to get the feeding tube wet before you insert it, just dip it in some water first, the moisture can help reduce friction, and can stop the occurrence of trauma to the throat of the snake, should there be any dryer than normal patches along the way.

Good luck =)

 

[Gintha]

Oh! Also try to depress the plunger until the feeding tube is completely full of food. You can then disconnect the syringe from the tube, pull the plunger back, shake the food to the tip end, and re-connect to the feeding tube. This will give you the chance to get all of the food in, keep pressing the plunger until you see the air bubble get to the snakes moth, then stop. The only food wasted is the stuff that is inside the tube between the snakes mouth, and its stomache =) Don't keep pressing till the tube is empty, or you could get air from the tube into the snakes stomache.

Hope that helps hehe, harder to put into words than I thought it would be.