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Why are cornsnakes such fragile eaters?

Kristel

Kristel

New member
:shrugs: I've read that they can sometimes starve themselves to death. I cant think of any other animals that will do this except for in extereme cases of illness, but cornsnakes seem to do this pretty regularly. So, why are cornsnakes such fragile eaters? And is it mainly cornsnakes who have this problem or do other snakes do this as well? Do other animals do this?
 
Probably just shows we have a long way to go before we really can give out corn adequately what he needs. Has there ever been a study to see if non-eating behavior exsists in the wild? (Difficult, but can't be more difficult then white shark mating behaviours :D )
I doubt such genes would still be alive in snakes today though. Snakes are so old they may be defect genes at best. My guess would simply be we do 'something' wrong with results in a non eater, and they aren't born.

Then again, i know very little about snakes. If would be a very interesting project to find out what makes a snake a non-eater. And if it might be an inherited trait or not.
 
When you say this : I've read that they can sometimes starve themselves to death.

Is this in captivity or in the wild?
 
Normally refusing food is a symptom of an illness the snake has (unless it's Spring ;)) which I guess would have a lot to do with why they die! So they probably aren't actually starving themselves to death. Do you think? Or is it a cause and effect thing; not eating causes the illness, not the illness causing the not eating. Hehe! Oh dear Tracee's thinking cogs are turning..
 
I've never owned any non-corn snakes, but I've heard that they are relatively easy to get eating. A lot of other snakes are way pickier than corns, and that's why corns are such easy pets to keep.
 
I believe the answer lies in the fact that different species of animals have very different needs and take to captivity differently. Although other animals may not starve themselves to death in captivity, there is certainly a good chance that they won't thrive and may become ill thus leading to the same end result which is death. It seems unlikely to me that a new born corn would starve itself to death in the wild. Nature provides a much wider range of proper circumstances for them to thrive than we can in captivity. That's why I feel it's so important for people, like all of us, to educate ourselves as much as possible on the care of these really cool critters. I'm by no means an expert in any way, shape or form- but I try to learn and share what I know as much as possible and I appreciate all the feedback given by the more experienced keepers.
 
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Some hatchlings will never eat of their own accord and will starve themselves unless we intervene e.g. with force-feeding. I believe this is part of the natural selection process, where some animals are "designed" by nature to be food for other animals. No point in such an animal wasting energy trying to feed itself, so some are born without a feeding instinct. That's part of the reason why Corn Snakes lay so many eggs - very few will actually hatch and survive in the wild.

On the other hand, if you read this part of the message board, you will generally see people looking for advice on feeding. Very few people come here to post that their Corns are eating like pigs!

So to start the trend; I own 12 Corns, all of whom have been eating reliably for between 1 and 16 years. It's not all bad news!
 
Krenna said:
When you say this : I've read that they can sometimes starve themselves to death.

Is this in captivity or in the wild?
Click to expand...

As far as I know, the things I read were of snakes in captivity. And being in captivity hatched by experts, I would think that the chances of illness causing them not to eat to be less likely.
You guys have some pretty good theories though!
Anyone have anymore?
 
Kel said:
Some hatchlings will never eat of their own accord and will starve themselves unless we intervene e.g. with force-feeding. I believe this is part of the natural selection process, where some animals are "designed" by nature to be food for other animals. No point in such an animal wasting energy trying to feed itself, so some are born without a feeding instinct.
Click to expand...

On what do you base that theory?

Nature can't 'design' a thing like that. Simply because all creatures made due to that design get eaten. And don't get offspring. So in short that design goes extinct.

Second, all creatures are made to sustain their own population. They breed themselves as quick and fast as they can. Deceases and predators and hunger maintain the species. So when there suddenly many rats, more snakes can feed of them, breed and get offspring, and they'll survive as well since there's food enough. Finally, they've eaten most of the rats. Starvation of snakes follow. The circle of life simplified.

Now if i understand your theory correctly, snakes will offer themselves up as food due hawks or name a snake eating predator. Then what you have? Many hawks, and a declining snake population. Nature does not design like that.

And i won't even mention the fact that the better the snake feeds, the better food it will be for other predators. A starved snake doesn't make much of a meal. Another reason why your theory simply can't excist in nature.
 
by design...

Hmm, I think I agree with Kel on this point because I consider natural selection to be, "by design". Survival of the fittest ensures a healthy species and that often means that the weak are left to strengthen some other species. However, I'm not sure that's why snakes don't always eat in captivity. I personally believe it often has more to do with captive conditions than the condition of the animal itself.

Just mt 2 cents.
 
Kristel said:
So, why are cornsnakes such fragile eaters? And is it mainly cornsnakes who have this problem or do other snakes do this as well? Do other animals do this?
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I wouldn't generalize and say that ALL cornsnakes are fragile eaters...there are members (myself being one of them) who have no difficulty with feedings and who have snakes with quite healthy appetites.

I wouldn't know if any other snakes are "fragile eaters", but I do know that certain species of snakes go into a "hibernation mode" and won't eat for a few months (my brothers hognose being one such example).

As far as other animals are concerned some may be finicky, ill or not receiving the proper diet they require.

My best advice to you is that if you don't find help here, and the condition is worsening or if you're REALLY worried seek out a veteranarian that deals with herps.

Best of luck to you!
 
Bekah said:
I wouldn't generalize and say that ALL cornsnakes are fragile eaters.
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I agree with this point also. It's perfectly normal for snakes to go off feed for a period of time. My comments are meant to be directed towards hatchlings in captivity that are stubborn feeders.
 
I have 4 cornsnakes and they are anything BUT fragile eaters!!! My rosey boas are very off and on when it comes to a schedule.

My cornsnakes have never turned down a meal and would eat with me holding them!
 
My amel is a hearty eater as well. The only time she doesn't attack her food with gusto is if she's about to go blue. She'll still eat, she just isn't as interested. My aztec was a little more difficult, but seems to have gotten past that and now eats quite well. As a rule, most animals won't starve themselves to death, but a cat will. So snakes are not alone. I can't imagine it's an issue in the wild. An animal that won't eat, dies....simple as that. In captivity, we take it out of natures hand, and do things like force feed and things like that.
 
I'm not saying that I think all corns are "problem feeders" by any means. The hatchling I have eats very well (now that I've stopped trying to feed her f/t) But when I was looking to buy a snake on-line, most every place had a "good feeder guarantee", which to me says that this is a common and if not almost expected problem.
In fact, I've read so much about how to deal with problem feeders that when my snake didn't want to eat a f/t pinkie I thought that maybe she could be one of these. I've heard so much emphisis on these snakes not eating that I actually expected that I would have trouble with my snake not eating.
Then again, as someone mentioned earlier, most of us come here as a place to look for help with problems we may be facing(or to help others), not to tell eachother "guess what my snake ate today!"
 
Also, when a dog regurgitates it's food it seems more than happy to to gobble it up a second time. Snakes, not so much (lol).
 
The places that sell online don't necessarily have a "good feeder guarantee" because it is a common problem. They have that because there are a lot of people out there that don't know how to get a hatchling to eat the first time, and its a good way to make sure the snake is fairly healthy. Of course, it is always good to know what to do in case your snake stops eating for whatever reason.
 
Ive never heard of corns being picky at all
its ball pythons that are infamous for it and i think i heard it about one other kind, but i forget what it was
like on saturday i picked up a snake from the reptile show and when i got home played with it for a bit (i know, tsk tsk) and then half an hour later fed him and had no problems at all even though i used a f/t pinky and he was used to live
and my first corn i only had a month and am led to believe that oit had an internal parasite, it ate every week without hesitation even though its health was deteriorating
they kinda seem like little pigs to me
lol
 
I have some that I guess you would call picky. They don't eat before shed..if that's picky. However, they will eat f/t mice or rats without a problem any other time. My Okeetees that are direct line from w/c are the pickiest and the one is the most nervous. My amel though would eat on a freeway if you gave him a mouse and so would my little aztec. Picky eaters they are not!
 
Kailaa said:
Ive never heard of corns being picky at all
its ball pythons that are infamous for it and i think i heard it about one other kind, but i forget what it was
like on saturday i picked up a snake from the reptile show and when i got home played with it for a bit (i know, tsk tsk) and then half an hour later fed him and had no problems at all even though i used a f/t pinky and he was used to live
and my first corn i only had a month and am led to believe that oit had an internal parasite, it ate every week without hesitation even though its health was deteriorating
they kinda seem like little pigs to me
lol
Click to expand...

...Just to point out that this thread is 2 years old :p
 
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