corn snake

frog.girl!

ok so this is the first time posting,been a member for ages but never felt the need to post. So,about a year ago I got a baby corn snake.had it for a couple of months and then it managed to escape!don't know how but I have a sneaking suspiscion little hands forgot to put the lid back on. Have sorted out that problem now and have a lock but never found the baby. Meanwhile I got a new cornsnake and an arizona mountain kingsnake. anyway so yesterday I got a call telling me that my baby cornsnake had been found... 10 months later...down at a building site a couple of doors from my house!hooray!i have it now in a separate tank. I brought it into ben for him to check it out.He said it was fine and that it had been hibernating. Now im trying to get it to feed but it won't, im using newborn pinkies and it isn't taking any interest.I don't know what to do. I have just got it back and I really don't want it to die!

reptileguy16

try just scratching the nose of the mouse to draw blood the offer nose to nose to the snake. also make sure that the enclosure is warm enough. snakes take time to adjust to their new surroundings so may not eat for a whil as it may be stressed. good luck

Duzzie

Glad to hear you got your snake back. They really are escape artists and will find any weekness. How long ago did you get the snake back?? If it has just woken up from hibernation, it wont eat just yet. It needs a couple of weeks to warm up and to get its mettabolism going. Corns are normally good feeders so it might not have woken up enough to be hungry.

There are a few trick that you can try. You can brain the pink, similar to the method discribed by Reptile guy, here you nick the head of the mouse with a sharp knife. It basically realeases some of the mouses body fluids to entice the snake. You can also put the snake in a small dark box or paper bag with the mouse and leave it overnight. Being in close proximity to the mouse for a long period may start it feeding. You could also ask Ben, or someone else, for a piece of shed lizzard skin. Wrap that round the mouse to add the lizzards scent to the mouse. That sometimes works. When trying to get it feeding initially, use a smaller mouse than they would normally take. It may be more likely to take a smaller prey. Then once it is eating, then up the size.

It is not unusual for snakes to be off their food at this time of year. It should be a healthy size or ben would have told you. If you are particularly worried about it, i'm sure that if you asked ben, he would take it in to try to get it feeding again. I know he has done that for some people.

Just some thoughts there to try. Let us know how you get on and if you want any more help, just shout, there are a few people on here with snakes that may be able to help you out.

Good luck

Duzzie

Jimkel

Hope ya have all those snakes seperate, the Kings eat other snakes. Wouldnt worry about a corn not eating, just keep trying it, you would be amazed at how long a snake can Live for without food, Its not going to die, its just readjusting to the higher temperature and is probably still a little rough after the Hibernation. It will eat when its ready keep offering every 2 days or so untill it does. If Ben says its fine then its fine, Dont worry, Reptiles have very slow metabolism and are amongst the hardiest survivers on the planet.

newrossman

Hi,

King WILL eat all other creatures in tank. Mice/~Snakes/Rabbits..etc if it fits it will try

Nice story about corn and is amazing how the can last without food or heat.

My wifes from mid-states and she rems rattles stuck together with ice and the would wake up in wild.

foxshooter243

and i thought the shootin forum was thought to be distasteful -jeez keepin a snake in a glass box -and then gut something else for food-whats the point-its an abomination of nature for ch***s sake.

Hellrazer

foxshooter243 wrote: »

and i thought the shootin forum was thought to be distasteful -jeez keepin a snake in a glass box -and then gut something else for food-whats the point-its an abomination of nature for ch***s sake.

No youre right the hunting forum is distasteful--The difference here is that in keeping these animals we`re simulating what happens in nature--Not blowing the head off a defenceless animal just for the sake of sticking pictures up in an online gallery.

Please dont start the whole hunting argument thing again or Ill just start locking threads and banning people again.

frog.girl!

thanks so much guys for all your help. sadly the little girl passed away today. I dont know what happened she was alert, responsive and seemed in good health. i feel awful that she managed to survive 10 months out in an irish winter and only lasted two days when she was returned to captivity!I had her kept warm, away from the others and i put the tank away from activity so that she wouldn't be stressed out.she had water with a supplement in it and i refrained myself from handling her as i wanted her to settle in.it's a mystery, i'm really shaken up about it. it was a real miracle i that i got my first corn back especially because she was really small. i hope that she enjoyed the time she had out in the big bad world! once again thanks for all your help... and just to let you know that of course the corn and king are kept in seperate tanks, though i think the yearling would try and eat the king before he so much as looked at him, the corn is quite vicious at times,though we are working on it!