Friday, July 31, 2009

i got given a month old corn snake and hasn't eaten since bin hatched ?

since my snake has bin hatched it hasn't eaten a thing and isn't very livley and im gettin worried. this morning when i woke up it hasn't moved once ! and if its dead how will i no ??
Answers:
Snakes are easy to maintain for the simple fact that you do not have to feed them daily. Your snake will not eat for a while, then it will and then it won't for another while. It is unlikely that your snake is dead. Snakes like to laze around and you'll only see it move occasionally. Have fun;)
Corn snakes do not eat until they have shed once. If the snake is not moving or is lying upside down, then the worst has happened.
are you applying the proper lighting and environment
is he warm
does he have mites
[little dark specks up under the scales]
1] get vitamin
2]get Jump Start by ZooMed
3] you can feed him raw egg by an eye dropper
did he come from a store or breeder with a warrenty
wild caughts have a low survival rate
look up Herpitilogical soceity in your area or online for other help
without uv rays his chances are slim
keep from drafts lke windows
no booming loud music etc
Actually some cornsnakes do eat before their first shed. Corns shed almost immediately after hatching, I think at a month old it will have shed by now!

Also, raw egg!? Are you serious? 0_o And corns do NOT need UV rays!

Anyway, on to the question.

When you say your snake isn't lively, do you mean when its in the tank, or when you handle it? Snakes don't move about their tanks much, at least not when humans are still up and about. This is normal. It is not normal however for your snake to be lifeless when you are touching and holding it.

I don't know how you've been feeding, but here's what I would do:

1. Take a frozen pinky mouse. If your snake is really tiny, cut it in half or give just the head. (the mouse not the snake lol)
2. Thaw the pinky in hot water. Make sure it is warm as snakes don't like cold food. Slit the mouse's back open as the smell of blood entices the snake.
3. Offer the mouse to your snake on tongs. Wiggle it around a bit and try to make the mouse seem alive. If after ten minutes the snake hasn't struck at the mouse, put the mouse down close to the snake and leave them alone together.
4. Darken the room or cover the tank with a towel to make it dark (make sure the animal can still breathe though.)
5. Leave the snake COMPLETELY alone over night. Don't be tempted to peak to see if he's eaten.
6. IF the snake doesn't eat by morning, remove the mouse from the tank.

It is extremely important that you don't keep on and on at the snake; keep trying to feed will just upset it. Offer food just once a week, or every 5/6 days if you must. Minimise stress during this time, do NOT handle the animal.

Also, check your temperatures with a DIGITAL thermometer, anything else is not accurate enough. You want the cool side about 70-75 F, the warm side between 80-85F. Your snake could be too warm or too cold.

Now, make sure the snake feels secure. Snakes need places to hide away and if he can't hide, he won't feel secure and will not eat. Make sure your snake has at least two hdies, one on the warm side one on the cool side, and they should be just big enough for him; snakes like to be touched on all sides when they hide. They don't like great cavernous spaces.

IF the method I gave you above does not work, it is time to try scenting. You can scent with tuna, but anole scenting works excellently. Try taking a piece of anole lizard skin and rubbing it all over the pinky. In the wild, corns will occasionally eat lizards so the smell of the anole entices them to eat the pinkie.

IF the snake is still not eating, it is time to try live. However, understand that live is always a last resort with any snake, and snakes can go a long time without eating, even a hatchling.

Best of luck to you.
have you picked it up to see if its dead?..some snakes like to kill their prey .some snakes will eat them dead.do you have proper heat for the snake like a heat lamp?.heat rocks can actually cook the snake they are not a good source of heat.their tank needs to be a consistant temp at all times.you may want to read up on snake care
email me at jefffrickman@yahoo.com if u love wildlife
I read the other answers and Jason is right. I have snakes and that sounds like the best plan to me. I do not like the raw egg idea, however. And it is more than past time your snake should have ate.
try feeding it some smaller food

No comments:

Post a Comment