Pueblan milk snake won't eat

[cwdiel]

I purchased a small (about a foot in length) Pueblan milk snake on Jan.4. I have him in a small plastic enclosure with a hide box and a water dish. The temp is about 80-82 in the day and 70-72 at night. I have tried feeding him f/t pinky mice every week with no success. I have tried "braining" and leaving him in a cup with the lid on overnight with the mouse, but no luck and he still hasn't eaten. any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Jim Smith]

Are you certain that it has already been feeding on a regular basis and if so has it been transitioned over to F/T from live pinkies? You might need to start him on live pinkies for a couple of feedings, and the gradually transition him over to F/T. I don't know where you're located, but you might put an (in search of) ad on your local Craig's list for a couple of very small live pinkies. I wouldn't buy more than two since they will not live long without their mother. Anyway, once you get him to eat the first meal, you can start the transition over to F/T. Just a thought...

[kwhitlock]

I would give a shot at scenting the pinkies, with chicken, chicken broth or if you know anyone with lizards to scent it with that.

[knox]

Don't panic yet. My Black Milk baby went 2 months without eating and is now eating like a champ. Give it a few weeks and then try again. It might just be the winter season, regardless of temps.

[psychocircus]

you mentioned leaving it in a cup with him overnight. Have you tried actually placing it in his enclosure and leaving it overnight? He will be more comfortable in his enclosure.

[Starbuck]

unless you left out a good deal regarding its enclosure, it sounds like he needs more cover to feel secure. I would add some more hides (macaroni boxes work well for small snakes), some fake plants, egg crate, or even crumpled paper towel; so the snake can hide and feel protected. Then i would do as psychocircus recommended and leave a F/T prey item in with him overnight. I would not offer more frequently than 1x every 5 days.

[cwdiel]

I did find one place in town that sells live pinky mice. Unfortunately when I called them they were sold out. They are supposed to get some more in on Wednesday and I will be first in line. Thanks for all the help!

[sharthun]

unless you left out a good deal regarding its enclosure, it sounds like he needs more cover to feel secure. I would add some more hides (macaroni boxes work well for small snakes), some fake plants, egg crate, or even crumpled paper towel; so the snake can hide and feel protected. Then i would do as psychocircus recommended and leave a F/T prey item in with him overnight. I would not offer more frequently than 1x every 5 days.

Yeah, more details about his enclosure will help.

[cwdiel]

Tried the live pinky mice.....still no luck. I'm going to try to raise the humidity level and see if that helps, then try again to feed in a week. He's still active and not losing a noticeable amount of weight. Never had a snake refuse live food, so this is quite frustrating!

[Starbuck]

more information about his cage????? Can you post a picture?

[sharthun]

How do you provide heat? Heat lamp, heat pad? Do you use a thermostat?You may need to keep the warm side in mid 80's day and night.

[cwdiel]

Heat lamp over the enclosure keeps the temp about mid 80-s during the day, but drops to about 72 at night.

[sharthun]

Heat lamp over the enclosure keeps the temp about mid 80-s during the day, but drops to about 72 at night.

I would recommend a thermostat and undertank heat tape/mat combination to keep your warm side temp constant. You could also use a ceramic heat emitter or radiant heat panel, but the rhp's aren't cheap.A thermostat is required for any heat source IMO. A good inexpensive thermostat is hydrofarm. Links below.

Hydrofarm Thermostat for Seedling Heat Mats Digital MTPRTC Seed Mat Cloning | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/120842053902?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649)

Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats: Patio, Lawn & Garden (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NZZG3S/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Great inexpensive heat tape: You can order by the foot. For 99 cents they will assemble the heat tape connectors/cord set

12" Heat Tape (http://www.reptilebasics.com/12-heat-tape)

And add this to heat tape:

THGHeat Wire/Clip/Insulator Set: Reptile Products You Can Trust | Reptile Basics Inc (http://www.reptilebasics.com/thg-amp-wireset)

So for 1 foot of 12" heat tape with connector/cord set installed is only $7.99! I have 3 of these.

[Deva]

I had one and since it had been eating live, it took 2 months for it to take frozen/thawed. I had that snake for another year until it died from unknown causes. My major advice is watch the humidity level very closely, keep it above 40%. The heat lamp dries the enclosure out considerably.

[cwdiel]

Enclosure pictures-the Kritter keeper is inside a 5.5 gallon enclosure. There is a small heat mat under the tank to help with heat.

[cwdiel]

Another pic

[sharthun]

Enclosure pictures-the Kritter keeper is inside a 5.5 gallon enclosure. There is a small heat mat under the tank to help with heat.

Wow, that's not much room for a temperature gradient. Even in a 5.5gal tank. I would provide a larger enclosure with 3 sides covered if an aquarium and add at least 2 hides. One on cool side and one on warm side. I would even recommend an enclosure that's large enough for an adult and provide plenty of cover and hides. You really need a thermostat as well to regulate your heat source.

[Starbuck]

Get rid of the plastic tank inside the glass one. Make sure your glass tank is escape proof (they can climb better than you'd think, and fit through very tiny holes.

Get a macaroni box or egg crate in there for another hide, it wont look super pretty but I guarantee your snake will use it. Maybe get some fake plants and drape them over the whole lot so the snake can move around under cover.
get a thermostat to control your temps (you shouldnt need a lamp AND a heat at?) And then let the snake be for a week.

After a week, put a ft pinkie in over night and walk away, check back in the morning. If the snake still wont eat after all that, I would try a paper bag in the enclosure (with the pinky inside).

[Primal Rage]

I'm with Starbuck on getting rid of the tank within a tank setup. Upgrading to a 10 gallon wouldn't be very expensive and it would allow you to put multiple hides in the tank so your little guy can feel secure and thermoregulate himself.

A lot of North American colubrids will go off feed during the winter months. Some will do this because of the shortened photoperiod. Try offering newborn live mouse pinkies. Leave them in the cage with him and leave the room for a couple hours or even over night. He might just be nervous with you around.

He should come around in the next couple months as long as you can provide a secure, stress free environment for him. Try NOT holding him or opening his enclosure except to change his water. Good luck man!

[cwdiel]

I got him out of the plastic cage and into the 5.5 with the hide box and water dish. Without the heat lamp the temp only gets about 77 so I have a 25 watt bulb in the lamp which brings it up to about 85. I didn't want to put him in my 20 gallon (little snake in a big enclosure could cause insecurity issues). Hope for the best! Thanks again for all the help!

[sharthun]

I got him out of the plastic cage and into the 5.5 with the hide box and water dish. Without the heat lamp the temp only gets about 77 so I have a 25 watt bulb in the lamp which brings it up to about 85. I didn't want to put him in my 20 gallon (little snake in a big enclosure could cause insecurity issues). Hope for the best! Thanks again for all the help!

He would do fine in the 20g with plenty of hides and cover. A 20g would give more temperature gradients. I would invest in some heat tape/heat pad and a thermostat. Less stress on you and the snake!:)

[pdomensis]

Heck I wouldn't eat in that set up either. He needs MUCH more cover, ie he should basically be able to get from one end of the cage to the other w/o being seen if he wants to. Leaves, pieces of bark, TP tubes, etc. And follow what's already been mentioned about heating. Cheers!

[cwdiel]

New digs...hope he is happy now

[sharthun]

New digs...hope he is happy now

Much better! you can also cover the 3 sides for more privacy.:cool:

[kwhitlock]

New digs...hope he is happy now

Looks good, I would though add some fake plants and leaves to give a more security! Starbuck pointed out a great idea that ended up working very well for my Hondo, basically no matter where she goes in her cage, she for the most part, never has to feel exposed!

[EL Ziggy]

That set-up is much better than your original one. As others have said, make sure you have a thermostat to control your heat source, add a few fake plants, cover 3 sides of the tank and you'll be all set. Good job on the upgrade.

[Primal Rage]

Much better!