milk snake not feeding.

kedjkd · 01-12-20, 10:21 AM

https://imgur.com/a/EOShE2I

I've had this snake since November 16 and i cant get it to feed. I've only tried thawed pinkies but the snake actively avoids the mouse,won't go near it at all, doesn't even flick his tongue at it, I've also tried exposing the brain to give it more smell, still nothing.
It's a small snake maybe a little more than 12" long, I keep it in a 20 gallon tank that is kept at about 75 degrees on the warm side with aspen bedding for substrate.I also feed it in a separate smaller tank.
I don't know what to do,is there something I am doing wrong? Is there another type of food I could try?
Ive just bumped the warm side up to 82 degrees.

craigafrechette · 01-12-20, 10:30 AM

Ditch the seperate feeding tank. Just feed the snake in it's enclosure. There's literally zero benefit to a separate feeding enclosure. Moving the snake = stress. Stress = refusals.
Also, I'm not sure where this "braining" thing started, but in about 15 years of keeping snakes I've never once heard of braining working.

How are you heating the prey?
How often are you offering?
Are you handling the snake at all?

kedjkd · 01-12-20, 12:14 PM

I am heating it by leaving it in the sealed bag and putting it in a glass of warm water.
I try feeding it once a week and I have been using tongs to hold to the snake and after a number of refusals i just leave it in the take and cover it up privacy.
I try and handle the snake once or twice a week.
The last week or so, when i have been holding it I noticed that its skin has been cloudy, I was thinking that that it might be getting ready to shed, however the eyes never really clouded over but to my surprise I picked it up today and saw that it has stared to shed, which,to me is a great relief,I thought he might have been sick. Is it common for a snakes eyes not to cloud over very much when getting ready to shed?.

kedjkd · 01-12-20, 12:15 PM

https://i.imgur.com/ch02pU5.jpg

craigafrechette · 01-12-20, 12:58 PM

Ok, first and most important...NO handling until the snake is eating consistently. I highly suggest waiting until the snake has eaten 3 consecutive meals without a refusal. You'll have 20 years to handle your snake, so eating needs to be priority number one.

Handling = stress, especially for juveniles that tiny. Stressed snakes generally don't eat.

Also, it sounds like the prey isn't warm enough. You want to aim for approx 100° to simulate the heat signature of a living prey item.
You should already have a temp gun (if not, you should get one. They're a super valuable tool in keeping snakes) so go ahead and actually temp the prey until you get the hang of it.
Also, pinkies are tiny and lose their heat signature quickly so you may need to reheat a few times.

Also, if the snake is in shed you really should leave the animal alone.

kedjkd · 02-03-20, 11:15 AM

GOOD NEWS, After almost 11 weeks he finally ate his pinkie!!!!!! I am so happy, I was really starting to worry.

He was active yesterday morning so I heated up a pinkie and tried feeding him in his big cage with smaller tongs and again he showed no interest so I just left the pinkie on his log and just left him be and when I went to check on him about 6 hours later the pinkie was gone, I searched thru the shavings and found him with a noticeable "pinkie" lump.

Thank you everyone for all advice.

craigafrechette · 02-03-20, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kedjkd

GOOD NEWS, After almost 11 weeks he finally ate his pinkie!!!!!! I am so happy, I was really starting to worry.

He was active yesterday morning so I heated up a pinkie and tried feeding him in his big cage with smaller tongs and again he showed no interest so I just left the pinkie on his log and just left him be and when I went to check on him about 6 hours later the pinkie was gone, I searched thru the shavings and found him with a noticeable "pinkie" lump.

Thank you everyone for all advice.

Awesome!!! Thanks for keeping us updated.

Intratoxin · 02-04-20, 02:58 AM

It is the time of year most colubrids would Brumate. Two schools of thought, and I e done both of these with different snakes, their all different. My sand boa only eats in a dark box or tote. Open it while she’s half done and she quits eating. I’ve also had medium sized python that would only eat on the floor or in their tank. There a hundred different things you can do. My sand boa is almost 14 and very June-October she will eat every week. Then she goes anywhere from 4-9 months refusing food every week, all while she’s shedding atleast once a month. It’s nerve Racking for sure! I still get upset with my girl. Also, I’m sure you’ve already been told this a lot but waiting a day or two in between trying to feed a picky animals always helps