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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by cwdiel

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

Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats: Patio, Lawn & Garden

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

And add this to heat tape:

THGHeat Wire/Clip/Insulator Set: Reptile Products You Can Trust | Reptile Basics Inc

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.