Snake health questions

[kmj]

I've mentioned before that my current corn snake is my first so I'm going through some "snake stuff" for the first time, unaware of what is normal and what is not. Hoping to get some input before I take her to the vet (if that needs to be done.)

First of all, I'm not entirely sure she is a she. She's 2 years old but I have never got her sexed, I only looked at her tail and while I thought she was female, the bigger she gets, the more her tail is starting to look like she's a boy. I'm not sure if this is important or not but I'll have the vet figure this out.

She hasn't eaten for 3 weeks. Of course I panicked and went online after she refused the first time and apparently hunger strikes in spring is common in corns because of breeding season. I keep trying to entice her with pinkies every few days but 3 weeks later, nothing. Today she popped out of her bedding and her neck looked a little concave. Even some of her stomach. Not grossly concave but it definitely dips in, when it usually does not. She is drinking almost constantly, nothing unusual going on in her mouth/breathing, she is active, curious and her tongue is going crazy. Is this normal due to lack of eating? Should I get her to a vet right away? Other than that she seems like a healthy girl. Thanks in advance.

[drumcrush]

Up the prey size. Pinkies are too small for a 2 yr. old corn.

[sharthun]

Originally Posted by drumcrush

Up the prey size. Pinkies are too small for a 2 yr. old corn.

I agree and seeing your enclosure and hot and cool side temps will help.

[kmj]

Originally Posted by drumcrush

Up the prey size. Pinkies are too small for a 2 yr. old corn.

Okay she normally eats fuzzies and mice the next size up, but I was wasting them because she wasn't interested in those either, so I got some pinkies to use small amounts to test and she if she's interested. At one point she was and she had no issues eating 6 or so pinkies. When she starts eating again I was going to go back to her regular sizes.

[Teal]

Are you feeding live or f/t? How often are you trying to feed her?

If you're feeding f/t, have you tried leaving it in the enclosure with her overnight? I know they're not corns, but my baby blood pythons used to take food right off the tong and now they won't eat unless I leave the prey in overnight with them... so sometimes their preferred feeding methods can change, I guess?

[kmj]

Originally Posted by Teal

Are you feeding live or f/t? How often are you trying to feed her?

If you're feeding f/t, have you tried leaving it in the enclosure with her overnight? I know they're not corns, but my baby blood pythons used to take food right off the tong and now they won't eat unless I leave the prey in overnight with them... so sometimes their preferred feeding methods can change, I guess?

I feed her f/t. I've been trying about every 2 days or so. If she's wandering about looking hungry I will attempt it, but it's never what she's looking for. She use to take it right off the tongs, too. I tried to feed her again today, no luck, so I left the mouse in a bowl in her house and I'll try the overnight trick. So there's no harm in leaving it out? Do you put it anywhere specific?

[Teal]

No harm, that I know of, leaving in f/t prey (you never want to leave live prey in, though, because they could do serious damage to your snake).

My bloods are in minimally decorated tubs, so I just place the prey in on a small pan that keeps it out of their substrate... but I think near her house would be a good place to leave it for your girl.

Has anything else changed in her enclosure? Temperatures? Humidity? Are you handling her a lot?

[kmj]

Thanks for the tips! I've been keeping an eye on the temps and humidity but they have remained the same. And I'm actually handling her less. I usually handle her 5 times a week or so but now I'm about down to 2 times a week. I try not to handle her if I think she's hungry but it doesn't seem like she is. Plus she doesn't seem to like it much at the moment so I've been backing off.

[Teal]

You're welcome! (: I hope she eats for you soon!

[Lankyrob]

I would stop attempting to feed so often, if the snake doesnt eat then leave it a week.

[shaunyboy]

stop offering her prey so often,only offer her prey once every 7 to 10 days

what are your hot and cool end temperatures ?

how do you heat the prey ?

you could also try braining the prey

a snake can go months with out feeding and have no health issues,i only feed my Diamonds 6 months of the year,my other Carpets only get 2 to 4 feeds in the winter season

re breeding season
it's not uncommon for snakes to go off their food,leading up to and during the breeding season

the main thing here is that you don't panic and show some patience...

could you post some full body shot pictures,that way we can give you an educated opinion,as to how she looks weight wise


cheers shaun

[kmj]

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

stop offering her prey so often,only offer her prey once every 7 to 10 days

what are your hot and cool end temperatures ?

how do you heat the prey ?

you could also try braining the prey

a snake can go months with out feeding and have no health issues,i only feed my Diamonds 6 months of the year,my other Carpets only get 2 to 4 feeds in the winter season

re breeding season
it's not uncommon for snakes to go off their food,leading up to and during the breeding season

the main thing here is that you don't panic and show some patience...

could you post some full body shot pictures,that way we can give you an educated opinion,as to how she looks weight wise


cheers shaun

Thanks, I'll take a break from trying for a bit. Her cool side is about 70 and her warm side is 85. I thaw the frozen mice in warm water (it's in a ziplock, not directly in water). I haven't tried braining yet, would that just be a small incision on the head?

This is the best angle I can get, the dip seems to go in deeper in person, but I'm sure I'm overreacting regardless. Thanks for all the help & input, would just rather be safe than sorry when it comes to my girl!

[SSSSnakes]

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

stop offering her prey so often,only offer her prey once every 7 to 10 days

what are your hot and cool end temperatures ?

how do you heat the prey ?

you could also try braining the prey

a snake can go months with out feeding and have no health issues,i only feed my Diamonds 6 months of the year,my other Carpets only get 2 to 4 feeds in the winter season

re breeding season
it's not uncommon for snakes to go off their food,leading up to and during the breeding season

the main thing here is that you don't panic and show some patience...

could you post some full body shot pictures,that way we can give you an educated opinion,as to how she looks weight wise


cheers shaun

Great advice. Stop handling her and only offer food no more than once a week. You can stress her out and cause her not to want to eat.

[shaunyboy]

Originally Posted by kmj

Thanks, I'll take a break from trying for a bit. Her cool side is about 70 and her warm side is 85. I thaw the frozen mice in warm water (it's in a ziplock, not directly in water). I haven't tried braining yet, would that just be a small incision on the head?

This is the best angle I can get, the dip seems to go in deeper in person, but I'm sure I'm overreacting regardless. Thanks for all the help & input, would just rather be safe than sorry when it comes to my girl!

^^^^^
imo you have a nice healthy looking snake,your over thinking things and worrying too much


re braining
i use one point of a pair of scissors,i puncture the skull 3 or 4 times until grey liquid starts to seep out

re prey
i defrost prey overnight at room temperature,then i heat the prey with a hairdryer

i heat the prey until it feels the same temperature to the touch,as a live rat would feel...

after heating,i brain the prey then give the head another quick heat,then offer to the snake with feeding tongs

i would only go near the snake enclosure to change the water,leaving the snake in peace and quiet the rest of the time

until a snake feeds 3 or 4 times in a row,i would not handle

after you get it feeding,give it at least 2 days to digest its prey (longer if its a large prey item


cheers shaun

[kmj]

Great, thank you. I figured I was worrying, I had just never seen her stomach look like that before. Thanks for all the advice!