Quote:
Originally Posted by chairman
I don't know if this will make you feel better or not, but corn snakes are typically brumating right now. Some breeders even brumate hatchlings for the winter. So, while you really should feed a small corn every five days, they can go for months without food in the right conditions.
But you obviously want your snake to eat and I don't blame you. Something for you to consider is that we had weird weather blow in recently, accompanied by a barometric pressure change. That change may have triggered your snake to refuse food. You may not need to do anything more special than wait for a low pressure front to move in to offer food. While waiting, just make sure the snake has access to a warm hide, a cold hide, and clean water.
If you really need to do something to entice the snake then:
a) Don't bother with cutting the head to expose blood/brain,
everyone talks about it but I've never heard of it actually working.
b)You can scent a pinky with low sodium chicken broth.
c) You can scent a pinky with lizard scent (rub the mouse on a live anole or Mediterranean gecko).
I'd wait until a low pressure front or 7 days from your last attempt before trying to feed again. Try feeding normally, don't stress the snake too much doing unusual things. If that doesn't work then wait 5-7 days and try a scented mouse.
As a last resort you can assist feed, but if you've never done it before then cut the head of the mouse and only feed the head to the snake. The head is more easily swallowed then the whole body.
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Ah that does...Kind of make me feel better?
As you mentioned, brumation is a common thing I saw other than shedding & health issues when I researched why could this be happening. But in my head, a brumating baby corn just...Did not make sense. "Only adults who are breeding and/or have been bred would do that" was my automatic thought process. So that does ease me a little!
Also the cold front. That has absolutely been happening here in SC, too. We're known for incredibly bipolar weather to begin with, but it's been even more weird and back-and-forth than normal lately.
Since she isn't in bad body condition and I am...Very ritualistic about misting + water changes & overall cage maintenance, I'll go with the recommended and just try again in about a week. Thaw and warm, offer food, rinse and repeat until it works.
She is quite a wriggly and flighty girl though; I've only had her about a month and she is definitely a teeny, sassy little thing! It's hilarious, but at the moment also a teeny bit frustrating. So I feel limiting handling until this eating strike is over is probably a good idea too, yea?
Either way, I appreciate your reply!
I am just a nervous snake mom. X'D
With my bad luck-track record (which I posted about previously) I am just worried about waking up to her just...No longer being in the realm of the living, and yet again having no clue why it happened.
She is far too young for that.
I'll just keep trudging along and see if she fixes this herself!
Hybrid Mode
