Looking for advice from more experienced keepers

Yup, just "wait it out". ;) BTW, my oldest corn snake is 22 years old now. He's about 5' long & doesn't eat near what he used to- it can be every 2 or 3 weeks+ but I lose no sleep over it.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Yup, just "wait it out". ;) BTW, my oldest corn snake is 22 years old now. He's about 5' long & doesn't eat near what he used to- it can be every 2 or 3 weeks+ but I lose no sleep over it.

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Makes sense. Thanks for helping and easing my worries.

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Originally Posted by Neko_snake

Makes sense. Thanks for helping and easing my worries.

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I just hope you can ease theirs.

Two weeks later update...
So it's now been 6 weeks since she last ate. We've started trying to weigh her more often. She's only lost 2% of her total body weight.
But my coworkers are really really worried about her. And I think they're doing things that most wouldn't recommend. They keep handling her fairly regularly and they have started trying to offer her food every day... I'm not sure what to tell them. I've already told them that multiple feedings might stress her and we want to limit stress...

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Originally Posted by Neko_snake

Two weeks later update...
So it's now been 6 weeks since she last ate. We've started trying to weigh her more often. She's only lost 2% of her total body weight.
But my coworkers are really really worried about her. And I think they're doing things that most wouldn't recommend. They keep handling her fairly regularly and they have started trying to offer her food every day... I'm not sure what to tell them. I've already told them that multiple feedings might stress her and we want to limit stress...

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I agree with you- offering food daily is just nuts- & totally wrong. It just adds stress that makes her less likely to want to eat, just as excessive handling may do.

One thing that might also help (since they're handling her anyway)- a little time outside in natural sunlight IF the temperatures are warm enough & also not too hot.

NEVER leave the snake in a container outside (the heat builds up quickly & they can & have died from heat strokes), but just handle her gently while taking a stroll outside, in & out of shade for about 10-20 minutes, making sure she doesn't overheat* at any time. *Remember always that we are roughly 98.6*, and a snake is getting additional heat from our hands+, so if it's over 80* outside, the snake may overheat much sooner thanks to our own added warmth- just adjust the time. And pay attention if she seems very restless- that can indicate discomfort with the temperatures too.

In my experience, it has seemed that the natural sunlight can perk up a snake's appetite (& metabolism)- it's worth trying, especially since they keep handling her anyway- might as well make it useful. ;)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

One thing that might also help (since they're handling her anyway)- a little time outside in natural sunlight IF the temperatures are warm enough & also not too hot.

NEVER leave the snake in a container outside (the heat builds up quickly & they can & have died from heat strokes), but just handle her gently while taking a stroll outside, in & out of shade for about 10-20 minutes, making sure she doesn't overheat* at any time. *Remember always that we are roughly 98.6*, and a snake is getting additional heat from our hands+, so if it's over 80* outside, the snake may overheat much sooner thanks to our own added warmth- just adjust the time. And pay attention if she seems very restless- that can indicate discomfort with the temperatures too.

In my experience, it has seemed that the natural sunlight can perk up a snake's appetite (& metabolism)- it's worth trying, especially since they keep handling her anyway- might as well make it useful. ;)

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That sounds awesome. I'll definitely suggest that. I just wish they wouldn't touch her as much

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Originally Posted by Neko_snake

That sounds awesome. I'll definitely suggest that. I just wish they wouldn't touch her as much

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She probably does too. :rolleyes:

She still hasn't eaten. My coworkers have tried being hands off which is great but it was only because we were busy with field trips. Since she hasn't eaten in so long we're going to have a vet look at her. She's also got a slight bulge at the last third of her body so definitely going to get her looked at

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Originally Posted by Neko_snake

She still hasn't eaten. My coworkers have tried being hands off which is great but it was only because we were busy with field trips. Since she hasn't eaten in so long we're going to have a vet look at her. She's also got a slight bulge at the last third of her body so definitely going to get her looked at

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That bulge is a real concern- potentially she either has a tumor, another type of obstruction (constipation, or ingested substrate that's not digestible, or else something going wrong with her reproductive system, like egg-binding etc.-FYI note- snakes can produce eggs without ever breeding, trust me, even if they're not fertile- & then, if she had no privacy or place to lay them, she could be egg-bound), or even possibly crypto. And I really hope it's none of these. :please: Keep us posted, thanks.