I just dont know what to do:(

My little handicap snake just wont eat i have force fed him twice, but they were just pinkies(he should be eating adult mice). Now he wont even let me force feed him. Do i just let him starve???? I will of course still offer him food every few days but he has yet to eat on his own. I have posted a few times about this snake im sure most of you have read them. For those who have not he is not normal there is something wrong with his jaw i just dont know what. He has killed 4 mice now and had not ate any of them but i can tell when i put them in that he really wants to eat them he just cant:(. I have done all the things people have told me to.

Pictures Pictures Pictures

We need pictures of your setup and a VERY detailed description of how hes kept. Not everything is up to par and normal. Need precise temps, humidity size and so on.

Melissa, I wish I had some useful advice for you to get him eating on his own, but I don't. If he has a physical handicap that is preventing him from eating and thriving, please don't just let him starve. As much as it will hurt you and as much as you may not want to do it, I would say at least have him checked out by a herp vet, if possible, and have a heart to heart talk with the vet about if and when it may be necessary to have him euthanized. Hopefully his situation will improve and it doesn't come to that, and, hopefully someone can come up with some way for him to eat. I have heard of people tube feeding babies to get them started, but I have no idea how difficult or stressful this is, especially if it will have to be long term. I do wish you the best of luck for the little guy...:(

I would say that you have 3 options:

A) Euthanasia

B) Continue to assist or force-feed the snake, possibly for the rest of its life.

C) Veterinary surgical intervention to repair the deformed jaw (likely extremely expensive).

After looking at the photos in your Gallery, I would have to say at least have a vet look at the kink in the neck to see if it was born that way or if it may be some type of treatable injury...

Is it a spinal kink, then, and not a jaw deformity?

If he has managed to swallow the food down I would assume that the kink is not that severe and not preventing him from swallowing food?

I am curious what is your set up?

Do you have him alone in a 6 Qts tub on Aspen bedding? Do you handle him any?

It can take time I had to assist a female a few years back for 6 months before she finally started eating on her own.

Now if you have done everything right (again husbandry is VERY important) and the deformity prevents him to eat on it's own and at this point I am not convince of that than you will have to do what is right for your animal.

she mentioned she force fed him pinkies. A spinal kink might actually prevent him from downing a appropriate sized meal, or anything larger then an pinkie.

"If" that is the case, then it would be cruel to starve the snakes. Vet visit is in order, and the vet should be able to determine what, if anything, can be done. Euthanasia might be the kindest thing...

I have him the same set up as my other two and they are both doing great. He is in 20 gallon long tank humidity is at 65% and the heated side is 91 and the rest is at 82. I am using news paper on the bottom.

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Originally Posted by Melissa88

I have him the same set up as my other two and they are both doing great. He is in 20 gallon long tank humidity is at 65% and the heated side is 91 and the rest is at 82. I am using news paper on the bottom.

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I would suggest to move him to a 6 quarts tubs with Aspen bedding, provide the same temps, wait a week to 10 days before feeding (no handling) and offer a live hopper.

From what I see in the picture the kink is slight and probably has no bearing on him not eating however your husbandry and the stress probably does.