Refused feed and possible crushing or kicking

Hi everyone iv had my bp now for about 2 weeks and all has been going well. He refused his first feed on his first week which, from what i've read is normal. I have not been handeling and doing everything by the book. ( i keep a few herps). However i come home dtoay and i notice the lock off the tank and the stuff has been moved around inside, so I immediatly went to my dad and interigated him for answers , he was shocked that i could tell things had been moved. After a while he said, my little sister had come 2 him and said whats the snake doing on the floor and it was in a ball. Now this is the thing, the cage was shut and my dad had been walking in and out of the room and the snake was in his path and to be fair my dad isnt the most observant person so if the snake was in a ball is it likely the it would have been struck by him or my sister? I'm so upset! my mum said she has held it since and she cant feel anything irregular but still i am so gutted! Is this likely to prevent him from feeding longer or all together?

btw its obvious the my little sister opened the tank and then either took the snake out or let it slither out coz shes a little *****

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Originally Posted by Will

Hi everyone iv had my bp now for about 2 weeks and all has been going well. He refused his first feed on his first week which, from what i've read is normal. I have not been handeling and doing everything by the book. ( i keep a few herps). However i come home dtoay and i notice the lock off the tank and the stuff has been moved around inside, so I immediatly went to my dad and interigated him for answers , he was shocked that i could tell things had been moved. After a while he said, my little sister had come 2 him and said whats the snake doing on the floor and it was in a ball. Now this is the thing, the cage was shut and my dad had been walking in and out of the room and the snake was in his path and to be fair my dad isnt the most observant person so if the snake was in a ball is it likely the it would have been struck by him or my sister? I'm so upset! my mum said she has held it since and she cant feel anything irregular but still i am so gutted! Is this likely to prevent him from feeding longer or all together?

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Yep...I would say he is really stressed now. You need to keep an eye on him for a next few days. Watch for funny movements, kinks or bumps and and for anything protruding out (like a rib). I recommend you don't touch him till he eats. He will pry skip this week (but try anyway) then try each week. If he still isn't eating in say another 3-4 weeks let us know and we can give some ideas for other things to try.

At this point assume you are starting over with getting him comfortable...and by all means get a lock on the cage.

hi thanks for the reply im so mad! I do have locks on all my tanks due to a previous events with a milksnake and my sister (again), never found the milk snake :( but this morning my mum change the bulb and i guess she forgot to put the lock bak on this morning before she went to work.

So how old is your sister.

Yea your little guy is more than likely really amped up. Cover his tank with a towel and do not mess with him for a week at least (just like when you first got him) allow him to clam down and then look him over good for any injury's. Please make your mom and dad and sister aware that regardless of how it happened your animal could have been if not has been injured or could of been lost. Then tell them that if sister wants to see and hold your snake that you request for the animals safety and well being that you be the one to at least present when she handles it.

Why does your mother have to unlock the enclosure to change a heat bulb?

hi like I said my family is fully aware of these things my mum is into herps just as much as i am. My sisters 3 but do not be decieved by the age shes cleverer than most 6 yr old i have met and she one of them nasty kids who if you locked in a room she would knaw herself out.

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Originally Posted by Will

hi like I said my family is fully aware of these things my mum is into herps just as much as i am. My sisters 3 but do not be decieved by the age shes cleverer than most 6 yr old i have met and she one of them nasty kids who if you locked in a room she would knaw herself out.

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Easily solved get a lock with a key and keep the key.
P.S why is there a heat bulb in the enclosure?? This is primed to deal with your snake getting burned and trust me it ain't pretty and can take months or even years depending on the burn and the animal to heal.

This is what can happen to a snake with a bulb in a tank. We got this female like this, and our vet was quite surprised that the shock of having most of her dorsal skin ripped off hadn't either killed her or caused a huge system wide infection. Orlah is fine now but it's terribly sad she must carry these scars because someone didn't keep her safe from a hot bulb. :(

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...lahMay2006.jpg

If this bulb is indeed in the snake's enclosure please consider a change in your heating arrangement or at the VERY least a protective caging around the bulb so your snake does not have to end up like Orlah.

hi the blub is in the tank with a cage around it so the snake can get it

Sounds like li'l sis was messing with the snake and, for some reason, chose to cover her tracks by play dumb. I'm not sure about the color of your flooring but people tend to notice things right in their path. Also, a BP would tend to move towards cubbyholes and/or the edges of vertical surfaces. Of course, Dad seemed to be hiding something...

I'd say that the level of freakout depends on what actually happened as well as the disposition of the snake. When I got mine he got handled tons on his first day and then I gave him two days break and that was it. My opinion is that alot of these guidelines are much more conservative because they stem from times when "wild-caught" snakes were very common.

I have no experience on the injury front but I imagine that that is a separate issue. Once you establish that he is not injured I think you'll be able to tell how he's doing by keeping a good eye on him.

Check him over watch him for the next week or so if things seem to be normal he should be fine if your not shure or overly worried take him to the vet. Watch him leave him be make shure he's safe locked in if he has to be do you keep them in your room can you lock your sister and others out of the room their kept in,but with time and being treated consitantly he or she should start eating again.

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Originally Posted by Will

hi the blub is in the tank with a cage around it so the snake can get it

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If it heats the air it heats the metal cage too right??? I'd suggest getting that bulb out of there before your animal gets a injury that could have been prevented

I'd agree. I just don't trust those light protectors in a smaller enclosure. Perhaps a change to an under tank heater or even an overhead, out of the enclsoure bulb (not the best, they tend to dry out the tank) would be best. If your snake is in your bedroom or can be put there you can install a simple locked doorknob which only you or your parents would have access to the key.

Your sister is only three so do have patience with her. Instead of being mad perhaps you can encourage her interest by setting one time per week that you will bring the snake out and allow her to gently touch it and ask questions. Going to the library is a great thing. There are many books on reptiles for the younger kids to look at. Even consider getting her a fake rubber snake that she can play with and you can use that as a way to each her the right and wrong ways to handle a snake.

As the older sibling you can do so much to help her. I know it's frustrating, our family has 4 kids and the older 3 sometimes lose patience with their little brother but they also love him and we encourage them to be part of teaching and guiding him. We set limits on the little guy so he doesn't bug too much or drive them nuts though. Older kids need a break from younger ones too. :)

thanks for all your advice everyone, and in answer to frankykeno our carpet floor is a horrible browny colour and my did isnt very observative. Thanks for the info on the burns i will keep you posted if he does or doesnt feed or if there is an injury on this thread

Follow all the excellent info given you. If the bp was kicked, it may be touch shy, I don't know how to explain it otherwise, but it may recoil from any touching, even active prey. If its shy from its food, (if doing live) then get a small fuzzie that is barely walking. It will break the snake into feeding again. Good Luck

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

I'd agree. I just don't trust those light protectors in a smaller enclosure. Perhaps a change to an under tank heater or even an overhead, out of the enclsoure bulb (not the best, they tend to dry out the tank) would be best. If your snake is in your bedroom or can be put there you can install a simple locked doorknob which only you or your parents would have access to the key.

Your sister is only three so do have patience with her. Instead of being mad perhaps you can encourage her interest by setting one time per week that you will bring the snake out and allow her to gently touch it and ask questions. Going to the library is a great thing. There are many books on reptiles for the younger kids to look at. Even consider getting her a fake rubber snake that she can play with and you can use that as a way to each her the right and wrong ways to handle a snake.

As the older sibling you can do so much to help her. I know it's frustrating, our family has 4 kids and the older 3 sometimes lose patience with their little brother but they also love him and we encourage them to be part of teaching and guiding him. We set limits on the little guy so he doesn't bug too much or drive them nuts though. Older kids need a break from younger ones too. :)

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Good advice. This approach may chill her out. She is probably seriously curious!

In any case, Will, you must realize that, even if your li'l sis can't get the cage open, she can still create stress for your snake. For example, its probably not going to appreciate repeated attempts to get its attention by tapping on the glass. Most likely, she'll lose interest but I think it would be a good idea for you to either make sure she can't do that or make sure that you know she isn't doing it.

Thanks bear. :)

Another thing that helps a lot with younger kids and snakes is to equate their personal life experience with the snakes as best you can. Kids learn best when it means something to them personally. An example from our own home and our youngest child....

When Mikey would tap hard on a tank or stomp around the snakes too much we explained to him that snakes hear different than he does. Stomping and tapping make loud vibrations and for a snake that is like yelling at them. Mikey wouldn't like to have anyone scream in his face and scare him, no kid would. Once he got that connection, he realized how it was for the snakes and is super careful now about that.

You could explain to your little sister that your snake is happy and safe in his home just like she is in your home. When she lets it loose it's scared and lost and wants to go back in it's home. At her age she doesn't realize the whole house isn't the safe place for the snake it is for her. Most little kids have a lot of natural empathy if you explain things to them.

Hm.. can you raise the cage to where it'd be impossible for her to tap on the glass? At least this would prevent her from annoying the snake when you are not around.. locking the cage is a definite must. Not only could she again let the snake out, but they are unpredictable at times and can bite; it'd be horrible if your sis got bitten!
I like Jo's idea of spending some times every so often letting your sis see the snake, etc.

Hey again i let my sis hold the corn snakes today and saw her feed there isnt any way i can put the tank higher than her and anyway i'll be moving the tank perminantly out of the house in a month or so. Anyway, i am attempting the second feed today, last week i tried fuzzies and today i decided to go smaller and got pinkes, any tips?

you might want to start another thread for feeding tips. You'll get a wider range of replies.

I would just lock it somehow to prevent disaster :) Hey; at least she is not afraid of snakes, I guess..