What do I try next?

I'm still having problems getting my little 4 gram male lavender corn snake to eat.
Here is his feeding record:
10/13 1 pinkie
10/16 shed and ate one pinkie
10/23 refused a split pinkie left in tub with him overnight
10/30 refused brained pinkie left in tub with him overnight
11/1 refused live pinkie left in paper bag with him overnight
I know they can go months without food, and he has eaten, I'm just worried, he is so tiny!
So what should I try next? Scenting the pinkie? I'm really shocked he didn't eat the live one.

What did you do to get him to eat on 10/13 and 10/6?

Small deli cup with him and live pinky in it.....overnight at least.

Yeah, what did you do on the successful feedings?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nightmare Creatures

Small deli cup with him and live pinky in it.....overnight at least.

---

THIS!!!
What I've always been told to do and have seen others do it as well with good results including myself.

Give him four days or so to de-stress and then try the deli cup thing again. Don't keep trying to feed him day after day. He'll just get more stressed out every time, it's cumulative.

Let him rest... then try again.

At least that's what I'd do with a stubborn bp. :D Corns are supposed to be easier.

The successful feedings were exactly what I'm still doing. I put him in his deli cup, and add a f/t pinky.
He ate the first two times and not since. I didn't change anything about the way the food was offered.
I was planning on waiting a couple of days before trying again, I know it could stress him further.
I also on the suggestion of the breeder I bought him from raised his temps slightly. He was at around 75 and she suggested I raise him to 80. So I did.

I think even 80 is too low if he has no appetite. I would buy some Nutribac, add it to his water, and raise the temps to 85 on the warm side, or you ca just raise the temp if you wish not to spend money. It's worked for regurgers and non-feeders I've had.
The nutribac and added heat will help replenish any gut flora he might have lost or help him jumpstart his digestion, especially having been kept at such a cool temperatures beforehand. If they are not warm enough, they will not eat and will most likely not keep it down. You can try all those little feeding tricks once he's warmed up and given a break.

Yeah up it to 84-85, give him a full week off, and try again in the deli cup. If you do f/t, make sure the pinky is very warm and put him away overnight in a closet and don't open it or check on him until the next morning. But at this point, I'd go straight to live and just get him feeding again.

What is nutribac, and how is it used? I've never heard of it.

One other thing you can try, I have done it and it works sometimes.

Make sure the prey is really really warm, I mean like I soak in water I cant keep my hand in warm, and then right in the cup.......sometimes I think the room is just warm enough to somewhat mask the prey item.

I know with colubrids this isnt a heat detection thing....however I think a warmer prey item gives off more scent as well.

1st Temps and then live feed like blueapplepaste said.

Nightmare Creatures, that is regular routine with us. I'm going to try to keep his heat up and attempt another feeding on Thursday.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mina

What is nutribac, and how is it used? I've never heard of it.

---

Bumping up your temps and not attmpting another feed for a few days is the most imporant thing right now. NutriBac is a probiotic, most well known for being used on regurgers, but I find it works great for non-feeders too. I usually put a little bit in their water bowl while I wait to try to feed them again, but other people also dip one end of the pinky into it and feed the pinky. It works for me and for many others I've talked to.
Here is a link about NutriBac on Kathy Love's site. You can also buy it from her or elsewehre, your choice. Google "kathy love nutribac" and she has a page describing what nutribac is.

I forgot to say, you can also order it from reptileub.com...they have a video about it too.

I did everything suggested. He still didn't eat. I'm going to try again on Monday (the last attempt was on Thursday). This time I think I'm going to try scenting it with chicken broth.
How long can he go without eating before it gets to be a real problem?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by whitewolf

Bumping up your temps and not attmpting another feed for a few days is the most imporant thing right now. NutriBac is a probiotic, most well known for being used on regurgers, but I find it works great for non-feeders too. I usually put a little bit in their water bowl while I wait to try to feed them again, but other people also dip one end of the pinky into it and feed the pinky. It works for me and for many others I've talked to.
Here is a link about NutriBac on Kathy Love's site. You can also buy it from her or elsewehre, your choice. Google "kathy love nutribac" and she has a page describing what nutribac is.

---

Kathy Love has a great book on caring for corns. I do not own it, but have looked it over. Would be something to check out. If the snake goes too long you may need to try assist feeding the snake.

He has turned down two more attempts at feeding. One with a pinky scented with chicken broth, and one was a pinky we cut in half. Both were left with him overnight. We also tried following him with the pinky and keeping it in front of his nose, he did quite a dance to avoid it. I did order nutribac and it should be here soon. I think I'm going to wait 4 to 6 days before trying again. As of Nov. 16, he will have gone a month without food.

Another thing to try is the piss'em off method. Bump him on his body about one third of the way back with the pink. This should induce a strike response, with the hope that he will bite and not let go. Goodluck

Thank you for the suggestion! I needed a few new ideas, I'm running out of plans.

Thanks to everyone for the help, I appreciate it so much!!!!!! I talked to the lady who bred him and she took him back to work with him herself. She offered him food on the first day she had him with her and in 15 minutes he ate. :confused:
She is going to keep him for another week and see if she can get him to eat twice before returning him.
The only other thing I can think of is we had been slowly increasing the heat in the room so we wouldn't shock him for a week before he left. Maybe he was warmed up and ready to eat by the time he went back to the breeder?
Either way, my baby ate and should be fine now, thank all of you so very much!!!!!!!!!!!!! :banana: