Serious Feeding Problem!!!!

[Alicia Marie]

Okay, heres' the deal. After 5 weeks, my little anery is still refusing. Specs are right:
10 Gallon tank
undertank heater on rheostat
she's kept by herself
temp 74-84
humidity 25-50
she has several hides
covered with a blanket
I'm at a loss here. I have a lot of limitations as to methods i can try. Everyone refuses to sell live animals for feeding where I live. I've used the paper bag, deli container, left it in the tank over night, brained the pinkie, danced the pinkie. What can i do now. I don't want to have to force feed, but i'm getting close to that point. She still has lots of energy, but she's constantly freaked out. I've contacted the breeder and she's been helping me, but I'm still waiting on a reply from my most recent message. I have heard of using a pinkie head, or anoles. I would have to buy a live anole and kill it if i were to use it. I don't know if i could kill an anole, and I'm not equipped to house one. Please help me guys. I'm so worried about her. She's still drinking and everything. I'm ready to cry here. My local store told me not to worry about it, and that she'd eat when she's ready, but that's a bunch of poop. It's a problem now, and it's only going to get worse. I need some help guys.

[joepythons]

Okay, heres' the deal. After 5 weeks, my little anery is still refusing. Specs are right:
10 Gallon tank
undertank heater on rheostat
she's kept by herself
temp 74-84
humidity 25-50
she has several hides
covered with a blanket
I'm at a loss here. I have a lot of limitations as to methods i can try. Everyone refuses to sell live animals for feeding where I live. I've used the paper bag, deli container, left it in the tank over night, brained the pinkie, danced the pinkie. What can i do now. I don't want to have to force feed, but i'm getting close to that point. She still has lots of energy, but she's constantly freaked out. I've contacted the breeder and she's been helping me, but I'm still waiting on a reply from my most recent message. I have heard of using a pinkie head, or anoles. I would have to buy a live anole and kill it if i were to use it. I don't know if i could kill an anole, and I'm not equipped to house one. Please help me guys. I'm so worried about her. She's still drinking and everything. I'm ready to cry here. My local store told me not to worry about it, and that she'd eat when she's ready, but that's a bunch of poop. It's a problem now, and it's only going to get worse. I need some help guys.

Alicia,has she ever ate in your care? I cant remember if you said in your pm if you just got her? If you just got her did you follow the at least a week of no handling her? Why do you have the blanket of her enclosure? If she is kept in the dark at all times and then you pull it back to feed her you might be freaking her out from the sudden light changes.Corn snakes are not like ball python babies so i would remove the blanket.Since your pet stores will not sell rodents for a snakes meal buy a pair of mice and breed them yourself.If they will not sell them to you have a freind buy them .Please answer these questions and we can go from their .PS RELAX

[Adam_Wysocki]

Temps are too low and the animal most likely lacks the security needed to feel safe enough to eat.

82-84 on one side, 92-94 on the other for 2 - 3 weeks ... also add small tight hides that just barely cover the animal as well as a bunch of loosely crumpled newspaper ... 2 - 3 weeks like this and then try a small F/T mouse left in the cage overnight.

An animal that is refusing food will have a hard time adjusting to F/T off the bat ... you might have to find a way to concur that animal.

The anole thing doesn't work with ball pythons, they aren't natural lizard eaters to begin with ... and braining pinkies is useless with balls as well.

99% of the time when a young ball python refuses to eat it's a husbandry problem ... correct your husbandry and the animal will eat.

-adam

[Alicia Marie]

Alicia,has she ever ate in your care? I cant remember if you said in your pm if you just got her? If you just got her did you follow the at least a week of no handling her? Why do you have the blanket of her enclosure? If she is kept in the dark at all times and then you pull it back to feed her you might be freaking her out from the sudden light changes.Corn snakes are not like ball python babies so i would remove the blanket.Since your pet stores will not sell rodents for a snakes meal buy a pair of mice and breed them yourself.If they will not sell them to you have a freind buy them .Please answer these questions and we can go from their .PS RELAX

Hey Joe. . . I've calmed down a little. No, she has never eaten in my care. I did go one week without handling her, except to put her in the tank. The breeder said it would be okay to hold her for a few minutes before we put her in. She was very calm when we held her. After that, we haven't handled her, except to take her out to feed her in a seperate container. The blanket is on there because my local store told me to cover her up. I've come to the conclusion they are dummies. Should I take the blanket off then? Also, my gf refuses to feed live, and it's really her snake, but I care for it. I could breed the mice, but how long is their gestation period. My other snake is already moving up to fuzzies. Is it really easy to sex and breed mice? Hope my answers help. Thanks again Joe. Oh, and it's been 4 weeks since I've bought her. I try feeding her in her tank now as well.

[joepythons]

Temps are too low and the animal most likely lacks the security needed to feel safe enough to eat.

82-84 on one side, 92-94 on the other for 2 - 3 weeks ... also add small tight hides that just barely cover the animal as well as a bunch of loosely crumpled newspaper ... 2 - 3 weeks like this and then try a small F/T mouse left in the cage overnight.

An animal that is refusing food will have a hard time adjusting to F/T off the bat ... you might have to find a way to concur that animal.

The anole thing doesn't work with ball pythons, they aren't natural lizard eaters to begin with ... and braining pinkies is useless with balls as well.

99% of the time when a young ball python refuses to eat it's a husbandry problem ... correct your husbandry and the animal will eat.

-adam

Adam, this is a corn snake.The 92 to 94 temps will cook the little girl.I am not being rude just letting you know

[Adam_Wysocki]

Adam, this is a corn snake.The 92 to 94 temps will cook the little girl.I am not being rude just letting you know

My bad ... didn't look at the forum name ... sucks being sick.

Ignore what I posted ... I'm a dolt.

-adam

[Alicia Marie]

Temps are too low and the animal most likely lacks the security needed to feel safe enough to eat.

82-84 on one side, 92-94 on the other for 2 - 3 weeks ... also add small tight hides that just barely cover the animal as well as a bunch of loosely crumpled newspaper ... 2 - 3 weeks like this and then try a small F/T mouse left in the cage overnight.

An animal that is refusing food will have a hard time adjusting to F/T off the bat ... you might have to find a way to concur that animal.

The anole thing doesn't work with ball pythons, they aren't natural lizard eaters to begin with ... and braining pinkies is useless with balls as well.

99% of the time when a young ball python refuses to eat it's a husbandry problem ... correct your husbandry and the animal will eat.

-adam

Hey Adam. . . ummm. . . it's a corn snake. lol thanks for the advice though!

[joepythons]

Hey Joe. . . I've calmed down a little. No, she has never eaten in my care. I did go one week without handling her, except to put her in the tank. The breeder said it would be okay to hold her for a few minutes before we put her in. She was very calm when we held her. After that, we haven't handled her, except to take her out to feed her in a seperate container. The blanket is on there because my local store told me to cover her up. I've come to the conclusion they are dummies. Should I take the blanket off then? Also, my gf refuses to feed live, and it's really her snake, but I care for it. I could breed the mice, but how long is their gestation period. My other snake is already moving up to fuzzies. Is it really easy to sex and breed mice? Hope my answers help. Thanks again Joe. Oh, and it's been 4 weeks since I've bought her. I try feeding her in her tank now as well.

Nice to read you are calm now .Are you sure your girlfreind is not handleing her? The pet store is in need of a clue lol.Yes take the blanket of of her enclosure,this might be why she is still scared.Think about it if you were in a box with a blanket over it and all of a sudden someone pulled the blanket back and all you see is bright lite with someone reaching to grab you.Would you freakout? I would lol.Give her 5 days with no handleing or disturbed only for water changes,then try her and the pinky in the deli cup.Place the deli cup( with them inside) inside her enclosure.Make sure the delicup is not on the heat mat.Leave them alone for a half hour then check them,if not ate yet leave for another half hour.Let me know how it goes.I am sending positive words to the snake to eat

[joepythons]

My bad ... didn't look at the forum name ... sucks being sick.

Ignore what I posted ... I'm a dolt.

-adam

Hey we all do it .Sorry to hear you are sick

[Alicia Marie]

Nice to read you are calm now .Are you sure your girlfreind is not handleing her? The pet store is in need of a clue lol.Yes take the blanket of of her enclosure,this might be why she is still scared.Think about it if you were in a box with a blanket over it and all of a sudden someone pulled the blanket back and all you see is bright lite with someone reaching to grab you.Would you freakout? I would lol.Give her 5 days with no handleing or disturbed only for water changes,then try her and the pinky in the deli cup.Place the deli cup( with them inside) inside her enclosure.Make sure the delicup is not on the heat mat.Leave them alone for a half hour then check them,if not ate yet leave for another half hour.Let me know how it goes.I am sending positive words to the snake to eat

LOL thanks for the positive words!! I know for a fact that she is not being handled. I will take the blanket off. One problem though. She HATES the deli cup and we can never keep her in it. She's always trying to get out of everything. :eek: Anything else I can put her in? Or should I just put the lid on it?