Corn snake not eating

[smilingrl19]

I bought a corn snake about a month ago and have been feeding him every week one fuzzy (frozen). He ate them with no problem for the first few weeks but he hasn't eaten in over 2 weeks . I leave the mouse out all day to defrost and then i'll even put it in some warm water so it seems "fresh" does anyone know why he isn't eating and is there anything else I can do to get him to eat or anything else he can eat ?
thanks
sherry

[Mygala]

Is he defecating, is he warm enough...?

You might try a little WARM water soak.

You might also try a live pinky. That might stimulate him to eat.

Is he behaving normally? If he is acting sluggish and the temps are right, I'd take him to the vet.

bob

[smilingrl19]

well i have a heat lamp on his cage and thetemp thing says about 70 degrees is that too cold? i man his cage is rather large and its probably not that warm on the other side of the cage. He seems to be acting normal, sleeping a lot as he always did but when you hold him he is calm and moves around and stuff. What is the water bath you are talking about? do i just fill the sink or can i put him in the tub? and the guy i bought him from said he didn;t need heat because supposibly corn snakes are from colder regions so they are used to the cold and room temp is fine but i put a little light anyway. do you think i should get a long lamp for the cage? thanks

Sherry

[Mygala]

Temperature is what determines the speed of the metabolism. When the temp drops, they eat less. I'd heat him up into the 80's in at least one basking spot.

A warm water bath could help. A small dish filled with lukewarm water, should feel neither hot nor warm to the touch. Allow him to soak for a few minutes, ...don't want to overheat him...

Corn snakes can take cooler temps than tropicals, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily best to keep them in the low 70s.

bob

[smilingrl19]

Thank you I will try that.

Sherry

[buggygirl65]

have you thought of live food? thatswhat they normally eat

[smilingrl19]

i had gone to the pet store to buy a mouse, i don't really like that but i have to feed him, so i tried to buy one and the guy told me that they didn't have any mice small enough for a yr old corn snake to eat, and he was kinda right i looked at them a little too large although he might have suficed, but i did heat the next frozen mouse up really well and he did eat it, could have been because he was hungry or because it was realy warm so he thought he was actually getting a live mouse, not sure...we'll se what happens tomorrow when i try to feed him again.

[Ravnos]

Live rodents isn't what they should "normally" eat. The vast majority of snakes do just fine on frozen/thawed and warming it up on a heat pad, or in warm water is generally all that is needed (don't microwave unless you want to make a mess). I've seen far too many snakes ripped apart by live food to risk it in all but the most dire of circumstances, a couple of missed meals is really not that big of a deal, especially in the winter. The time you really want to start worrying is when they start to noticably lose weight.

Giving reptiles a proper thermal gradient is very important to their digestion and general well being, as well as having plenty of places in their tank to hide and feel comfortable. Making sure they are adequately hydrated, some snakes are fussy and won't drink stale water, so changing out their water dish regularily is also important. Having a proper day/night cycle also helps many snakes regulate their metabolism. It doesn't necessarily require a direct light on them, but at least a room that gets light during the day, and gets dark at night. Feedings should be at least a few days apart, to give him plenty of time to digest. My corn snakes only get fed every 7 days.

[smilingrl19]

I just bought him a new better light hopefully it'll keep the cage a little warmer...he seems to like to hide under the aspin, and he has a small house igloo looking thing too. I know he loves to drink water but I guess it could be the "not fresh" thing, so I will start changing it daily. It's good to know that its ok for him to go a couple of feedings I only try once a week, and the last time i fed him he ate it all so...Thank you if you have anymore ideas please throw them my way...oh do they need something to shed their skin off on, like a rock or something? thanks

[buggygirl65]

you dont feed snakes everyday...only after you know they have gone to the bathroom...

[buggygirl65]

Oh and to shed the skin off you should give them a little pool of water they can kinda soak in...and mostlikely a rock also

[Janice29]

Could your corn snake be shedding? He may not eat during this time. Your temps should be 80-85, but it also depends on what you are using for a thermometer. The best thing for heat and digestion is an under the tank heater pad. Feeding live is not a good practice to have. It can put your snake in danger.

[smilingrl19]

He may be shedding he hasn't shed once since iv had him...end of november, I was wondering too what to give him to shed...i see buggy girl says a rock and water does it have to be a large rock, can it be from outside or do i need to buy it in a pet store and how large should the dish of water be. i tried the tub and he almost got away so thats a no no haha let me know thanks.

[Janice29]

IF the humidity is correct, then he will shed in one piece, and not need anything to rub on. The water bowl should be big enough for him to get in, if he chooses to, but this will also bring your humidity up. He is more than likely in shed. Temperature is also very important. What are you using for a thermomter?

[smilingrl19]

I am using the ones you get at the pet store, they are red and are sticky on the back I have a humidity one, which is low and a temp one which is about 70-75 degrees.