Why isn't my corn snake eating?

Question

He is a amel corn yearling and a half. He hasn't eaten for approximatly 2 months.

I have had him since his first pinky and the longest he has been for without food has been 3 weeks (except when i lost him for a few weeks) but that was over a year ago.

Is not shedding. (has shed since it stopped eating) It is a beautiful colour and looks healthy... but just isn't eating!

He has been stalking but has not been taking the bait...

What i've tried:

*** Waiting

*** Warming up food

*** Smaller size food (Fuzzies)

I have also tried a few combo of these.

Is live bait Legal? i will try it... but i am worried about having a mouse to 'look after' aswel if he doesn't eat it.

Do you think i should take him to a vet? What will they be able to do? what could be causing it?

Thanks

Answer 1

i have a pet corn snake and he didnt eat for around 4 months we took him to the vets and there was nothing wrong with him, the vet told me that he was a bit over fed and was not eating because he was fat and was baciclly sliming back down. im not saying this is whats wrong with your snake im just suggesting its a posibility. if i were you i'd take it to the vet to just to get a better awnser, it might cost a bit but it worth it  

Answer 2

Corn snakes can live up to six months without eating. They sometimes don't eat because the have a buildup of vitamins and proteins already stored. This means the want to use the proteins before taking anymore in. VOte me best answer.

Answer 3

I have a bunch of corns right now (including a clutch of 10 eggs =) )  Sounds to me like he may have mouth rot.  You can try to look yourself or take him to the vet is what I would do.  They can go for awhile without eating.  Almost like they go into hibernation.  If it is a female and she has been with a male they fast while they are pregnant.  You may have to force feed, but that can be tricky if you have never done it before and can cause harm to the snake.  Hope this helps.  Email me at [e-mail] if ya need to.

Answer 4

I'd take it to a vet. It could be a few things.

Live bait is legal, but a live mouse can actually have a go at you're snake. Do you want a snake thats left with scars?

Answer 5

If your snake isn't used to live prey don't get it because chances are it will injure your snake.  Both of my kingsnakes are so used to frozen thawed that they don't try to constrict the mice at all.  Since he is an older snake don’t worry too much about it not eating. My adult kingsnake went on a hunger strike for about 4 months she did the same thing she would occasionally strike and then she would not eat it she would decide that she wanted out of the feeding tub. Snakes just do that. Unless your snake is losing muscle mass I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Don’t offer it food too often you will stress it out...just offer it food as normal...every 10 days or so. Also if you are using frozen thawed if you snake doesn't eat one time you can refreeze the mouse.  I don't refreeze it more than once though...if my snake doesn't eat the mouse the second time i toss it.  If your snake is used to being handled a lot go ahead and handle him normally.   He will eventually eat.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Two months is a long time for a snake which is used to being fed every 3 wk.

I'd only wait one more feeding period, and if he's still not eating, I would recommend that you take him to the vet.  Reptiles are slow to show signs of illness, and by the time they exhibit symptoms, its usually pretty advanced.

If you don't already know of a qualified exotic/reptile vet in your area, contact: “herpetologicalsocieties.com“ for the one closest to you.

You might want to browse the sites below.

Good luck, and I sure he eats soon.

I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 7

You should definitely try live food, just to get him more intrigued in eating. You should be able to get live feeders at PetCo, if you have one near you. I have a 1yr old ball python, and that's what we had to do for him. We haven't tried frozen since then, but hopefully he will eat it just fine. If that doesn't work, you may have to take him back to where you go in from, some places offer a guarantee on their snakes. Another thing to try is to soak the mouse in a chicken broth, a different scent could be what he needs to eat. Some people also say that different colored mice will also make a snake more interested in its food. Try these things, and hopefully you have success.