Why won't my corn snake eat??

Question

I recently bought 2 corn snakes, one creamsicle and 1 snow. It has been two weeks now and the snow still has not eaten. The creamsicle eats just fine which is why I assume I am feeding correctly, but I am still new with these 2. I have been feeding thawed pinky mice, temperature is good, and like I said, one eats, one doesn't. What should I try???

Answer 1

Are they in the same cage? If so, separate them.

Some things to try are putting the snake with the pinky in a brown paper bag and leave it overnight - a lot of snakes will eat this way.

Also, make sure you get the pinky above room temperature, the heat sends off extra smell that is hard to resist.

Try dangling and shaking the pinky with tongs around the snake.

Also, could it eat a mouse larger than a pinky? Some snakes are weird in that they'd prefer to eat something larger than you'd think, but if it's just a little hatching then don't bother trying.

Answer 2

First, keep the snakes separately.

Make certain that the snake has water, and is being kept warm enough. Make sure that the mice are small enough, and are fully thawed, slightly above room temperature. Then, try this:

- Put the snake, and a mouse, together in an opaque container, such as a plastic cool whip container. This forces the snake to be in contact with the mouse. Leave it for several hours, or even overnight. Don't forget airholes.

-If that doesn't work, repeat the above steps with a LIVE pinky mouse. Although I don't generally recommend feeding live, pinkies cannot harm your snake. The goal is getting your snake to eat.

-If THAT doesn't work, you need to try brain-casing. This is not for the squeamish, but it usually works. Using a LIVE pinky, slice open the top of the head with a sharp razor blade, exposing the mouse's brain. Put the mouse and the snake back in the deli cup for a few hours. This WILL work.

I know I will get a few thumbs down for this answer, but it is a proven technique. If you feel it is cruel to the mouse, so be it. I happen to think letting a snake starve to death is cruel.

In the very unlikely event that your snake has not eaten at this point, you may need to force feed it. DO NOT simply jam a mouse down its throat; this causes injury and stress. Instead, get a "pinky pump", which is a tool specifically designed for force feeding snakes. Your pet store should be able to get one, or you can find suppliers online.

Good luck.

Answer 3

*gulp* ok listen very carefully has the snake that has not eaten lay beside you flat. if it has get worried. snakes starve themselves before eating something big and measure themselves to a feed by lying beside it this almost happened to my sisters friend. it could also be trying to eat a pet so watch that as well. if i am right about this. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND CALL THE AUTHORITIES. otherwise it may be intimidated by your other snake or something about the food you are giving it.

Answer 4

Maybe snow feels intimidated my creamsicle and thats why snow lets creamsicle have all the mice. Maybe you should try putting them in seperate cages.