Non Feeding Hatchling Corn's Question

[HankyPankyRoe]

Hi Everybody!


I just got a nice lot non feeding baby corn snakes at a great price. Seller didn't have time to work with them to get them to eat.

This non feeding is new to me, so I'm looking for some tips or if anyone else has had the same problem and what the outcome was.

Thank You!

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Having bred a few batches I have come across this problem.

Things I've tried to do and which in many cases have helped:
Put the snake in a small container (of course with some ventilation), so small that it surely touches the sides. 3-4in square should be enough. Make sure the pinky mouse is thawed slowly (I have noticed that for some reason the picky eaters were more likely to go for slowly thawed mice than quickly thawed one's, don't ask me why. Maybe it was just coincidence but here I go telling you about it). Put the pinky in with the snake. Then put the container in the dark, at preferably 23 Celsius for a few hours.

P.S.
It helps if the pinky is lukewarm when you put it in, but not anything warmer, you don't wanna cook it.

If nothing else helps try to put a live pinky in with the snake.

 

[HankyPankyRoe]

Corn's........

Thank You. I tried, but still no luck with the frozen ones. I can't find anyone around here that sells live pinkies, and the male mouse that I had bought 2 day's ago dropped dead on me out of the blue.:wall:

I hope he got down to business before he died, lol!

Another idea I heard was piercing the brain with a needle, something about the smell of the fluid.

On a lighter side, my B Vagans Sac hatched! Lotsa Babies, and a first for me!

 

[BQC123]

Exposing the brain may help. I have a Nelson's milk snake that refused to eat when I got it as an adult. It eats fine now, but only when the brain is exposed. I just use the tip of a knife blade to pop in the skull and twist.
Sounds nasty, but got the job done for me.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Yeah, that sure is messy but you may try it.

Btw, how newly hatched are the snakes? Because corns (I don't know about any other snakes) only start eating a week or so after their first moult.

Those that don't eat after two months should be culled. You don't want to breed snakes that need force feeding.