| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| John Nicholson |
Posted - 14/08/2012 : 20:54:48
Hey, I'm new to this forum this is my first post.. I've got a few questions.
I've owned a Corn snake called Zeezee for about three weeks now, she is about 1-2 years old, a friend gave her to me because he couldn't look after her anymore. I'm not an expert with looking after snakes yet and I have much to learn
Today I brought my Corn snake to the local reptile shop to see why she wasn't excreting any waste, and after looking her over they assumed she was fine just eating the wrong size rodents. She has been eating bald Ratpups (not sure if that's their proper name that's just what I've known them as) and they told me to feed her a medium sized mouse with fur.
So I got home then my mothers friend came round while I was playing with her then my mum insisted that I let her mates 11 year old daughter hold her for a bit, (bearing in mind I didn't really want to) so I hand her over and she seemed fine with her at first, then as she got a bit more confident with handling her to was getting a bit rough handling Zeezee like waving her about a bit too much and holding her wrong and Zeezee seemed quite agitated and annoyed.
Then I took Zeezee off of her and brought her back upstairs to her Vivarium and put her back inside. Normally she would just scurry off back into her cave and sleep or whatever she did. But this time she burried her whole body underneath the substrate... She has never done that before, she sometimes digs her head in then pull it back out again, so I just left her be in the hopes she would scurry into her cave. So I came back a few hours to feed and she was still burried just more sprawled out. So after a few attempts at pulling her out (because I'm not an expert yet) I got her out, she was rattling her tail and being really aggressive, so then I put her into her box to feed her. So I tried giving her this hairy mouse and she was not having it, and not interested in it at all, and as I continued waving it around in front of her face she tried to get out so I put her back in then she kept getting aggressive again, rattling her tail and stuff.
I was told by her previous owner that she DOESN'T like hairy food.
The stupid person in the shop guaranteed me she was 99% sure she would eat it after I told her that.
So my questions are: Why was she tunneling in her substrate? She's never done that before. Was she being aggressive because of my mothers mates daughter handling her too rough or badly. Or was it just because of the change of food and the fact it was hairy because she like them bald, and finally should I leave her alone for tomorrow for her to chill out a bit or carry on as normal? |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| John Nicholson |
Posted - 25/08/2012 : 15:52:46
Yeah, I was going to do that, but the reason I changed her food was because she wasn't pooing, therefore I took her too my local reptiles shop and they told me she's eating fodo that's too small for her, so, yeah that's why I changed her food around so quickly.
Took her down again today and the girl recommended me to food her one bald ratpup, then straight after she's taken that one feed her a small fury mouse, to try and fool her into eating fur. She said if that fails, she's willing to take Zeezee for a week, and she'll try get her to feed properly. They're quite nice there actually :O |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 22/08/2012 : 13:05:49
Personally I would go back to the bald rat pups just for the time being as that is what she is used to and you need to get her settled in with you before chnaging her food around. Once she's eating again, then you could maybe consider trying something else again?
Others may disagree though! |
| Donnie |
Posted - 21/08/2012 : 20:37:59
May just need more time to settle but worth getting somebody to have a look if you are concerned. Keep us posted |
| John Nicholson |
Posted - 21/08/2012 : 20:02:25
Yep did both, she wasn't having any of it. Went down to my local reptile shop today and asked them, he just told me to bring her down and they'll have a look :S |
| Donnie |
Posted - 21/08/2012 : 19:07:02
Did you offer it last night and leave it in the viv overnight? |
| John Nicholson |
Posted - 21/08/2012 : 09:47:09
Had no luck :/ what do I do guys? I might go to the shop and ask them if they have any shaved mice or something like that? |
| John Nicholson |
Posted - 19/08/2012 : 23:13:17
Moppet, ohhh okay I knew that!! I know she's not shedding, she just did that before I got her. So I'm safe there haha.. And yeah, It's annoying because I DO listen to some music with a lot of bass, and my speakers areen't cheap :/ but I DON'T listen to it very loud, I turn it down when I hear too much bass, my speakers are on the opposite side of my room, it being rectangular shaped, and viv being on one side, and speakers being on the other, but down a bit, and I probably listen to them like once every 2-3 days for like an hour or two, that's it. And yeah Moppet like you said, I don't think it stresses her out because she becomes very active when I listen to music. So hopefully she's find with it.
And BOWZER43 haha he sounds well cute!! Yeah lol I'd also love to be able to get into their heads and see their thoughts!! Same with my dog when he's twitching in his sleep haha
feeding time tomorrow for Zeezee again, I hope she eats it. I'll be well worried and stuff if she doesn't :/
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| BOWZER43 |
Posted - 18/08/2012 : 17:34:48
Hey! when i get my snake out i always have music on and he seems to love it!! haha and one time i was watching a movie on my ipod and it was dark and i had my snake out and he like came up on my bed next to me and like stared at the screen like he wanted to watch! so i moved it around and his head would follow it and it was pretty cool. I wish i could get inside of their heads and know what they are thinking! |
| Moppet |
Posted - 17/08/2012 : 23:05:33
Going into blue means her eyes clouding over because she is getting ready to shed which makes them look blue (unless the snake has red eyes when they just look cloudy). There is a good sticky explaining the shedding process here: http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12296
I think snakes can feel the vibrations rather than hear music. I would have thought if she was stressed by it she wouldn't come out because she would feel safer being hidden, but maybe someone more experienced would be able to give you a better idea about that.
Snakes would be more sensitive to the bass frequencies than any others, so I would be cautious with music that has a heavy bass. I would think as long as it isn't too loud and you don't play it continuously then your snake should be okay with it. Also, it would depend on where your speakers are. If they are on the same surface as your snake's viv then I would be inclined to move them so that the vibrations maybe aren't quite so 'loud' to her. |
| John Nicholson |
Posted - 17/08/2012 : 21:25:44
Moppet ah okay thanks, I'll refrain from touching her till I next feed her :) thanks
And yeah it is haha!! It's like not being able to touch my dog for a week!! I'd never be able to do that haha!! And yeah that is true. Thanks again :)
Smart Bunny, ah thanks!! I thought it was ridiculously too much from what I'd read on the internet before getting her, I wasn't going to say anything though, as he was the expert and I was the newbie. And what do you mean about her going into blue? What's that?
And NexivRed yes it is hahaha! And yeah good way of looking at it, thanks I won't touch her hehe.
Also I have a very burning question. How do snakes react with music played through speakers? Well not react but what do they think? Because Zeezee can be boring and hiding away all day then when I start playing some music through my speakers she'll poke her head out and see what's going on, then she'll just poke more and more of her body out then she'll be wondering around like a good'en, then she'll get bored and get comfy again in her cave just poking her head out.. This isn't a bad thing is it? I mean it's not stressing her out is it? It doesn't seem like it, she seems pretty comfy but I'm not an expert so I don't know. In my eyes it's kind of nice when she just comes out of hiding and jams with me.. Peoples thoughts?
Also sorry about the late replies.. I can't always get onto my computer. |
| NexivRed |
Posted - 17/08/2012 : 13:06:01
It's horrible not being able to touch them :)
I'm not as experienced as other corn snake owners, so my advice isn't going to be as worthy. So I'll change mine to agree to leave her for a good week before trying again. The longer you wait, the more chance you have of her eating and if you crack early and she refuses or regurges, you have to start at the beginning again >.< So try and keep yourself occupied until it's pick up day :) |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 17/08/2012 : 12:59:43
Most likely she was just unsettled by the experience and will calm down soon. As above, it is really bad to feed a snake every 3 days - their digestive system is not designed to work non-stop, it is designed to work for a day or two, then recover for a week or so and it will put far too much stress on it working constantly.
One possibility to bear in mind is that she may simply be going into blue and it coincided with the visit from your mum's friend. Snakes tend to hide away when they go into blue so it may not be anything to worry about at all! |
| Moppet |
Posted - 17/08/2012 : 09:07:09
Sometimes when a snake won't eat it is due to stress. If you know she has had a stressful experience it might be best to leave her be for a week to calm down again. Personally, that is what I would do as I think handling her more might make her more stressed at this point.
It is very difficult to leave a snake for a week without handling, but if it is the best thing for the snake then it is a necessary wait. Hopefully she'll settle again and be a happy, relaxed snake again so that she will eat a hairy mouse in a weeks time  |
| John Nicholson |
Posted - 16/08/2012 : 23:38:54
Moppet, Yeah I think mine likes baths, she didn't seem too unhappy with being bathed any way.. So that's good. And yeah, I'll try my best to get it around that temperature. And ah right, cool thanks, when I get a bit more... "Pro" on this forum I'll have to put that in my signature now I know what it means and stuff :) Thanks
And Donnie and Ell after going down to my local reptile shop and telling them. They did suggest the EXACT same thing. Leave her alone for 7 days then try again. This probably sounds ridiculous but it's gonna break my heart not going to be able to play with her for a week lol! I'm gonna feel well bad lol. Handling her and making her feel safe wouldn't help her un-stress would it? Or would literally just leaving her to her own accord be best?
She hasn't been the same since the other day when all this happened.. She hasn't been out of her cave since properly. Normally she's out and about a bit in the evenings and at night I can hear her but the most she's done is just poke her head out. Just to see what I'm up too, then scurries her head back in when I go to either turn her light off or fill her water up... Are these signs of her being stressed?
Thankyou you lot for the help and support and stuff, I really do appreciate it. |
| Ell |
Posted - 16/08/2012 : 09:25:50
So after all of that info we have a mission plan :}
1.) Leave her be for a week (as pointed out, just to ensure that she is certainly not stressed)
2.) Buy a small but furred mouse from the pet store, thaw this for about 2-3 hours (they take longer as they are denser than pinks).
3.) Ensure mouse is room temp and offer her food.
4.) If she doen't take it, leave it on a piece of cardboard in her viv overnight.
5.) Repeat process if mouse is uneaten.
Try this out and see how you go! If she has been eating rat pups every 3 days she may have a good few reserves so it may take awhile to get her to feed but don't worry about it!
Best of luck! |
| Donnie |
Posted - 16/08/2012 : 07:08:08
John, leaving her for a week is just what I would do to make sure she was as settled as possible before the next attempt at a feed. As others have said to leave for a couple of days, it is really personal preference and there is no right or wrong to either. Just do what you feel is right and I am sure things will be fine.
As for the pictures I don't think to many people edit them I just think they set up the light, background etc well when they are taking photos. I find that I will have to take lots of pictures just to get one that is half decent. My photography skills are not good and I am jealous of a lot of people's shots :) |
| Moppet |
Posted - 16/08/2012 : 00:56:17
Some snakes don't mind baths and some hate them, it really depends on your snake. I think as long as the snake is eating on a sensible schedule and they are being handled regularly then they get enough exercise but a lot of it is personal preference or down to the snake themselves. If you do bath her, try to get the water to 28 degrees so that she will be comfortable.
I haven't managed to take any pictures that are good enough for my signature yet as both my snakes are too nosey and I get lots of blurred heads! Haha. But I can explain the numbers They tell you what gender the animals are. 1.0.0 is a male, 0.1.0 is a female and 0.0.1 means unsexed. |
| John Nicholson |
Posted - 16/08/2012 : 00:49:33
Ah right okay, thanks!! And yes that's what I thought when I first got her.. Maybe he was only doing it because the food was smaller than what she should be eating? Like maybe he thought feed her little and often? I'm not sure. And cool cheers!! I don't think she's over weight yet my local reptile shop said she was in good health when I took her down there to get her MOT'd just to make sure, but I'll keep a good eye on her definitely won't let her get too porky :) baths are a good form of excersize for snakes aren't they?
I just have one burning question. Where is everybody getting these epic pictures of their snakes from? Like has everybody edited the pic themselves? I can't edit that well D: and what's with all these animals and numbers in peoples signatures!? |
| Moppet |
Posted - 16/08/2012 : 00:35:21
Wow, every two to three days is very excessive for a corn snake, especially one large enough to manage rat pups. I thought it was a little strange how little corn snakes needed to eat to begin with but you have to remember that their metabolism is much slower than peoples and in the wild they wouldn't eat regular meals anyway. It shouldn't be a problem for her to go two weeks without feeding, she might act a little hungry towards the end of the time because she won't be used to it but then she'll hopefully eat the hairy mouse.
I found this thread very interesting as it explains how to tell if your snake is the right weight or not. It is also a good account of dieting a snake.
http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11891
Burrowing under her substrate may just be that it makes her feel more safe. My hatchling does it sometimes and as others have said, it is quite normal.
Hope this helps
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| John Nicholson |
Posted - 16/08/2012 : 00:07:14
Donnie, yeah they really does make sense in my head. Just wondering why do you suggest not handling her for the rest of the week? I was just going to leave it two days like everybody else said? And through her hate for furry food if I do that for long enough do you think she will finally eat it? And eat them regularly?
I do have one thing not adding up, her previous owner was feeding her every 2-3 days, (she probably is classed as fat) how is she going to transition to two weeks without eating instantly? I know she'll probably be fine and I'm just being a noob, but that seems weird to me :/ |
