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4 Posts |
 Posted - 23/09/2010 : 02:25:16
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Hi everyone! This would be my first time visiting this forum, but I would rather save the pleasantries for when I am a bit less worried. :(
Last week (the 12th) I went to a reptile expo and bought me some snakes. One was an albino checkered garter who is eating and healthy. The other was a ghost corn snake. Now, from what I have read and understood, it takes a while for these little guys to get settled into their new homes and it might take a week or so before they start eating right.
But my little Tarzan (thats his name) has yet to eat. I tried a few times during the week when I fed my garter, but each time he would look away. Now, closing in on two weeks, he has yet to eat, and is getting frightfully thin.
Does anyone have any advice on how I could get this guy to start eating? Or should I just continue my vigil and not feed him for another few days? |
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Kehhlyr
ǝʞɐɔ sǝʌoן
United Kingdom
8173 Posts |
Posted - 23/09/2010 : 04:26:48
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Not feeding for a fortnight is not a huge timescale.
Anyway, a quick few questions, just in case;
How big is the viv?
What substrate are you using?
How deep is the substrate?
How is it heated?
Do you have a thermostat?
What other decor do you have? (hides etc)
Roughly how long is the snake?
How are you offering the feed items?
What are the feed items? |
-=Kehhlyr - The Resident Loon
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4 Posts |
Posted - 23/09/2010 : 05:21:06
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The viv is 18x12x12
For substrate I am using aspen shavings and is about an inch or so deep
There is a heat pad in the corner with a hide above it, and a hide on the cooler side
I do have a thermostat, it reads 80 degrees
There are currently two hides, one on each side of the viv, and a small plastic plant on the glass between them
My snake is about 12-13 inches long, I was told he was a near newborn
The food I have been trying to give him is pinkie mice, when I tried to feed him, I would jangle the pinkie in front of him. As of now I left a freshly thawed out pinkie in the cage with him in the hopes he will eat it over night. It's on a surface with no shavings on it. |
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gingerpony
Queen Bee
United Kingdom
10455 Posts |
Posted - 23/09/2010 : 09:41:59
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ok briefly...........
the viv is huge for him, and empty, and the temps are perhaps a little low
how much weight has he lost? 2 weeks shouldn't be any worry, unless he hadn't fed with the breeder? |
cornsnakes, ratsnakes, bullsnakes, boas and day geckos
Location:Leeds/York/Selby area |
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4 Posts |
Posted - 27/09/2010 : 22:45:37
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An update on my corn:
I moved him to a smaller viv with a lot more things in it for him to hide under. I went out and bought a live pinkie, to see if it would entice him but to no avail. As of now, he stays in one of his hides. I am still rather worried about this little guy. And I am not too sure how much weight he has lost, I didn't think to weigh him, nor have the means to right now. I change his water daily but other than that, I leave him be. It's been two weeks now, and I am rather scared and worried... |
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Kellog
the nice one
United Kingdom
7308 Posts |
Posted - 28/09/2010 : 04:57:05
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quote:
Originally posted by angelus88
An update on my corn:
I moved him to a smaller viv with a lot more things in it for him to hide under. I went out and bought a live pinkie, to see if it would entice him but to no avail. As of now, he stays in one of his hides. I am still rather worried about this little guy. And I am not too sure how much weight he has lost, I didn't think to weigh him, nor have the means to right now. I change his water daily but other than that, I leave him be. It's been two weeks now, and I am rather scared and worried...
Well done for making the changes, I am sure he feels a lot more secure now.
What are your temperatures in the viv and how are you measuring them? In the info you gave before you said that the thermostat was at 80oF, you cannot rely on this being the temp inside the viv and need an accurate way of monitoring what that is. IF you dont have one already a lot of us use these Digital Thermometers - they are cheap but most importantly they are fairly accurate and come quite quickly if you are unable to get to a pet shop to buy one.
It certainly would be good if you could begin to have an idea of what his weight is and whether he is losing any. You can buy a fairly cheap pair of digital scales at Argos that will do the job.
Have you read this Guide to non-feeding snakes? If not then it is definitely worth looking at as it will give you some ideas on reasons why your snake may not be feeding and how to tempt it.
Do you know what it was being fed on before you bought it?
The fact that a live pinkie didnt cause any reaction is definitely worrying. It is probably worthwhile getting something called Reptoboost or Critical Care to add to his water, it will give him so nutrition and energy to keep him going. Put the water bowl near his hide so he doesnt have far to go, although you cant be sure he isnt coming out at night and exploring the viv.
GingerPony can advise you much better than I can, I am no expert....but I do hope that he eats soon. Please let us know how he is doing.
xxx
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4 Posts |
Posted - 28/09/2010 : 06:04:50
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I have a pair of thermometers at either end of the tank. One side is 85f and the cooler side 81f, it is a rather small tank, so it is a little hard to maintain the temps like that (though I think I finally managed to get it right).
The breeder mentioned that he was feeding on pinkie parts, but should be able to take a whole pinkie with no issue.
I changed his water and put in some new substrate since his tank was due for a cleaning, and since I cleaned his tank, he has been moving around exploring like what I assume a healthy snake would. There is more than enough cover in the tank now, I pretty much filled it with those fake vines (he likes to climb apparently). And I don't know if this is needed or valued or just plain icky, but he did poop today after I cleaned the cage. Made me happy that his body functions still work, but a lil annoyed that he did it after I cleaned his tank! XD
When the new water was in the bowl, and he was doing his exploration, he did take water, which again I hope means he is still healthy, though a little hungry, so with that in mind, I will take a look into getting one of those boosts to add to his water.
I think I may have set this off from too much handling, from me being worried that he wasn't eating I may have picked up him and talked to him about the merits of eating one too many times. Hopefully a week of no lectures or handling will give him the peace of mind he is seeking, and I will attempt another feeding this weekend.
Thanks for the info on the reptoboost, I will be picking it up tomorrow, along with a small set of scales and a nice notebook for each of my snakes data logs I will be attempting to keep. :) |
Edited by - n/a on 28/09/2010 06:06:53 |
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Kellog
the nice one
United Kingdom
7308 Posts |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 05:48:35
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quote:
Originally posted by angelus88
I have a pair of thermometers at either end of the tank. One side is 85f and the cooler side 81f, it is a rather small tank, so it is a little hard to maintain the temps like that (though I think I finally managed to get it right).
The breeder mentioned that he was feeding on pinkie parts, but should be able to take a whole pinkie with no issue.
I changed his water and put in some new substrate since his tank was due for a cleaning, and since I cleaned his tank, he has been moving around exploring like what I assume a healthy snake would. There is more than enough cover in the tank now, I pretty much filled it with those fake vines (he likes to climb apparently). And I don't know if this is needed or valued or just plain icky, but he did poop today after I cleaned the cage. Made me happy that his body functions still work, but a lil annoyed that he did it after I cleaned his tank! XD
When the new water was in the bowl, and he was doing his exploration, he did take water, which again I hope means he is still healthy, though a little hungry, so with that in mind, I will take a look into getting one of those boosts to add to his water.
I think I may have set this off from too much handling, from me being worried that he wasn't eating I may have picked up him and talked to him about the merits of eating one too many times. Hopefully a week of no lectures or handling will give him the peace of mind he is seeking, and I will attempt another feeding this weekend.
Thanks for the info on the reptoboost, I will be picking it up tomorrow, along with a small set of scales and a nice notebook for each of my snakes data logs I will be attempting to keep. :)
I am not very good with Fahrenheit but think that 85oF may be getting a bit too close to being too hot. You are looking for between 27 - 29oC maximum in the hot end and your cool end is definitely too warm, you want it to be around 21oC and yours is no-where near that. So overall his tank is too warm and this will probably be stressing him out as he cant get cool. How are you heating it and where are the probes for your digital thermometers?
I am so glad that he has been moving around the tank....and not at all surprised that he pooed immediately after you did a clean! Thats their 'corny' sense of humour  !
It is also good news that he is drinking, so trying the Reptoboost may be a good idea.
You say that you have probably brought this on by handling him too much, did you leave him alone to settle in for the first week? We always suggest no handling or feeding for this first week to allow your snake to get over the stress of the move and for it to get used to the new smells and its new surroundings. This means just putting your hand in to change the water daily and straighten the substrate, so it can get used to your smell and not be threatened by you. So if he hasnt had that chance to settle in it might explain why he isnt feeding (along with the tank being too warm).
I do hope that the leaving him alone for the week does the trick, and try and check about those temps....although I am NO EXPERT so would appreciate confirmation that what I have said is right from someone with more experience.
Let us know how he is getting on.
xxx
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Worried new owner
