Wont eat a live pinky....

[NickiEmm]

my snake wont eat a live pinky. What do i do with the live pinky if he doesnt eat it? Do i leave him and the mouse in his feeder container all night until he eats it?
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[SteveP]

Give us a little information about your snake, like what type it is, how old, how long have you had it, etc.

Some snake species don't eat rodents at an early age...their diet may actually consist of lizards, amphibians, etc. so they sometimes don't recognize a pinky as food. In these cases the pinky may have to be "scented" with another animal. In other cases the snake may have to be fed the specific food it requires to survive.

A pinky is pretty harmless compared to an adult mouse, so if you left it in the cage ovenight there is little likelyhood of any harm happening. Some snakes are shy and like eating in private and may indeed eat the pinky overnight.

By the way...welcome to RedTailBoa!!! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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[NickiEmm]

He's a corn snake and only about a month old. when i got him about a week ago he ate a pinky on the car ride home without a problem. Now i left a pinky in his feeder container with him almost all day and he wont eat.

~If i leave the pinky out overnight, should i put it in my snake's cage or leave both of them in the feeder container?

P.S. Thanks for helping me out I'm really new at this snake thing and I feel kind of stupid asking these questions [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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	Corn Snake The Corn Snake or Red Rat Snake (Elaphe guttata) is a species of Rat Snake.

[DogVsRaptor]

Welcome to RTB. Don't worry about asking questions, most people
will give you lots of help. Everyone seems to be very
knowledgable about snakes and herps in general.
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[SteveP]

Never be afraid to ask questions here! Remember, your goal is to have healthy, thriving animals and to do that ya gotta ask guestions sometimes. If you want to keep animals their well being is whats most important!

Well he's just a little guy!!! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] Corns are a great snake to start with. If he ate for you on the way home last week I wouldn't worry too much. Give him another day or two and try feeding again. If the pinky has died put it in a plastic bag and place it in the frig or freezer so it keeps...but let others in the household know it's there...no surprises!

As soon as you can, see if he'll take frozen/thawed (f/t) pinkies. You'll read a lot on these posts as to the benefits of feeding f/t rodents. There shouldn't be a problem leaving your corn in the feeding container overnight either, as long as it's in a place where the temps. are okay.

What kind of set-up do you have? What temperatures are you keeping him at? Do you have a warm side and a cooler side to his enclosure?
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	Frozen/Thawed A rodent or other prey item that is frozen and then thawed to be fed to a reptile or other animal.

[NickiEmm]

i have a 20 gallon tank for him. the temperature in his cage right now is about 88 degrees and thats not with the heating pad on because its pretty hot outside. and yes there is a warm and cool side of the tank.
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[Ed_r]

What I would do is get a deli cup. like a small cole slaw container. poke small holes in it, Put the pinkie in there then put the cornsnake in there. i know it seems cruel to put it in such a small container but baby snakes get preoccupied with their surroundings. When you put them in a small container and turn the lights out they usually eat. Also Theres not much difference feeding a frozen thawed pinkie to a live pinky. May as well start it out right.
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[SteveP]

Yeah, at 88 degrees you don't need a whole lot of supplemental heat right now. I just wanted to check because sometimes extreme temperatures, too high or too low, can influence appetite. Ed's suggestion is great with the deli cup. It forces the snake to focus on the food and not everything else going on in it's environment.
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[NickiEmm]

thank you so much for your help. I have one last question, just checking....Do i leave my heater on at night when it cools down?
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[SteveP]

I'd be inclined to have the under tank heater on at night that way he can have a warm spot to snuggle up to as necessary, especially if your house has air conditioning running at night.

There is a great caresheet on this site for corns...if you haven't seen it I'd highly recommend a look...a lot of information in a compact format. Keep us posted how your little guy does!
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[NickiEmm]

My corn still won't eat! This has been the third day in which i tried to feed him. I've even went back to the pet store and bought a smaller pinky, just in case the one i gave it was too big, but i guess that isn't the problem. I have also tried the deli cup idea, nothing seems to be working. Does anybody have any other suggestions?
[addsig]

When was the last time it shed? It might be that he is preparing to and some will not even consider food when it's shed time...Is this little guy under 12" in length?
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[Ed_r]

Sometimes they just need a little time. I had a hard feeding Columbian Rainbo Boa went like 3-4 weeks without eating and then all of a sudden he just turned on and hasn't looked back since. he was also very thin and samll too.
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[NickiEmm]

he is just about 12" long. I think he's about a month old
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What about when he shed last?

You might do better to leave him alone for a few days before trying to feed him again..
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[NickiEmm]

I dont know when he shed last, because i haven't had him that long. What are the symptoms of a snake just about to shed? Because i have noticed when i hold him he's a little dry to the touch. He's also kinda jumpy.
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