Snake Question

[Tiah]

OK- I have another question, this time its about my baby albino corn snake. This is his first feeding at my house and he hasn't showed intrest in the pinky at all. Is there anything to be concerned about? How long will it take him before he eats? I hate to see the pinky just lay there, I feel bad for him and wish Vipor (the snake) would just go ahead and do what he does!

Please help, asap!

[Tiah]

PLEASE HELP! I know I just posted this, but the pinky has been in there since 7:00. I am probably over reacting, but I just want to make sure nothing is wrong with Vipor, and that I have nothing to be worried about.

[Tiah]

Also, if he's just not hungry, what do I do with the pinky?

Sorry so many questions..

[BitsyNaceyDog]

He may just not be hungry. When did you get him? Do you know when his last feeding was? Are you feeding a live or a dead pinky? Do you know what he was used to eating before you got him? Is he warm enough?

My snakes eat better in the morning or afternoon then they do at night, maybe you should try again tomorrow.

If the pinky is dead and it's been sitting for a couple hours then you should throw it out.

Please don't get yourself too worked up about it.

[Tiah]

"He may just not be hungry. When did you get him? Do you know when his last feeding was? Are you feeding a live or a dead pinky? Do you know what he was used to eating before you got him? Is he warm enough?

My snakes eat better in the morning or afternoon then they do at night, maybe you should try again tomorrow.

If the pinky is dead and it's been sitting for a couple hours then you should throw it out.

Please don't get yourself too worked up about it."

Thank you so much. I got him last Saturday. 11/18 (If that was Saturday..lol) His last feeding was last Wednesday. They feed their snakes every Wednesday, that's when they get their pinkys in. The pinky is alive, we are going to try to switch him to frozen. His feeding tank IS heated, I will check how warm it is in a little bit.
One of my main concerns is for the pinky, too. What do I do with him if he doesn't get eaten, and is still alive by tomorrow? I just don't want him to suffer.

[flamepony12]

i know that this is no help whatsoever, but one day i was @ a reptile store and I saw a snake in a little plastic thinkgy with a pinky, i almost started crying, i cant stomach it, -sobs-

[luckies4me]

Well you can always feed the pinkie. I've done it many times. If he doesn't eat it soon you either need to care for it or euthanize it, as sad as it seems... if you decide to care for it let me know. I've done it plenty of times!

[Tonya]

I don't mind feeding my snakes, but I get so upset when they don't eat. I feel so bad for the scared little mouse wandering around the cage. It bothers the heck out of me.

There is this stuff you can buy at the store that is scented. I can't think of what it is, but ask about it. I want to say it's lizard scent. Anyways, you put a little bit on the pinkie and the scent makes him more appetizing. (Don't know why.) We had a corn snake that was a picky eater and we had to use that on him all the time.

Also, the pinkie can be to big. Is your snake tiny? If so, maybe next time ask for the smallest pinkie they have.

[Queen of Poop]

Our two snakes can be difficult to feed. Our Brazilian Rainbow Boa needs to be put in a smaller feed box with a heating pad under it and a dark towel over it then she will eat. Our Mexican Rat snake wasn't eating because his food was too big, gave him 3 smaller mice and he ate the lot. Do not fear, snakes can go quite a while without eating. Perhaps the food was old, or too large for him. Sometimes they won't eat if it is the wrong color. Our Boa won't eat white mice. It could be a number of things, relax, take your time and think about all the things it could be then start trying different things.

[Tiah]

Thank you for the advice. The pinky, right now is under the heat lamp, with the snake. The snake still has no intrest in him. How do I take care of a pinky with no supplement, and no dropper/syreinge? ALL the petshops are closed today since its a holiday what in the heck do I do?

[Queen of Poop]

I take it this pinky is live? You're going to have to get it out from the snake's cage. As for what to do with it, we only feed frozen mice so I don't know. Sorry.

[luckies4me]

Originally posted by Tiah
Thank you for the advice. The pinky, right now is under the heat lamp, with the snake. The snake still has no intrest in him. How do I take care of a pinky with no supplement, and no dropper/syreinge? ALL the petshops are closed today since its a holiday what in the heck do I do?

You do not want to feed pet milk, you will need to buy Lactose free human baby milk, soy milk. I would suggest taking the baby out from under the heat lamp as you can badly injure it's skin by burning him from the heat. Do you have a heating pad? The would work much better. Put the baby in a tupperware container and line the bottom with a towel, then set the heating pad underneath. Set the pad on either low or medium, just enough to make sure the inside bottom on the container is heated. That is sufficient heat to keep it alive.

I use a small syringe (sp?) and suction up some milk. I mix the milk with equal parts water (use condensed) and suck it up into the syringe. Turn on your faucet and warm it up from the heat of the warm water. It should only take a couple of minutes to warm it up to room temperature. Hold the baby with your left hand between your thumb and finger, and with the other hand take the syringe and dab (be careful not to get milk in the baby's nose! If you do keep a cloth handy for clean ups) a tiny drop of milk onto the baby's mouth. The baby should stick out it's tongue and lick the milk and swallow it. Since the baby is most likely dehydrated you can also add a little plain pedialyte to the milk for the first two feedings. Switching milk can make the little guys dehydrated. So just dab a little milk onto his mouth and he should eat it. Do this until you can see a white area in the baby's tummy, called a milk band. Once there is a clear milk band visible you can stop feeding the baby and stimulate it to go to the bathroom.

You will need a warm damp cotton ball or q-tip. Rub the genital area until the baby goes potty. You will see if he urinates because the cotton ball will turn yellow. They don't poop much, so it will look like a little brown speck of dirt. After you are done with this you can set the little guy down for awhile to sleep. Make sure you keep him/her away from drafts to avoid chills. Depending on how old the pinkie is you will need to feed it every 2 to 4 hours. You just need to keep a visible milk band in sight and keep him warm and you should be OK.

It's a hard job but it can be done. I've done it plenty of times!

[luckies4me]

Also wanted to mention two other things. When giving milk, I squeeze the milk out first and have just a little drop on the end of the syringe and then give it to the baby. When I first started I tried pressing on the syringe with baby in hand and ended up squirting milk all over it's face and up it's nose, so just a word of caution.

Also, you should monitor the babys temp. Pick him up and if he feels warm to the touch he is OK. If he feels hotter than you think is normal, remove him from the pad for about an hour.