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haylhen1983
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
1 Posts |
 Posted - 23/06/2015 : 23:13:08
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Hey folks
I was hoping that you guys may be able to help.
I do believe that the issues that I'm having at the mo, may be down to several things.
I am going to go to the vet if there hasn't been any change by Friday.
Nagini is a 2.5 year old snow corn snake, I was told that she was female !!!
However I am a little unsure now.
Approx March, she became very active and even escaped from her glass viv, we did find her within an hour and believe she may have been out about 12 max.
She didn't eat, until the beginning of May, when she was given a small mouse (it was quite a big small mouse though).
Then she went off her food again !!! Still very active and extremely confident.
We started to doubt if she is female.
We have a glass viv with a heat mat linked to a brand new pulsing thermostat.
I check her temps regular, and as long as the warm side is 83 or above, we are happy !!! However I noted that the thermostat was turned all the way up and we were getting a temp reading of 82 or 83 max and I knew this wasn't right, it shouldn't have to be turned into max.
I felt the glass and it didn't feel very warm at all, there should be a nice little heat there.
I fiddled about and bought a new heat mat, I Notived that the thermostat had gone off altogether and we changed the fuse, this worked !!!! The thermostat returned to normal and only had to be set so far round to get a temp of 86 and the glass was back to normal, lovely and warm under her hot rock.
Then on Sunday 21 June 2015, we got her into her feeding tank, she didn't show any interest at all !!!!
However she did do a whopping poo !!!!!!!
I was shocked as it has been Atleast 5 weeks since her last feed.
The poo was just coming out now, I started to think that the temp been off had meant that she wasn't able to digest her last feed properly.
I called our vet, however the reptile vet has moved had to oz and they no longer deal with reptiles.
I have managed to find another one approx 1 hour drive away and I am over the moon we have found one.
However, I spoke with the pet store and they seem to think that I am over reacting !!!!!
I called my friend also, my friend Judith has had snakes for many years, I asked her what she thought ? She said that she would not worry at all !!!
She told me to get a smaller mouse and try her with this and not to worry as they can go months.
Judith has a boa at the moment but has had corns in the past and says they are very hardy.
The last time I purchased some mice, I went to the other Garden centre/pet store in our town, and purchased 10 small mice.
They did seem bigger than the ones that the other pet store sell but we checked them against her by the thickest part and they did seem to be ok.
She did eat one of these at the beginning of May, her last feed.
Then today I went back to the usual pet store and asked for 4 fuzzies and 5 small mice.
These are a lot smaller
And maybe this has contributed.
We have tried her with a fuzzy this afternoon, to no avail.
Nagini is my first snake and my little boys pet, we love her to bits and until this spell we have never had any issues.
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Hayley |
Edited by - Kellog on 29/06/2015 11:38:28 |
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SilverWings
Yearling
United Kingdom
740 Posts |
Posted - 24/06/2015 : 07:41:49
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Definitely wouldn't be concerned if she ate in May. It's only June, my boys record now is about 6 months. You need to keep an eye on her weight, if she starts to lose a noticeable amount, then yes, she needs a vet, they should not lose any during a natural fast. However this does sound like typical breeding season behaviour.
Confused about her heat source- you say heat mat, but you also say hot rock? Do you use a heated rock or is this just her hot hide? A heat mat will not heat the surrounding enclosure, it will heat the surface or snake directly above it. If you can feel heat on her viv glass then frankly I'm worried. Position your probe directly on the mat with a thin layer of substrate on top, then the hide. This will stop the mat becoming too hot for the snake. Bear in mind corns need a heat that is lower than our body temperature, so quite often a corns hot spot will feel a bit cool to us.
Also, I would suggest trying to feed her in her tank rather than a separate tank, because this allows you to leave the mouse overnight. Often snakes that refuse due to stress or other factors will take the food in the safety of the dark when they are alone.
But yeah, definitely stop worrying so much, just keep an eye and don't offer too often, as this may also make the snake more likely to refuse. |
2.2.3 Corn snakes; Red, Rosie, Liana, Checkers, Luna, Diego, Snowman
1.0 Taiwanese Beauty Snake; Aleron
1.0 Green Anoles; Doug
1.0 Greyhound; Lee |
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Kellog
the nice one
United Kingdom
7308 Posts |
Posted - 29/06/2015 : 11:38:04
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Hi Hayley. I'm so glad you've joined us and you've done so under the exact same circumstances I did, a snake not feeding. With mine he refused his first feed with me and it took him 13 weeks to eat! I drove this forum crazy while they kept me sane  .
Silverwings has covered most things I think. It is natural for snakes to go off their food during breeding season and it happens to both males and females. What's most important is to keep a record of her weight. Because this is a 'natural fast' she shouldn't lose too much during this time. If she is then it may need investigating further.
All you can really do is wait for her to decide she's more interested in food than finding a mate. You've done what I would suggest, which is offering a smaller food item. I've just tried that with Casper. He normally has either a weaner rat or a chick but today I tried a rat fluff because he hasn't eaten for a few feeds. Not interested. I'll try again in a fortnight.
I'm the same as Silverwings, a bit confused about your heating. The temperature you are aiming for is right, 80 to 84oF. How and where are measuring the temperature? Where is the probe for the thermostat?
Xxx
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Corn snake hasn't eaten - temp has been down
