TIPS ON GETTING YOUR SNAKE TO EAT

Corns sometimes refuse to eat for no obvious reason. The species is generally a good eater but there are exceptions to every rule. Occasionally you will come across a corn that just will not eat. This is most common with hatchlings but some adults go through spells of fasting as well.

The reason may be stress. If you have just purchased a corn of any age, you should leave it alone in its tank for one or two weeks and only disturb it to change the water. If you don't give it time to settle it then it may not eat and not survive. Stress can occur if two snakes are housed together, which should never be done unless you are willing to take the risks.

Now on to some methods of getting corns to eat:

Wiggle the mouse in front of the snake. If you don't already, make sure you use forceps and the snake may lunge at your hand. This method works by fooling the snake into thinking that the mouse is still alive.

Cut the top of the head of the mouse and then try feeding it to snakes. This may sound disgusting but the smell of blood often gets a snake's instincts going. This method is called "braining".

Warm up a mouse in a cup or bowl of warm (not hot) water then brain it and wiggle it in front of the snake. This method works by combining the two methods above and warming up the mouse so the snake thinks it's alive.

You can buy special sprays that make the mouse smell of lizards. Corns sometimes eat lizards in the wild so this is well worth a try. If you can't find the spray, you can buy a frozen lizard and rub it on to the mouse.

Larger corns can eat the heads of anoles. If your snake accepts, keep feeding it these for a while. After several feedings, you can just wrap a mouse in an anole's skin and feed it to your snake. Then you can gradually decrease the amount of skin until the mouse is pure.

Another method is putting the snake in quite a small enclosure overnight with a small food item that has been brained. If they are left well alone and undisturbed then the mouse may well have gone by morning.

The last resort is force-feeding. This means opening the snake's mouth by hand and pushing the mouse inside with your fingers. If you feel you have to attempt this then you must get someone experienced to show you how to do it or else you might seriously harm your pet. Force-feeding is very stressful for you and your snake so should be avoided if at all possible.