My 2 month old purchased corn snake won't eat mice since I bought it, Trying eggs.

millp · 04-29-20, 03:47 PM

She's been very fussy and won't eat any mice. I've pushed her into eating a couple sips of egg white from the water dish just now, but that's all the food she's eaten for the past 2 weeks. Is egg safe to feed my snake? Will it have a proper blend of vitamins and minerals to survive my pet alone? (blended yolk and white) I'm thinking I could feed it just egg with maybe half a part water mixed in and a multivitamin dusted on top for proper ratio, will this grow my pet big and stronk? Thank you. She says that she's not happy with life and wants to die and it's very embarrassing to meet such a person if they aren't a 2 month old snake. But I think she's joking and she's starving for some other reason. What could it be? Veganism? Why the hunger strike since I bought her? I don't know how to squeeze her mouth open to force feed her it's like she's too strong to open her mouth or something. I'm gonna keep feeding with only thru egg mixed with part water until she eats a pinkie. I figure muscle is 30% protein and egg is 10% protein, so maybe they need more then 2 parts water to 1 part protein to make muscle AND provide hydration, maybe 4 parts water to 1 part protein, so I mixed the egg half with about half water and I'm gonna keep doing it that way. I'm not gonna provide water because she will choose only water during this hunger strike and die but a THIRST strike is something different. A thirst strike requires a way higher sense of willpower and emotional regulation then a hunger strike does. So I don't think it's gonna happen. Myron will slowly tolerate the hydration that the egg provides and survive. Problem solved? I will update with Myron's health status.

Veronica · 05-02-20, 11:59 AM

Egg is fine as a treat, but it won't do for a full diet. You'll have to keep trying the mice.

Snakes, unless very sick, aren't going to starve themselves. Try a mouse once a week until she eats it.

How are you warming up and offering the mouse? Have you tried leaving it in the enclosure over night? There's a couple techniques you can try

craigafrechette · 05-02-20, 03:14 PM

Aye aye aye...
I don't even know where to start here...

Kinda late to ask if egg is safe since you already fed it egg.
This is why we do research BEFORE bringing an animal home....poor snake.

chairman · 05-02-20, 08:46 PM

If a baby cornsnake isn't eating then it is usually a security issue. The snake doesn't feel safe, so it won't make itself vulnerable by taking a meal. I don't know what your cage looks like but I'm going to guess that you don't have enough hides or the hides you have aren't small enough for the snake to feel secure. Snakes like to have hides that they can press the sides of their body against in order to feel safe.

Another possible security issue is that you're handling the snake. You shouldn't handle a new snake until it has taken at least 3 meals in a row for you.

A third possibility is that there's too much activity near the snake cage. Too much noise, too much movement, something like that.

If it is not a security issue then it is an environmental reason. The cool side of your snake's cage should be in the low 70s F. The warm side in the mid 80s, with a hot spot of around 90F. You should be monitoring the cool and warm side temperatures with a digital thermometer and the hotpot with a non contact thermometer/infrared thermometer. Temperatures themselves need to be provided with heat sources controlled by a thermostat.

As far as eggs go, wild adult cornsnakes have been known to eat eggs. They eat them whole as the calcium in the eggshell is an important part of the meal. I haven't heard of baby cornsnakes eating eggs. You'd need to find them really small eggs, anyway, perhaps finch eggs. It would be far, far better to stick to mice.

Get your cage in order. Make sure there are at least two good hides, one on the warm side, one on the cool side. Maybe throw in a third or fourth hide or other form of cover, such as fake plants. Get your temperatures in order. Let the snake get comfortable. Then follow some of the advice given above, offer the snake a small or extra small pink mouse once a week until the snake eats.

**Tsubaki** · 05-05-20, 06:30 AM

Not to mention not eating for 2 weeks is fairly normal, they can go months without food. It doesn't sound like you know what you're doing.. You're depriving it of water so it HAS to drink egg? You're talking about willpower, veganism and squeezing her mouth open??? That's Insane, practically animal abuse! Snakes don't talk, and won't eat when stressed. They'll only eat when comfortable in their surroundings, since they're defenseless during their meal. Provide that animal with fresh water immediatly, make sure its enclosure is nicely decorated so it has multiple spots to hide. Double check the temperatures, stop bothering it, and definetly don't try to pry open its mouth! Leave it alone! Don't pick it up or hover in front/above its tank untill it has eaten atleast 3 times in a row.

BlackKing Nacho · 05-05-20, 06:07 PM

what your temps like? colubrids should eat rather easily unless sick/temps off. Dont force feed your snake as you seem like a beginner. leave her alone for another week, and put a pinky in her enclosure. she will eat it.

BlackKing Nacho · 05-05-20, 06:09 PM

and if you want to feed eggss, dont give chicken eggs. buy some small quail eggs, let them warm up to room temp and see if the snake will eat it. dont beak it or do anything to the egg. the snake will swallow it and spit out the shell later. and eggs are very healthy for snakes actually. some snakes ONLY eat eggs.

BlackKing Nacho · 05-05-20, 06:12 PM

and why are you mixing eggs with water? are you leaving that overnight/for days? you know how much bacteria that concoction will produce? i keep going back to your post and rediscovering things you've written. i assume the veganism was a joke...