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Milk Snake Mama   Snakebuz  
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 #2030959


Milk Snake Mama
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 Baby Milk Snake Not Eating

I have a baby milk snake that ate pinkies when we first got it but now refuses. He took the first fine. He shed his skin the following week. The next feeding he threw up the pinkie. Now he refuses & takes a defensive position, even rattling his tail when I introduce a pinkie. He hasn’t eaten in two weeks. Is there anything else I can try to feed him? Any ideas?
06/29/09  12:47pm

 #2031012


Snakebuz
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   Message To: Milk Snake Mama   In reference to Message Id: 2030959


 Baby Milk Snake Not Eating

What type of baby milk it is would help and also if the pinkies offered were live or not as far as diagnosing the problem. His not eating now would seem to stem from that thrown up pinkie. Now ask yourself why.
Generally speaking, presuming the pinkie he threw up wasn’t too large for him to begin with, the reason he threw up the pink could have three easy causes, one being a gastric problem we won’t address, as it doesn’t sound like the problem. Either temperature or stress is most likely the culprit here. If the snake was in too hot an environment and could not cool off, or did not have a warm spot to get to and rest in could possibly be the problem. Or, if the pinkie was regurgitated within the first day after eating, assuming proper temps...most likely stress from handling with a full belly was the reason. If your milk is one of the more excitable species, the fight or flight syndrome reaction would have made the mouse come up if you were trying to handle a excited baby.
The good news is, most snakes after regurgitation from being excited normally resume eating after a short time, while snakes spitting up food from over or underheating take a little longer for their bodies to recover from the stress.
If the little guy is a excitable type, after checking temperature gradients are within requirements, open the container with as little fanfare as possible, drop an appropriate sized pinkie (live or thawed, whichever you have seen him eat) in and close without scaring him. leave it alone till the next morning, see if he ate. If he did, leave the container alone for three days so as not to spook him. Do not bother him until the third day at all. Remember that the baby should have a hiding spot on the warm and the cool side. If he did not eat, give him a little time, and try again. You did not mention it, but many snakes go off feed when entering a blue stage. Could this have had something to do with it the not eating phaase? It would not have been the reason for the regurgitation though. Anytime a snake spits up, somethingt is wrong and the cause needs addressing.
06/29/09  02:49pm


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