I just purchased a new baby corn snake from a pet store. I do not know how old it is. He is about 16 inches long. We have it enclosed in a 20 gallon tank, aspen botton, under tank heating pad, red basking light, heavy water bowl, a hiding spot, and a branch. We have 2 therms in it. One for temp and one for Humidity. Its cooler side is about 70 degrees, warm side about 83 degrees. We just purchased it 3-30-08. He was extremely active last night. Trying to find any possible escape route I imagine.
How long should I wait to feed him? The guy at the pet store said he did not eat at last feeding. That was on Thursday 3-27-08. He looks really healthy, eyes are nice and no spots of rotten food.
His name is No Feet. I have read just about everything on the web on corn snakes. He is a Carolina Corn, brown with orange markings.

Any other info would be great!

Thank you.

do you know how long ago his last feeding was? you actually could try it any time now. some snakes, especially young snakes, have a tendancy to get easily distracted from feeding. I had to enclose my corns feeder tank so that he couldnt see out when he was young until he learned the routine.

corns are usually pretty good eaters, and ive never heard of needing this approach, but if your snake really seems disinterested in the food try laying it in the feeder tank and covering the whole tank with a blanket. some times this privacy helps young snakes feed. I have to do this with my redtail. my ghost corn needs it every once in awhile, but he is an adult and they can be picky some times

I would leave the snake alone for a week to settle in.
You also need to bring your temps up a bit. Go for 72-75 on the cool end and 88-90 on the warm end. Babies are a bit touchier about temps than adults.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Great info, thank you. Will try warming up the tank a little.

Welcome to HC, post pics if you can.

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

congrats on your new addition. corns are great snakes. you should definitely check out the corn snake caresheet. it has a ton of useful info.

Cornsnake Caresheet (Pantherophis guttatus) - Reptile Information - Caresheets Database

as its been stated, you want to leave him alone for about a week to get settled in. that means no handling either even though its really tempting to play with them as soon as possible. he probably won't eat since he'll be stressed from the move.

you should post pics after he settles in. hope you enjoy him!

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yes i am a she ^_^

~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
2 dogs (male) Spot and Bear

just curious, how many of you have had issues with rejection after a meal?
i had always heard that as well, but I fed both of my snakes within the first couple days after moving them into their new homes and they took it just fine. i cant see any harm in offering food, especially to a hatchling since its going to be eating FT pinkies anyways. if they eat its a bonus, if not youre at square one and you just follow SOP for a rejected meal (i usually try to wait another full week if a meal is rejected. its only happened a couple times and has been temperature/light cycle related)

Ok, so I have a my corn for a week now and he still will not eat. I tried tease feeding him and he struck at it. I left him alone with the pinkie for 24 hrs and he never ate. I did try tuna juice and brained the pinkie, still did not eat. He is active, drinks water and lays in his water dish. I am worried for he has not eaten in 2 weeks. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

you shouldn't worry about it. he may still be stressed from the move. is he in a high traffic area where alot of people are passing by his enclosure? like in a living room or a hallway? if he is you may want to move him to a quieter room and letting him adjust there. is he pooping at all that you've noticed?

make sure all of your temps are correct as well, its important for them because if they are too cold they will not want to eat because they need warmth to digest their food. if he struck at it he may have been interested or something startled him. since you said he is laying in his water dish, he may be due for a shed, babies shed alot as they grow.

as long as he is drinking water and is active you should just let him be for maybe another week. the more often you try to feed the more you may be stressing him out so don't try again for a little while. it takes at least a week for an animal to feel secure in its home but sometimes it can take longer, especially for younger corns. they can be skittish and frighten easily.

good luck

__________________

yes i am a she ^_^

~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
2 dogs (male) Spot and Bear

He ate on Sunday 6th! I was so excited. I put him in a plastic tub with lid, covered it with a towel and left him alone for about 1 hr before checking on him. I went and checked and the little pinkie was gone and he had a fat belly. So now I will leave him alone for about 3 or 4 days. Thank you for all your advice. I am hoping to get pictures of him this week.