h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We have a 1 year old Corn snake who hasn't eaten for 4 weeks. 3 weeks ago he escaped from his pen and got into a printer where he seemed very happy. We then carefully freed him and put him into a new vivariium. He has not been interested in food at allsince this time and only looks at his food and turns away. He appears activeat times and is due to shed soon. Can anyone with experience of snakes give us a clue as to what may be going on. He may be slightly too cool so we will try heating it up a bit for him. Would this account for him not eating? Is it common for snakes to go without food ?
Any Suggestion would be welcome.

Hello,

It is very common for snakes to go off their food when they feel stressed and there is no exception for corn snakes.

A few other reasons why your snake is not eating could include that the temperature of the vivarium is not high enough (It should be 80 - 85 degrees F / 20 - 30 degress C) or that your snake is going through a shedding phase and they tend to go off their food at this time too. You can tell if your snake is about to shed, as the eyes will normally become cloudy. It is important that the humidity is higher at this time, to help the snake get rid of it's old skin.

I would suggest keeping the temperature at 85 F if he is not eating, this could help. What form of heat are you using? Preferably a heat mat should be used, to give the snake "Belly Warmth" which helps with digestion.

If all else fails, it may require force feeding, and a veterinarian, or reptile specialist can show you how to properly do this - hopefully it will not get to this stage.

-Matt