My baby corns might be sick. :(

[Ladyhawk]

One wouldn't eat and two regurgitated.

Cross your fingers for me, please.

(Sorry about all the snake posts, but they're what I'm interested in these days, part of what's keeping me sane.)

[MuseRider]

1. Could it just

be an adjustment to their fairly new environment? I saw all your pictures, they are just beautiful. So you raise them? I used to work with reptiles and amphibians at our zoo. I learned to really love snakes and learned how to handle them, even the poisonous ones. We have a variety of corn snake here in Kansas. Our King Snake is not nearly as pretty as yours. I have some wonderful, huge, water snakes on my farm. This year was bumper for ring necks, they are so cute.

Were they shipped in separate containers? Could it be an infection? Poor little things. I hope they feel better. Feeding crickets? I have forgotten more than I ever knew about them, sheesh.

[TheZoo]

2. Keep us updated!

Fingers are crossed!

[scarlet_owl]

3. What is the temperature inside the cage?

Are they all together in the same cage? Reptiles will often regurgitate a meal in response to stress. They could adjusting to their new surroundings. Not eating could be a sign that their cage is too cold. My advice would be to take them to a veternarian specializing in reptiles. I'm sending good thoughts for your little babies.

[alphafemale]

4. Snakes can hurl?

I had no idea.

Seriously.

I thought that was a warm blood only trait.

But hey. Good luck with your pets.

They are pretty.

[ReadTomPaine]

5. Snakes are very delicate animals actually...

..and can die from just a scratch. They have very weak immunoresponses and require careful care and temperature controls.

[alphafemale]

6. I know snakes and reptiles need very controlled enviroments and diets.

But I thought one of the problems was that they "couldn't" hurl.

That if they ate somehing they couldn't digest they were doomed...so to speak.

Shows what I little know.

[scarlet_owl]

7. Yup. They can puke.

I watched a python regurgitate a duck on TV once. It was something else. My dad is a herpatologist, so we had lots of snakes around when I was growing up. I have seen my share of snake puke, which pretty much looks like the animal it has just eaten, just covered in goo.

[ReadTomPaine]

8. Other reasons for regurgitation include...

Too cold an environment, too large a piece of food (a snake's diameter is a good rule of thumb there), insecurity regarding shelter & handling while they eat.

BTW, Snakes that eat eggs swallow them whole, crush the shell internally via muscular contraction and then pop the shell bits right back out. Interesting to watch. Corns snakes are beautiful, I agree.

Here's a nice pic:

[7th_Sephiroth]

9. snakes lay eggs right

i killed a snake once and inside its belly were 5 or 6 little baby snakes, is this natural?

[ReadTomPaine]

10. Some snakes have live births...

For instance, Rattlesnakes give birth to live young. 6 is not an unusual number of live young to find, in fact 40 or more live young can be produced during a single gestation period for an eastern garter snake.

BTW, I hope the snake you killed was threatening you or it was an accident.

Here's a shot of a live rattler birth-


and another, larger one (not sure of the species, maybe a copperhead)

[7th_Sephiroth]

11. wow, thanks

and yes it was a rattle snake and yes it was a danger

[latebloomer]

12. I was about to suggest a podiatrist

Never mind!!

[spinkbottle]

13. Poor babies!

I am sorry. Maybe they are just adjusting to their new home. We used to have a boa who refused to eat when she was getting ready to molt, but since yours are babies I don't suppose that's the case. Please let us know when they start feeling better.

[WillParkinson]

14. So sorry Ladyhawk!

I hope the little nippers get better soon.