my corn snake is not eating and its stomach is bulging even though it has not eaten. What is the problem?

hello...

something about that description.... ummm.. you sure you have a 'he' and not a 'she'? lol

hasn't eaten yet is 'fat' does not really sound like 'constipation' to me...lol.. how can "she" be if she has not eaten...

now.. admittedly... I really am taking a 'guess' so.. I went looking for the 'breeding/how long and when eggs are in

a female.. and, do they require 'fertilization' hey?! she sounds like she is right on track? ummmm... hmmm.. congrats... ;)

quote;

March - This begins a period of heavy feeding prior to breeding. In the wild, the timing is just right as birds and other animals are having their young. Corn snakes feed on lizards, eggs, or baby rodents which are abundant in the spring. In captivity, the female corn snakes are voracious feeders building up fat reserves for the egg production ahead. Males, on the other hand, will often not eat, preferring to search for females to breed with.

April - Approximately 30-60 days after brumation, females are ready to breed. A single male corn snake can breed with 4 or more females. Actually, corn snakes do not require brumation to breed, unlike other types of snakes. After a the snake has bred, and the eggs are developing, she is said to be gravid, which is the correct term for pregnancy in reptiles. In captivity, it may take several attempts before the female finally is ready to be mate. Breeders often let the snakes mate 2-3 times or more to insure that the eggs are fertilized as much as possible.

May - The eggs are now growing and maturing in the females. The typical time from breeding to laying is around 35 days. By the end of May, most females have laid their first clutch of eggs.

site link;

http://www.moreptiles.com/cornsnake-lifecycle.htm

quote;

six years. We bought it as a baby and it has never been comigled with any other snake(s). Yesterday 07/21/04, the snake layed approximately twenty eggs. My question is do corn snakes reproduce independantly, or does female corn snakes normally lay unfertalized eggs which will not hatch.

link;

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/Corn-Snake...

hmmm.... how does someone tell a stranger they may very well be the proud parent to be of "slugs"?

can I please laugh if I am right? ;>

hope this has been of assistance

much MUCH luck there

thanks for taking the time to read this

have a great night

As some have suggested, it could be constipation, especially if you feed on substrate. It could be a she...she could be carrying eggs. Cornsnakes do not have to be brumated in order to become gravid, they also can produce eggs (infertile of course) even without a male. I would not soak a snake in super warm water like 90 degrees. In the low to mid 80's is sufficient. This would be only if you think that the snake is constipated. You might consider taking it to the vet and having it checked. Most likely they would do an x-ray to see if there is bowel pattern indicating obstruction, or if he is indeed a she carrying eggs.

there is a similar problem that happened to a corn snake... theres a post on Kingsnake.com it had to be taken to the vet and it was stuffed up. Had some bedding in its stomach that wouldnt pass and had to be helped... you may have to take it to the vet

~kin

The pregnancy would be a viable theory, if you actually put the snake through brumation, and I don't think you have. It sounds like you've got a case of your snake ingesting something in the tank. Take it to the vet ASAP. Like TOMORROW if you can. Unless you want impaction and death to occur. Do you have any rocks in your tank? What kind of bedding do you have?

For the future: Never feed your snake in the same tank it lives in. Take it out and put it in the bathtub if you can't buy a smaller plastic tank/tub to feed it in. This tank/tub/bathroom, should not have any bedding in it, maybe paper towel if you really don't want it scraping against the plastic. But when you feed a snake in its tank it can accidentally ingest the bedding.

Call the store that sold him to you. These little guys aren't that big so don't wait too long incase its serious.

maybe he fasted so much

that it started to eat its own stomach

or its all big or something,

i think it has a serious problem