baby corn snake wont eat

Question
Hi, =) I purchased a baby corn snake from the reptile expo in white plains a week 1/2 ago and he still hasn't eaten ( live pinkie mice nor f/t pinkies). I originally purchased two, an albino male and a snow female who sadly passed away just days after getting her. It wasn't until I got home that I had realized they were infested with mites. I sprayed them for three days with a mitekiller and disinfected their tank a few times. He is now fine as far as I know and shows no signs of mites anymore, but she passed away. He still hasn't eaten and I'm worrying that he hasn't gotten better. He still feels very strong when being held, stronger than when I first got him and I have left him alone for a few days thinking that maybe he has just been stressed. His temperature stays between 78-82 degrees at all times. Can you give me any suggestions on feeding him? Is it possible that he may be going through his first shed?I'm getting very worried about him, help me! Thanks- Jackie

Answer
Sorry to hear about the loss of one of your snakes. Unfortunately, many snakes that are brought to shows are those that are "problems" for the breeder. For hatchlings, this often means the non-feeders. Having mites just adds to the problem. The best thing to use for mites is Provent-a-mite. Other products can be harmful to the snake as well. Remember that after killing the mites you will need to re-treat the cage so that you can kill any new hatching bugs. Assuming that you do that, some things that you can try for your hatchling are: scenting the pink with either a lizard (like a skink if you can catch one in your area) or even some catfish from the grocery store. Another trick is "braining" the pinky, which means poking a hole into it's skull, squeezing out some goo, and leaving it with the snake in a small deli cup. Lastly, if all else fails, you can try force-feeding an adult mouse tail. Simply cut off a tail from a large mouse, wet it with some water or even egg white, tease the snake into biting and gently working it down it's throat. This will at least buy you some time while working with the scented or brained pinks. Feel free to email me at carolinaherps@nc.rr.com if you need more help.