What temp is the hot spot set too? Any females he might be smelling? Did you brumate? Also how many hides does he have and what types?

It could just be the fact that it's still cold out, I also would try offering f/t, I've never had an issue with a corn switching back and forth, no need to even pre-kill with them. Another question, how often are you offering food?

I'm not sure on the temperature of the hot spot; it's an older under tank pad that I've been using for several years; I want to get a new one because I saw there are some with temp controls (guessing that should be my first upgrade here?) . I know that when he's on it, or has been on it, he's warm to the touch and active. I don't brumate; I was told by the guy I got him from that it was not necessary- I asked because he's a corn and I was used to ball pythons, etc.

I don't have any other snakes in the apartment. I have other pets, but he's up on a shelf and not anywhere near them; I don't let my cats in the room because I don't want them harassing him or my mudskipper.

He has one hide that is one of those 'choob' cardboard tubes. For a while he also had a sock, because I was told that clothing helped a snake get used to you- he was nervous of me at first but after giving him said sock, he hasn't once hissed or tail rattled at me, and relaxes pretty quickly when I hold him.

I've been offering him the mouse once a week for a while now. I want to try pre killed, but the guy I got him from said that "he'd tried before and he refused it so just feed him live" and I'm not really sure how to go about making a swap; my snakes before were always pre-killed/frozen-thawed eaters, for their safety.

My biggest concern is the second shed and his losing twenty grams in two weeks. I have a good reptile vet south of me, and I can totally take him next week. I've just never had a snake go off its food for more than a few weeks at a time. I want to assume it's just because it's still cold here, but then, he ATE in december really well, and I would have thought he WOULDN'T have eaten then, if it was about the weather.

@gfx would you suggest turning off the heating pad for now, then? Should I put it on the side of his tank? everyone I've talked to has told me he needs an undertank heating pad and NOT an overhead light, since he's a corn and i'm in the southern us/this is his natural temperature gradient, etc. I just ordered a new pad that has a temperature control on it, I'm hoping that will be a better fit for him.

Thank you. Do you think this is a reason for his not eating, as well? Lemme go and put this pad on the side of his tank. 

It is breeding season so this is a fast. There may not be any females for him to find, but he is sure as heck going to try to find them anyway. His normal eating routine should return in another month or so. In the mean time, offer him food less so you don't waste your money.

Also, toss whatever the seller told you about their feeding out the window. Many people use "it won't eat f/t" as a cop out because they like seeing live ones be eaten or they have tried enough methods.

Try f/t just normal, try heating it up a little extra, try dancing it on tongs, try braining it, try scenting it, etc etc. However i'd definitly listen to FyreFocks on timing because a boy being a boy is the first thing that popped into my mine.

So far i've only had one animal turn out to be actually as picky as the seller said & said gecko has only grown pickier.

Not saying that live is bad necessarily. I've got one myself that eats f/t intermittently & i'm very, very limited in the ways I can offer things.

Cool. So the consensus so far is give it a little longer before rushing him off to the vet? I suppose just keep weighing him, and maybe offer a f/t mouse next time? 

Our corn snake males typically go 3-5 months during breeding season without food - they are going to loose weight because they are not eating but as Nate mentioned above, they are not going to eat so it is a waste of money to offer them food.  If you are going to have a UTH then you really need to invest in a cheap thermostat to regulate the temperature - we have several HydroFarm thermostats that we got off of Amazon.com for as little as $20-30.  The UTH can get up to 115 degrees or more and as mentioned above when the snake lays on this warm side consistently it can lead to dehydration issues.  Our recommendation is to get some shredded aspen bedding for him/her (also I would have someone probe him to make sure he is a male) so that the snake will be a little more comfortable during his fasting period.  There are ways to get snakes that are "live feeders" to go to frozen thawed (we can discuss that later).  It is breeding season and most colubrid species are sensing the longer photoperiods, pressure changes with spring rain events, and temperature differences.  If your snake is frequently seen in the waterbowl then this typically means that they are too hot and trying to cool off - ours will get in their water bowls during a shed cycle but not everyday.  At this point, just focus on the temperatures within the enclosure - make sure he has a good temperature gradient (a cool and a warm side so he can properly thermoregulate). 

Cool, thanks. Yes, I had a therometor in his cage, and somehow it was knocked down and ended up in his water bowl. I'm going to invest in a better one when  Iget paid again, since I have the better quality UTH on the way; it has a temperature regulator on it built in, I guess- a catalina aquarium heater, from the reviews it seemed a good bet. He WAS on aspen, for most of the time I've had him, and then someone advised just paper towels so I could watch his skin/ etc better. But I'll go back to aspen again; it's what I use for my rats and my bunny, anyway. 

Nate, I normally would be right there with you on the breeding season fast, but this animal has lost 20gm in a week and has sheds 2 weeks apart without feeding. There's more going on here than the usual seasonal fast.

I would not rush him to the vet, you have no specifics to tell you vet and you'll likely just spend money on a checkup and maybe some upsell stuff. You're already getting a new heat source, I'd get  temp gun to check your temps more accurately as built-in thermstats are notoriously cheap and inaccurate. 

I have to wonder, is it usual for people to use heat on corn snakes? Are they not a North American species that can do just fine without supplemental heat? I don't put heat on my greybands and they don't seem to mind.

And, yes, once your corn is back in the swing of things, he'll have to learn how to eat f/t. Don't worry, he can go quite a long time without food, like months without issue. 

I don't suppose the animal has taken an unusually large poop recently? I find that weights vary greatly when shedding and pooping happen. Combined with the not eating, it could explain what seems like an excessive amount of loss in such a short time.

I've had breeding sized animals shed twice in the span of a month before, both genders, so I don't pay too much mind when it happens. Not that it couldn't be an indicator of something, but it's never given me cause for concern beyond the first time it happened. I think I even asked a question about it in this here answers section

I use a room heater during the colder portion of the spring season, but otherwise I use no extra heat sources. The snake room is in the mid 70s now, with nightly drops to the high 60s. No problems at all.

Cool, thanks. Yes, I had a therometor in his cage, and somehow it was knocked down and ended up in his water bowl. I'm going to invest in a better one when  Iget paid again, since I have the better quality UTH on the way; it has a temperature regulator on it built in, I guess- a catalina aquarium heater, from the reviews it seemed a good bet. He WAS on aspen, for most of the time I've had him, and then someone advised just paper towels so I could watch his skin/ etc better. But I'll go back to aspen again; it's what I use for my rats and my bunny, anyway. 

@gfx I was originally told I did not need a heat source for him, because he's native to my state. Then the pet store people told me he had to have one, and a lamp. Then some corn breeders and corn enthusiasts said no, if you use one at all, use an under tank heater because it's good for digestion, so that's what I did.  I just put him back on aspen and the little guy already seems happier- he's peeking up through the bedding and climbing around again. 

I will get a temp gun, if you all think it's better than a thermostat. It may be a hot minute, but if that's what will be the reliable thing long term then I want to do what's the best for him.

also, @fyre, he did take a pretty big poo in his water dish a few days back, right as I was showing him off to a friend. "see he's really come around, he isn't so... oh. yes, that's a dump. hold on." good boy, rusty. show 'em what you can do!

@gfx I was originally told I did not need a heat source for him, because he's native to my state. Then the pet store people told me he had to have one, and a lamp. Then some corn breeders and corn enthusiasts said no, if you use one at all, use an under tank heater because it's good for digestion, so that's what I did.  I just put him back on aspen and the little guy already seems happier- he's peeking up through the bedding and climbing around again. 

I will get a temp gun, if you all think it's better than a thermostat. It may be a hot minute, but if that's what will be the reliable thing long term then I want to do what's the best for him.

also, @fyre, he did take a pretty big poo in his water dish a few days back, right as I was showing him off to a friend. "see he's really come around, he isn't so... oh. yes, that's a dump. hold on." good boy, rusty. show 'em what you can do!