Need Advice for My Snake's Birthday Present (Feeding Related)

Exactly one month from yesterday will be my one year anniversary of getting my corn snake Peanut. I've been referring to this day as "Peanut's birthday". Call me ridiculous but I wanted to get Peanut a present for this very special day.

I usually feed him frozen fuzzies - what do you think about me feeding him a live fuzzy for his birthday?

1. Will he be safe?
2. Will he know how to kill it or should I kill it before I give it to him?
3. Will he be able to go back to frozen food or will he only want live food after he tastes how good it is?
4. Will he even notice a difference?
5. Should I go through with this plan or just get him a new water bowl?

I'd appreciate any advice or opinions:bowdown:

I'd skip the live, and go for a small piece of chicken.

1. Even if you watch anything could go wrong. He is in danger
2. He may or may not. Does he usually constrict the F/t
3. Actually, F/T and live aren't very different in mineral or taste
4. Likely not a mouse is a mouse
5. I would try to get a small fuzzy-sized quail.

I don't see why you'd give him the live, though a fuzzy couldn't hurt him. IMO he'll go back to f/t without issue- that is my experience. I agree with Robbie though, try something different than a mouse! Offer him a piece of chicken, maybe like Lyion said a baby quail, ASF, rat, etc. When I had my very first corn snake I fed him live when I was at school, and F/T at home. He switched back and forth without any issues. When he had his birthday I gave him 2 f/t ASF fuzzies. At first he sniffed them a lot and then chowed down! Went back to regular mice just fine too. I've also given my anery girl a rat leg that fell off one of the rats I thawed for my boa and she didn't even smell the thing, she just whipped out from under her hide, grabbed it and swallowed, also switched back to regular mice just fine.

Other things you could do (which I find fun), you could get a live mouse, let it run around his cage (without him in it) and then let him go "hunting". Feeding him his normal f/t meal later. This works well if you have mice as pets or for breeding.

Happy Birthday to Peanut

I know that there is probably something "wrong" with me....but I think that you can celebrate Peanut's birthday in many happy wonderful ways that doesn't involve the horrific slow torturous painful death of a helpless baby animal.....I mean he already eats f/t and is a happy healthy beastie. Why does his happy day have to be a horrible day for another living thing?

Maybe a small piece of chicken, another type of f/t goodie, extra handling time, a new hide, a new water bowl, a new cage decoration....

Yeah I wouldn't do it. You don't want peanuts birthday to become a bad day to remember. Not saying that it will happen for sure. I would do the alternate feeding already suggested or a new hide or dish or even plants.

Thanks for the opinions. It's interesting...I did not know that you could feed them chicken. As in the raw chicken you can buy at the grocery story? Or what? I don't know where one can buy quail.

I have never seen him try and constrict his food so maybe I will pass on the idea of a live feeding. But Starsevol, I'm with you - I don't want to see a baby animal suffering either. It was just an idea for something different that he would like for a one time thing.

He always hides under his bowl and is starting to outgrow it...I'll probably get him a new one regardless though.

For my first snakes first birthday I moved her into her new 40 gallon Zilla Critter Cage with all it's new decorations. She spend a good week exploring and climbing around in the vines. It was fun to watch her block up all the entrance ways of her hides and create tunnels under the aspen that led into the hides from underneath.

I agree that I wouldn't give Peanut a live fuzzy. You could try a different type of food. Like a baby rat, ASF rat, chick (if he's big enough) baby quail, anole (though I'd worry about parasites), maybe even some fish (can't remember what kind is safe though).

Or you could sent the fuzzy with something tempting. I know for snakes that don't want to eat, they sometimes like tuna, chicken, or even lizard scented foods. But that doesn't mean you little guy might not find it attractive too lol.