I feel like such a bad snake dad

[ZacharyP]

On Friday, November 27th I fed my corn two pinkies. The reason I fed two is the manager at petco informed me that this snake had just been bumped up to two. This is my first corn snake. I had never had a snake before and this was its first feeding. It fed really well and It was exciting to see it eating. I woke up this morning and it had regurgitated both. I know it was in blue on Saturday/Sunday, maybe part of monday. Going forward, I'd like to get a scale so I know its weight and the size of the pinkies I will be feeding it. Also I will wait 7+ (10?) days before feeding it a single, smaller pinky because I honestly do not know if it should have been eating two to begin with. Any other helpful advice? I feel horrible

[Nanci]

So going forward, it would be really helpful to get a weight on him so you know what he should be eating. And don't ever feed him in blue again. If you get in the habit of weighing him before every meal, you'll be able to catch the blue phase before you can even see it, because he'll have a larger than normal weight gain, from being inactive and not pooping.

I'd actually drop him back to half a pink, after he sheds, and after skipping his next scheduled meal (which ends up being 10 days or so). Then half a pink the next time, then a small pink cut into two pieces, then, depending on his weight, larger pinks. I wouldn't go straight to double pinks, and I rarely even feed doubles under normal circumstances. I just gradually increase the size- red, small, medium, large pink, XL, small peach fuzzy, small fuzzy, medium fuzzy, and so on. It's a huge jump from one pink to two pinks.

It makes it easier for him to digest if you cut the pinks in half, at the beginning, and feed him both halves. After that, cut slits in the back of the pinks. I cut 3-4 crosswise slits, and continue to do this till the snake is on adult mice, at which point I stop.

It is also advisable to get Nutribac, and lightly powder his meals with that for the next few months. it's a probiotic, with reptile-specific bacteria.

[Jessicat]

I agree with Nanci's suggestion to get Nutribac (and well.. all her other solutions too!).

A few other things to consiter..
Make sure the temps are good on both sides. Not sure what your set up is (pet stores often give misinformation), but make sure you're using an under the tank heater, and that the warm side is 85 degrees. Make sure the snake has adequate hides and that the tank isn't in a high traffic area.

Not sure how long you waited before attempting to feed, but corn need at least a 48 hour period of no contact with you or the outside world to settle in to their new enclosure and feel comfortable.

Also as a personal rule of thumb my first feeding with a new snake is generally a bit smaller than what they are used to eating. If I were you I'd order Nutribac, wait a week and a half, and then offer one pink dusted in Nutribac.

Also, double pinks aren't really super necessary. You can bump your snakes up to larger pinks then fuzzies. It's more nutritious and is easier for your snake to digest. Good luck!!!

[smigon]

I also recommend reading a few books on them. Kathy Love and Don Soderberg have written two of the best books on corn snakes out there, they are available on Amazon.

Also, at the bottom of the main page Nanci has her own section with GREAT instructions for newbies to corn snakes. I highly recommend her info sheet, you will learn a lot and if you still have questions don't hesitate to ask. Good luck!