How not to feed your corn snake

[nebby3103]

Hey there. I came across a video of someone feeding their corn on YouTube the other day. I thought it illustrated quite well what not to do when feeding your corn. Despite this guy's best efforts, it looks like his snake still swallows some bark. Tsk, tsk... Hope the new(er) folks find this useful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InbINtFxVJ8&search=corn%20snake%20mouse

Oh yea, and take note of the comments. The guy who posted the video loves it; the other guy is right...

[Bobo's Mama]

Poor corn...:cry:

[susang]

Almost too hard to watch, substrate and those cooking tongs. YUK!

[Penman6668]

Well that is a classic example of what not to do.

[Drizzt80]

I'm confused . . . other than a few flakes of bedding, what was the problem with the way the snake was being fed? :shrugs: Seemed like a pretty conscientious owner to me actually taking the time to pick off what he could while it was eating. I know this will probably start up a whole issue of feeding in cage vs. out, etc., but other than ingesting a few bits of substrate, what was wrong? I thought the meal looked small myself, and the snake a bit skinny, so maybe he needs to feed more? :shrugs: Besides, I've seen/heard of worse feeding situations than that.

D80

[cornsnakekid92]

Not talking down on anyone, but maybe some of the newer people to the hobbie have just heard of all the horror sotries about impaction and do not realize how tuff corns our and that it will most likly take more then that and that it happens in the wild probobly close to everytime they eat in the wild.

[Tula_Montage]

my only problem is that background music... if you can even call it music arg :twoguns:

[nebby3103]

Not talking down on anyone, but maybe some of the newer people to the hobbie have just heard of all the horror sotries about impaction and do not realize how tuff corns our and that it will most likly take more then that and that it happens in the wild probobly close to everytime they eat in the wild.

It's probably safe to assume that the guy feeds his snake that way every time based on the comments he made. You mean to tell me that that can't add up and cause come problems? Maybe even some major ones?

I'm confused . . . other than a few flakes of bedding, what was the problem with the way the snake was being fed?

I think you hit the nail on the head. That is the problem. I didn't mean to indicate there were any other problems. Eating substrate is bad, right? At least, that's what I was told by 99% of the people here when I joined this forum. Now I'm confused...

[Tula_Montage]

persoanlly i would never allow one of my snakes to ingest substrate...

[marty.warwick]

Well I think its better to be safe than sorry. I think the owner is slightly ignorant to just say "its ok if the snake eats a few woodchips. it will just go through.".

Why even give it a choice to eat on woodchips? Just use a dish. It's not like it's effort.

[Baba-Lou]

'm sorry but it sounds like hes got a few friends their and doing it for fun

[marty.warwick]

Yeah but if you were usually using a dish, you'd be doing it for those particular reasons. You wouldn't take it away for friends. I am fairly confident in thinking this is the method he always uses.

[Baba-Lou]

true i agree. but i seriously think he was doing it for fun to. "oh its ok the bark will fall off" i felt bad for the snake

[Colleen360]

I can just picture this:
Mom: Son, where did you put those cooking tongs? I need to use them to cook this chicken.
Son: Oh, hold on, I was just using them in the other room.

[Baba-Lou]

OH GOD...i would NEVER use those tongs again :cry:

[maegann]

i feel soo bad for that poor snake. he actually swallowed A LOT of substrate, and that is never good. :cry:

[xavusangel]

I think it might have been a little different if it was Aspen but that was straight up bark and that stuff is hard...Hopefully he regurged it, but thats something we wont ever know...Poor snake, i know the kid tried to get as much out, but he should research it not just assume its ok...

[VixxishRoo]

i feel so bad for that poor snake! last time i checked, wood was not digestable! i hope he regurgtated it!

[your_only_nightmare]

aswell he just put it there, wiht the size of the snake its better if you hsake it around, at least that way the snake gets execrice when it constricts, poor thin, looked to small for it

[Blue Apple Herps]

but he should research it not just assume its ok...

Many snake owners research is whatever their LPS tells them. I'm sure that this guy probably just bought it from petco (or something) and the sales people just told him to drop a mouse in every week or so and to change it's water once a week. And that was probably all the advice he got.

Many people on here I'm sure did what they would now consider stupid stuff with their corns before they knew better. I know I did. It's a learning process, so before totally coming down on a random video just relax and remember that every expert was once a beginner.

However, deliberately ignoring advice or keeping your corn (or any animal) in in a sub standard way once you know better is absolutely unacceptable.

[Drizzt80]

However, deliberately ignoring advice or keeping your corn (or any animal) in in a sub standard way once you know better is absolutely unacceptable.
100% agreed, but (and there always seems to be a but!) how many actual impactions have people experienced feeding on aspen or other substrate? Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying it's not a problem, and I know it can and does happen. I just happen to have not had the experience in 15+ years of keeping snakes on pine (back in the day), aspen, or bark.

Common sense would seem to dictate that those with larger collections cannot afford, with their time, to either feed in separate containers, or watch every snake fully consume their entire meal. Quite honestly, I can only recall hearing about one serious impaction by a snake . . . and unfortunately it belonged to Shep's who happened to be feeding his boa on paper towels!

That being said, one snake in the collection could/should probably be fed in a separate container or in a plastic dish in the cage, etc. But, as far as I'm concerned it wasn't an 'oh, that poor mistreated snake' video. One snake in a collection being fed on substrate isn't any different than 1 snake in a collection of 23or59or380 being fed on substrate. Any one or all have the risk of being impacted which leads back to just how many snakes out of the thousands/millions have ever knowingly died from the problem?

I think there are much much worse transgressions being committed by herp (and other) pet owners than what was displayed in the video. :shrugs:
D80

[Drizzt80]

PS. Anyone have any information on just how powerful the digestive juices of a snake are? I mean they dissolve bone! With fish, it's recommended that you cut the line if they swallow the hook as their digestive juices will break down and fully dissolve the hook and more damage will be done trying to pull it out. :shrugs:

Also, I think the greater fear of swallowing substrate is not so much impaction as laceration of the esophogus?? Which would beg the question of substrate type - ie. large aspen chips vs. shredded vs. soft bark vs. etc?

D80

[Blue Apple Herps]

100% agreed, but (and there always seems to be a but!) how many actual impactions have people experienced feeding on aspen or other substrate? Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying it's not a problem, and I know it can and does happen. I just happen to have not had the experience in 15+ years of keeping snakes on pine (back in the day), aspen, or bark.

Common sense would seem to dictate that those with larger collections cannot afford, with their time, to either feed in separate containers, or watch every snake fully consume their entire meal. Quite honestly, I can only recall hearing about one serious impaction by a snake . . . and unfortunately it belonged to Shep's who happened to be feeding his boa on paper towels!

That being said, one snake in the collection could/should probably be fed in a separate container or in a plastic dish in the cage, etc. But, as far as I'm concerned it wasn't an 'oh, that poor mistreated snake' video. One snake in a collection being fed on substrate isn't any different than 1 snake in a collection of 23or59or380 being fed on substrate. Any one or all have the risk of being impacted which leads back to just how many snakes out of the thousands/millions have ever knowingly died from the problem?

I think there are much much worse transgressions being committed by herp (and other) pet owners than what was displayed in the video. :shrugs:
D80

Oh, I agree completely! I know that I used to feed in the cage with bedding, and they did swallow a piece or two. The LPS said that it was ok, and the snake always did seem ok. I personally don't have that much beef with the video. Again, keeping corns is a learning process.

My comment was not meant to suggest that he had been told to not feed on bedding and he still was. It was just a general comment on people who are told proper care for an animal and yet still refuse to do so.

[Gintha]

I had a snake die from impaction from swallowing ONE small piece of that bark substrate. 2.5 foot snake, ---- piece of bark that size. Dead snake, and she seemed in a LOT of pain from it. Why take the chance?

[Colleen360]

As long as you understand that there is a chance of impaction and you watch out for it, feeding on substrate is not too bad. I always take my snakes out, but I only have two, not hundreds. At work one time, someone gave us a Green Tree Python. If you have ever seen one of these, you probably know that they don't have a best temperment. To feed it, I dropped in a small dish and put the food on that so that he wouldn't ingest substrate. A paper plate would have worked fine also. I just feel better knowing that they wont be ingesting any of the substrate.