quick feeding question-easy answer i bet

[wisconsin]

when i feed my pinkie mice to my little corn snakes (less than 4 months old) and leave them in the tank over night do i put the pinkie in the open on under some cover---and do i put it on the warm side, cool side or in the middle?????
basically im asking what the best and most successful method is about feeding over night to picky eaters............please post reply!!!!
thanks to all who give advice.
brandon.

[Nanci]

Do you have substrate in your viv? What is the ambient temp of the room the snake is in?

I would put the snake in a small container, in the viv, in the middle. In the container, the snake has nothing to think about except the pink that is sitting in there with him. He can't go off and sleep in the other corner and forget about it. My adult corn takes a while to eat- like up to three hours. I put her in her container, cover the container, put her in a dark room, and check once an hour till she eats. But if you have to go overnight, it would be safer to leave the unattended snake in the closed container (with air holes, of course!) in the closed viv. My only escape has been from a feeding container that wasn't closed properly.

Nanci

[Susan]

Agreed. A small container with air holes and no substrate or paper towel or newspaper lining. If you're feeding a hatchling, a deli cup or a sandwich container is a good size to use.

[wisconsin]

thanks guys