Feeding Question

Hi! I purchased a 6-week old corn snake last weekend (9/7) at the reptile show in NY. Since this is my first snake, I wanted to make sure the snake was fairly well established. The guy I purchased it from told me it had already eaten twice (frozen/thawed pinky). So, yesterday (9/14) -- giving the snake a week to get settled in, I decide to try and feed her. I offered a frozen/thawed pinky, I put her in a separate tank, and using forceps, I wiggled the pinky in front of her. She did not go in after it. I left the pinky in the tank for a while, then removed it. FYI, the tank temperture is about 80 degrees (80.3) on the warm side. My questions are:

1) How long can I leave an uneaten pinky in her tank?
2) Is trying again next Sunday a good time to try and feed her, or should I do it sooner?
3) Should I switch to live pinkies?

Thanks for you help,
Dave

I would not leave a f/t pinky in her tank any longer then 8 hrs...IMO...Trying to feed her next sunday is a very good idea...Gives her few more days to settle in...Did you ask t he breeder wheter or not she was feeding on live or f/t...If she only had two meals before you bought her then I would try a live or a brained f/t pink...BTW, your cage temps sound fairly good...The warm spot could be a little warmer but thats okay...


HTH

Thanks. Next question, if I decide to go the route of a live pinky, will it be hard to switch to F/T larger prey sizes in the future? Or will I continually have to feed live?

I have hatchlings that eat: f/t but not live, live but not f/t, both, and neither.

My point is that each is different. However, out of 70+ snakes, I don't have a single non-hatchling that doesn't eat excusively f/t mice.

Instead of feeding it in a seperate tank, put it in a deli-cup and put the deli-cup in it's tank. Feed in the late evening and leave the pinky in over night. It will probably eat within a couple of hours.

Update on Feeding

Well, I tried to feed last night. I had a little more of a succesful attempt. Unfortunately, the snake regurgitated all of the food. Here is what I did:

Earlier in the week, I contacted the breeder who I purchased the sanke from, and he informed me that I should be placing the the sanke in its water bowl each day, to make sure she is not de-hydrated. He said he was doing this with all of his snakes. I did that, and the snake seemed to drink each time.

However, by doing this, I think I stressed the snake out, causing the re-gurge. I'm going to leave her alone and not do the water thing this time. I'll try to feed her again on Wednesday.

Does this sound like an acceptable amount of time, or should I wait longer?

FYI. the surface temperature has fluctuated between 79 degrees and 84 degrees. I fed her by placing 2 F/T pinkies in a deli cup and her inside the cup wth the lid on, and then palced the cup in the tank.

Thanks for all your input.

Dave

Never dunked a snake, personally. I'd stop this practice immediately. If the snake is thirsty or dehydrated it will soak in the bowl. Snakes aren't like lizards, requiring misting or "moisture injection assistance".

Never, never, never handle your snake for 2-3 days after feeding. This is likely what caused the regurge. Once they eat, gently pour them out of the deli cup onto the surface of their regular enclosure.

I would wait at least 7 days before attempting to feed again. Regurges are hard on the snake and they will need some time to recover from this act.

Thanks for the reply. Actually, I did not handle her after she ate. When I got up this morning to see if she ate, I noticed what I think was a re-gurge. I just opened the lid, and she then slid out. I will not handle her at all this week. Hopefully by next weekend she will keep down the food. Also, was dropping in 2 pinkies too much? Should I only put in 1?

Thanks again.

Sorry if I misread the post. I thought you fed and then dunked.

I always start with one pink every 3-4 days and then work up to two. I tend to keep my hatchling temps around 83. Temps play a keep role in digestion, so if it is too low then the food item will not fully digest and can be expelled.

Follow-Up

Good news! She finally ate! I fed her one f/t pinky yesterday afternoon, and by 7:00 it was gone. No re-gurge as of this morning. I followed your advice, and did not handle her at all this week (just opened her tank to change water). Since I only fed her 1 pinky, and she is now about 9 weeks old, should I feed her again on Thursday, 1 pinky, or wait until Sunday and try 2. (The last time I tried 2 she re-gurged).

Thanks again for all your help,
Dave

I personally feed hatchlings 2x/week (3-4 days). After they are established on this schedule, I move them to 2 pinkies 2x/week. The 2x2 plan doesn't take long before the snake is ready for fuzzies.

i would wait a few days just to make sure she/he keep the food in...then try one more...and keep her on that sceldule for a few weeks...better one each time than two and regurge...
mariska