where to feed???

[DAYWALKER-IRL]

hey guys im getting a corn snake soon and i have a few questions....... do i need to remove my corn snake from his cage when i am feeding him??? and what is a good way to gauge the size of the mouse your corn can eat???



thanks in advance

[ZoologyGirl]

generally I feed a mouse that is roughly 1 to 1.5 times the girth of my snake. No more than that.

You can feed in their cage, but if you use some sort of particled substrate (like aspen, or similar) I'd avoid feeding directly in the cage. I have seperate feeding bins...just smaller rubbermaid style bins. On feeding day I put the snake in their, without any substrate, and feed them. This also allows me a good opportunity to do any cleaning to the cage that might need to be done.

[bitsy]

Some feed inside the tank, some in a separate container - there are pros and cons to each option and no "hard and fast" rules.

Use the Search option on this board to find the "Munson Plan", which gives a great set of guidelines for telling what size mouse to feed and when to move to the next size. As a general guide, the food you offer should be one and a half times wider than the snake's body (not its head, or the neck immediately behind the head) and should leave a visible lump in the snake for around 48 hours after eating. When the Corn reaches adult mice, it will stay on these for the rest of its life.

[gabegt]

I prefer to use feeding bins. I don't want my snake to think it's feeding time when i open her cage and stick my hand in there...

This also allows me a good opportunity to do any cleaning to the cage that might need to be done.

I agree with this 100% I don't like messing around in my snakes cage while she is in there. Just adds unnecessary stress.

[bfreewally1]

live bins are good. although I`ve had a corn for 3 yrs and I just drop the mouse in the cage and boom its gone with no substrate or nothing left.
my wildcaught one is just same You decide..One grow longer and the other grows fatter. Go figure...

[1TimeMoM]

I feed whiskey in a seperate container.. I think it would be easy for them to confuse a finger to a pinky.. I also dont touch the pinky with my hand dont want my scent on it or its scent on me...

[DAYWALKER-IRL]

thanks guys also read you cant touch the corn after you feed it..... so if i was feeding it in a different container how long would i have to leave the corn ther before i move it back into its cage???

[gabegt]

I was wondering about this as well... Last time i left her in her feeding container for a good 2 hours... She seemed a bit finicky, but once was in her viv she was alright.

[Lennycorn]

thanks guys also read you cant touch the corn after you feed it..... so if i was feeding it in a different container how long would i have to leave the corn ther before i move it back into its cage???

You can touch your snake!! Just can't handle it like normal, just enought to pick him up to place back into the viv.
I wait til at least it settles into the snake back half and then or so place it back.

[anadyne]

thanks guys also read you cant touch the corn after you feed it..... so if i was feeding it in a different container how long would i have to leave the corn ther before i move it back into its cage???

I feed in a separate plastic bin with a lid, then remove the lid and put the bin into the cage at an angle so he can slither out and hide in his aspen whenever he's ready.

Though I've also just picked him up and put him back in without any problem. You just don't want to play with him while you're doing it.

[DAYWALKER-IRL]

ok thanks everyone

[ceduke]

I also use feeding bins and I just gently pick the snakes up and bring them home once they're done eating and have had a minute to settle down. I've never had a regurge *knock wood* in the 8 years or so I've been feeding that way, so apparently that ten seconds of gentle handing isn't horribly stressful for them. :)