I guess I got some bad pet store advice when the fellow told me to put crickets in my new baby's cage. He seemed so small to eat a pinkie. When i offered him one he just took a small bite. He definately ate the crickets but now 2 days later he is dead. I only had him 10 days. The snake was a little boys pet too and I am afraid to try again. Are these snakes fragile and difficult to keep?
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Baby Corn Died Eating Crickets
- Thread starter azeil
- Start date
jazzgeek
The Rule Of Thirds.
Don't be. You definitely got bad advice. Corn snakes are not insectivores, and don't have the ability to digest the chitinous exoskeletons of crickets.azeil said:
I'd take the snake back to the pet store, inform the manager of the employee AND the incorrect advice given, and demand a replacement.
Corns are probably the most popular snake in the pet trade because of the husbandry "latitude" they provide.
Sorry for your loss. Know that it's not your fault, given the wrong information you were received.
regards,
jazz
dgustafson
New member
They are not at all hard to keep...I am fairly new to owning snakes and i have 2 and so far I have had no problems at all...If you do a search on this site you will learn that crickets are not a good food source for corn snakes at all..I have a young snake too, and a pinkie looked to big for it to take but she proved me wrong..she took it down with little problem..Yours might have needed longer alone with the pinkie to eat it..But they are definitely not very hard to take care of and alot of fun..You should definitely give it another try. 
Penman6668
Dr. Jan Itor
Welcome to the site!!!!!!!! There are a lot of great people here. Everybody is always willing to help.
Be sure to read the FAQ section in the forums. They answer a lot of questions. There is a search feature that answers many questions also.
Also read Kathy Love's Book.
Be sure to read the FAQ section in the forums. They answer a lot of questions. There is a search feature that answers many questions also.
Also read Kathy Love's Book.
I´m guessing that if you made already the decision of getting a snake you have at least the basic thing for taking care of it, so yes I will try it again now that you´ll have a little bit more of advise here, corns are easy and they can go awhile without food, so if you need to go out for some reason you don't have to worry about it, well that is what I probably will do and some research it´s good, at least I love to read all the treads that I can!
gwb8568
\../ 80's Rock \../
azeil said:
i don't ever recall seeing corn slide over to a mouse and just take "a bite". do you mean he tried to bite it and then let go, or did he just take off like a piece of the pinky. :shrugs:
azeil said:
sorry for your youngsters loss (and you), but if you will read on it a little more before going into your next purchase, it will help you tremendously when you finally bring the little one home. plus, you will be able to do the pet store guys job better than him (alot of them are idiots, just depends on the store owners and management who they allow to work and how much they care about the industry). the above posts are good info, also check out the link in my signature.
keep us updated.
simple_minded
New member
I'm so sorry for your loss. I remember another thread a while back about feeding crickets to snakes, and we just speculated that corns won't eat them. I know it's a terrible loss for you, but it's kind of interesting to know that corn snakes will actually eat crickets (which is really surprising to me).
Don't give up! now that you know more about how to take care of a corn snake, I'm sure the next one will be a wonderful experience for you and your little boy.
Don't give up! now that you know more about how to take care of a corn snake, I'm sure the next one will be a wonderful experience for you and your little boy.
Cully
New member
Poor thing
Definitely bring the snake back to the shop and mention the bad advice given... I listen to store owners aswell, but I usually double-check online to make sure.....
You should definitely try again... maybe don't buy a very young snake... try to get a 2month or older one (maybe you did already).
Definitely bring the snake back to the shop and mention the bad advice given... I listen to store owners aswell, but I usually double-check online to make sure.....
You should definitely try again... maybe don't buy a very young snake... try to get a 2month or older one (maybe you did already).
NI GUY
Sci from N.I.
They are one of the easiest in the hobby to keep.Get this book before you buy your next one and buy of a breeder rather than a pet shop.
Corn Snakes : The Comprehensive Owner's Guide
http://www.cornutopia.com/Corn Utop...TS herp Cornutopia corn snakes cornsnakes.htm
Corn Snakes : The Comprehensive Owner's Guide
http://www.cornutopia.com/Corn Utop...TS herp Cornutopia corn snakes cornsnakes.htm
jaric
New member
Like everyone here, sorry to hear about the loss.
While I am still a noob regarding these animals, I definitly have some experiance with keeping a variety of animals and let me offer this advice.
Spend at least a few weeks doing research on not only how to care for the animal in question, but also getting a "care plan," worked out so that you will have as few suprises as possible. It will save you money, and more importantly, heartache in the long run.
This site here seems to be a great resource for info, but don't be afraid to spend 20$ and buy a few books on the subject. The corn snake owners guide (the book that the poster above me linked you) seems to be the one that everyone recommends here.
Also, never listen to the pet store. Most pets stores do not have the capital to properly train their employees, and the turnover rate in those store is so high, that if you do get someone trained properly they usually leave in 6 months.
I have over heard so much bad advice regarding fish set ups (yes you can keep a pacu [a fish that is so big it can usually only be kept in zoo's] in a 10 gallon aquarium) that I do not trust one word they tell me.
While I am still a noob regarding these animals, I definitly have some experiance with keeping a variety of animals and let me offer this advice.
Spend at least a few weeks doing research on not only how to care for the animal in question, but also getting a "care plan," worked out so that you will have as few suprises as possible. It will save you money, and more importantly, heartache in the long run.
This site here seems to be a great resource for info, but don't be afraid to spend 20$ and buy a few books on the subject. The corn snake owners guide (the book that the poster above me linked you) seems to be the one that everyone recommends here.
Also, never listen to the pet store. Most pets stores do not have the capital to properly train their employees, and the turnover rate in those store is so high, that if you do get someone trained properly they usually leave in 6 months.
I have over heard so much bad advice regarding fish set ups (yes you can keep a pacu [a fish that is so big it can usually only be kept in zoo's] in a 10 gallon aquarium) that I do not trust one word they tell me.
applejacks
New member
Don't feel bad. I was given the same bad advice. THe lady told me at the petstore that she fed him three crickets every other day. When i got home and tried, he completely ignored them, letting them jump all over him.
I knew that wasnt right, so I went out and bought pinkies. Not before asking the people at this site (who might I add jumped all over my case for even trying the crickets. Good thing the people who answered your post are a little nicer).
Good luck with your next one.
I knew that wasnt right, so I went out and bought pinkies. Not before asking the people at this site (who might I add jumped all over my case for even trying the crickets. Good thing the people who answered your post are a little nicer).
Good luck with your next one.
tam&biff
New member
So sorry to hear of your loss, some real bad advice from the pet shop indeed, please listen to the guys on this forum thay really know what there talking about, don't forget to search the forums and I'm sure you will find all you need to know but dint give up on a corn snake there great animals and kids love them..
good luck
tam....
good luck
tam....
joepythons
New member
people
Now that is some really stupid info that pet store employee gave you point blank. :eek1: When ever you want to know the truth about corn snakes ask the members here.
Now that is some really stupid info that pet store employee gave you point blank. :eek1: When ever you want to know the truth about corn snakes ask the members here.
Tyger9791
Animal Care Specialist
wow i'm surprised the snake even ate the crickets!
i've overheard pet store employees telling people to feed hatchling snakes crickets. they think that all reptiles eat crickets i guess...and dont worry about the pink being too big, just about every hatchling can down a pink. one pink every 4-5 days should be sufficient to begin with. you might want to let your new replacement snake settle in for a day or two before trying to feed him. they usually get stressed when placed in a new environment and wont eat at first.
when i got my first CA wood turtle, the guy i bought him from said to feed him crickets and a variety of greens. so i went to the pet store on the way home and bought him crickets. he didnt touch the crickets. so i did some research and found out that they eat pinks and nightcrawlers and veggies.
we've all gotten bad advice before...dont sweat it. just do research and definitely get Kathy Love's book about corns. corns are quite easy to care for.
i've overheard pet store employees telling people to feed hatchling snakes crickets. they think that all reptiles eat crickets i guess...and dont worry about the pink being too big, just about every hatchling can down a pink. one pink every 4-5 days should be sufficient to begin with. you might want to let your new replacement snake settle in for a day or two before trying to feed him. they usually get stressed when placed in a new environment and wont eat at first.
when i got my first CA wood turtle, the guy i bought him from said to feed him crickets and a variety of greens. so i went to the pet store on the way home and bought him crickets. he didnt touch the crickets. so i did some research and found out that they eat pinks and nightcrawlers and veggies.
we've all gotten bad advice before...dont sweat it. just do research and definitely get Kathy Love's book about corns. corns are quite easy to care for.
jaxom1957
No one can own just one
The issue isn't as black and white as most people think: The Guide to Owning a Cornsnake by Jerry G. Walls, T.F.H. Publications, Inc.Tyger9791 said:
"Although the Red Rat Snake feeds on a variety of prey animals, ranging from frogs and lizards (and even insects) when young to rodents, bats, and birds when adults, your Corn Snake does not need much variety at all."
Caring for Corn Snakes by Melissa Kaplan http://www.anapsid.org/corn.html
"While the Elaphes feed on everything ranging from fish to frogs to rodents to mammals, wild Corns start off feeding on small invertebrates and vertebrates, such as crickets. "
Wild hatchling corn snakes will eat what they can get, including crickets, worms and grubs. That doesn't mean those are a healthy diet, but they do provide protein that allows the neonate to get strong enough to catch better quality prey. I doubt that a cricket has enough nutritional value, especially one not gut loaded, to maintain a corn snake, but a pet store owner who doesn't know that corn snakes are ratters probably doesn't understand gut loading much better.