Help guys, feed in the tank or out ?

Sorry to be a pain guys, I am getting confused , which don't take a lot.... be nice !! should I feed my 4-month-old corn snake (Orlando) in the tank or out of the tank in a box? what's your best advice and view's. Thanks for your time, your a great friendly bunch and appreciate this.

I feed mine in a shoe box sized Tupperware with a paper towel in it. Since the second time I put him there he got in striking mode and took the pinky right away. The first time he kept trying to get out. Now it's like he waits for the food to come to him now and when he gets it down he comes over the top and I just put him right back in his home. I really recommend a separate feeding box.


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I feed in a Tupperware container with holes that I line with a single layer of paper towels. It gives me a chance to clean thru the viv, get a weight, prevents ingesting the bedding. When they go into the Tupperware, they know it's dinner time. Also, if the mouse is going to ooze... I don't want that in the viv. And one of my corns is a shy eater. She never strikes, she noses it for about 10 minutes before eating it, and won't even nose it unless I cover the container with a bath towel. They all have their own unique ways... Lol

Hi!

When it comes to the old "in or out" debate, I am of the external cohort, preferring to feed my sneaky ones in a tub which is separate from their housing. While there are many pros & cons, I actually began this habit because I used to cohab my adult corns. I learned the hard way that if one finishes eating before the other, that one can actually become a potential meal for another, as Lilly once grabbed onto a mouse halfway into Bozo's mouth and by the time I noticed, Bozo's entire head - mouse and all! - had to be extracted from Lilly's throat! :madeuce:

A close call to say the least!! (This was when they were all a year old and Lilly grew faster than the males for some reason, though they are about two feet longer than her at 8 years old).

Now that they are all living separately (thanx to the suggestions of those on this forum), I have maintained my habit of feeding them all, including my yearling, Ozzy, outside of their regular enclosures. It prevents any mess a mouse will leave behind, prevents a snake from swallowing substrate, ensures I SEE whether or not the meal is actually swallowed, and allows me to weigh my critters prior to their meals and spot-clean their tanks at the same time.

There may be other reasons that it's better, but it's Saturday on a holiday weekend and right now it would probably take me an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes!

Just sayin.

Ok that's great guys and makes a lot of sense when you hear it all. I just worried that when I pick him up to put him back I would stress him out and he would regurgitate the meal. How soon do you guys put them back into the tank after they have fed and how long should he be in the feeding box ? Thanks guys will try this tomoz night. Hope your all having a great weekend.

Length of time depends on what I'm doing. Gypsy, the shy eater goes into her eatery first because she takes a good hour to actually eat... The rest,!its the difference between spot cleaning or thorough cleaning the vivs, if I mop the floor, or if it's just a quick meal time. The shortest time has been about 10 minutes, the longest a few hours. They don't really care. Taking them out is easy. For front loading vivs, I put the lip of the Tupperware up to the opening and lift up the snake's front end and he slides in on his own. For top loading vivs, I just put the Tupperware into the tank and tip it slightly and the snake slides out. It's very easy.:cheers:

I feed mine is plastic tubs with kitchen towel on the bottom. They are so used to is that as soon as they are in the tubs they instantly start prowling around looking for food. To return them to their vivs I simply place the tubs in the vivs, with the lids removed of course, and in time they leave and hide in their favourite post meal location. I can then simply remove the plastic tubs.

One snake leaves the tubs within seconds of returning them to the viv, the other hangs around, often for 10 - 15 minutes. I think he's the greedy one waiting for more food!

That's great thanks guys and a lot of help. I will do the feeding this way it's seems to make sense and feels a less stressful way for the snake. Thanks your all stars. I would be lost without this group.

AsherMeekins said:

I would be lost without this group.

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Ditto! :grin01:

Ok I am feeling on edge as I am going to attempt to feed my snake in a feeding tub tonight. Urgh I am so worried about doing it this way but know it's the best way. Anyone know or recommend how long I should leave him in there. I am like a mother hen I really should get a grip. I wonder if I am just worrying to much. I worry about the temperature in the tank the humidity the hides one in the cool and one in the warm it never ends. Someone put my mind at peace please. Lol

The LEAST amount of time all depends on how quickly the snake grabs and swallows the mouse. Don't move him until the mouse lump has moved into his stomach, which takes about 10 minutes. If you are worried, and your Tupperware is escape-proof and has a bit of ventilation, you can leave him in there for 30 minutes or more. Gypsy is a very slow eater. It takes her at lead that long, and I cover the container with a towel, or she won't eat at all. Everyone else is there for business.

Ok thanks for that I will remember that.

Wow guys thank you thank you thank you. I took you guys advice and like text book I put him in the eating box and after 5 mins Hecate the pinki. I am over the moon that this works. I put the box into his tank with out touching him so he could climb out and go and burrow to digest his dinner. The house was in complete silence while he ate it. Fantastic. Now to master the humidity. Any tips guys. Thanks again. This cornsnake group is worth its weight in gold. Your the best guys Thanks

He ate not Hecate !!! Sorry just to excited ha ha

AsherMeekins said:

This cornsnake group is worth its weight in gold. Your the best guys Thanks

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You SAID it!! I would DEFINITELY LOVE to take a Jacuzzi with like EVERYBODY in this ENTIRE forum!!

If it were NOT for this forum, I probably wouldn't have had a clutch which bore three hatchlings last summer and increased my chances for THIS year, as Lilly recently laid what appears to be 19 good eggs! I also would have continued to cohab my 3 adult corns because of the misinformation that is just rampant outside of this group of experienced and knowledgeable herpetologists, herpeculturists, and plain, old cornsnake lovers!!!

I am SOOO glad we found each other!!!

BTW

Glad your little sneaky one ate outside of his or her regular enclosure! (I also got excited, as I tend to get!).

But it also should illustrate that sometimes we (I include myself in this also!) just need to chill and be patient. I think it speaks to just how much we love our snakes that we tend to worry so much but that it can also be counterproductive. After all, the healthier & happier WE are, the better off our little sneaky ones will BE, no? When something threatens the well-being of my snakes, I become as nervous as the owner of port-a-potty at a biker's rally, ya know?

Patience is a virtue.

Just sayin'.

AsherMeekins said:

Now to master the humidity.

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First, breathe!

No, seriously. Corn Snakes are tough and very forgiving of most of the mistakes new hobbyists make. Short of freezing, cooking or starving it to death (which I am absolutely certain you are not doing any of those things) there IS room to make mistakes and learn from them. So breathe. It will be okay.

As for the humidity, I went looking and couldn't find anywhere you mentioned what your humidity was. The obvious question now is: What is your humidity?

Thanks guys. Yes I know I do get a bit over the top as this is all new to me and want to get it right for my snake. Who is called Orlando and is a 4 month old male. Um I don't know the humidity ?? Ooohhhh how can I do that I saw some stick on disc things but thought they was for bigger snakes in the store. Should I get one.

You can get one if you want, the digital ones are generally more accurate.

Usually, unless you live in a desert (are there deserts in the UK?), underwater or are using a heat lamp ambient humidity is fine. I just went and checked your current weather and if weather.com is correct you are sitting at about 85% humidity outside. If you aren't drying the air out somehow and your substrate is dry your snake will be fine.

If you heat your home (and I would imagine you do) when it starts to get cold again then you might want to be paying more attention to humidity. Again though, corns are tough. In the wild they exist in pretty much all ranges of humidity and they do okay. It is only a problem if the enclosure is always damp (hard to do unless you are misting the substrate) or if the snake has bad sheds. Time will tell on that one (so don't stress about it! )and there are many things you can do to help if and when the time comes.

The ideal relative humidity for a corn snake is in the 40 to 60% range. You can increase the humidity by increasing the size if the water dish. If that doesn't do it you can provide a humid hide. In the winter here when the house gets down to 20 to 25% I use a personal humidifier like the ones for nurseries or sick rooms to increase the humidity of the whole room for myself and my snakes. I also cover part of the screen tops with towels to hold the humidity in (make sure there is still airflow). When it gets very dry I lightly mist the towels a couple of times a day.

I don't like misting the substrate. I think it can lead to mold and respiratory problems unless done with very great care.

While digital hygrometers can be nice, analog ones are fine. I use analogs in my vivs, but I have a digital one to check them against. Nobody needs to adjust humidity down to single digits. Just like thermometers, you need to check your hygrometers against a known good one.

As to stick on, I remove the sticky and hot glue on instead. Sticky or any kind of tape and snakes do not mix. You can remove hot glued ones when needed using a razor blade. (Snake in a safe holding container when doing this)

Last but not least, congrats on the feeding success!