How long can you leave mouse in cage?

[Moreau]

I have a new corn snake, a three year old female Okeetee. I have had her for a week today. I gave her a mouse today (thawed) and she didn't take it. How long should I leave it in there before it should be removed? How long before it goes bad? I don't have another snake big enough to give it to.

Then what, do I throw it in the garbage? Ew.

 

[Porro]

I think the general rule of thumb is overnight. After that it should be thrown away.

 

[wade]

I leave them in over night. I flush uneaten mice down the toilet.

 

[LBoz]

My adult kings likes to eat his after a long night of cooling and putrifying. Gross. I usually keep his in there for about 30 hours max.

 

[Nanci]

You might have better luck putting her in a feeding container with the mouse. That way, she can't just wander off and forget about it. I really don't leave prey in a viv. I have a couple snakes that have turned into PITA feeders, who prefer to feed in their vivs, but if they don't want to take the mouse from tongs, then they aren't hungry enough. I don't like leaving dead mice laying around in there. Plus, the body can get buried, and you think the snake ate, and then there's the horrible smell a few days later, and you can't tell if it's a regurge or just a burial.

 

[Moreau]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll leave it in there for a while and see what happens. The mouse can't get burried, I use paper towel in her terrarium. If she doesn't eat it overnight I'll try again next week. Thanks again.

 

[LBoz]

You might have better luck putting her in a feeding container with the mouse. That way, she can't just wander off and forget about it. I really don't leave prey in a viv. I have a couple snakes that have turned into PITA feeders, who prefer to feed in their vivs, but if they don't want to take the mouse from tongs, then they aren't hungry enough. I don't like leaving dead mice laying around in there. Plus, the body can get buried, and you think the snake ate, and then there's the horrible smell a few days later, and you can't tell if it's a regurge or just a burial.

That's a really good point, Nanci. I should clarify my own post for the OP...my mouse goes into a bin IN the viv...I don't just leave it in the viv on the substrate or anything, and he's the only one who gets such special treatment. If you can do it like Nanci suggested, you might be better off.

 

[Martyn]

I don't put mine in and leave them I always feed my guys a day late so there that little bit more hungry and I dangle it infront of them and they snap it up. And I feed them on a log so they don't eat the aspin lol

 

[Moreau]

Well she didn't eat it so it got flushed this morning. I'll try again next week.

 

[carnivorouszoo]

I have a new corn snake, a three year old female Okeetee. I have had her for a week today. I gave her a mouse today (thawed) and she didn't take it. How long should I leave it in there before it should be removed? How long before it goes bad? I don't have another snake big enough to give it to.

Then what, do I throw it in the garbage? Ew.

You can leave them overnight, if still there then toss in trash.
What kind of sustrate do you use? It can be risky to feed in the cage as the snake could injest bedding, second (fairly rare with corns) the snake could come to think that your hand will have food in it even when there isn't and take to biting.

 

[carnivorouszoo]

I leave them in over night. I flush uneaten mice down the toilet.

I'm switching to bottled water, I've read how a lot of places just filter their water and not treat it. EW, mouse juice!

 

[Caryl]

You might have better luck putting her in a feeding container with the mouse. That way, she can't just wander off and forget about it. I really don't leave prey in a viv. I have a couple snakes that have turned into PITA feeders, who prefer to feed in their vivs, but if they don't want to take the mouse from tongs, then they aren't hungry enough. I don't like leaving dead mice laying around in there. Plus, the body can get buried, and you think the snake ate, and then there's the horrible smell a few days later, and you can't tell if it's a regurge or just a burial.

What's a PITA feeder? Sorry, don't mean to derail the topic but I haven't heard/seen that one before.

I personally leave mice (in a feeding container w/ snake, in the viv) overnight. There's one little darlin' who always wants her meal cold and congealing..... I love all my snakes but some of their feeding habits are seriously icky! uke01:

Any mice that remain uneaten get put in a baggie in the freezer to be put out with the trash on trash day. Less stinky decomposition that way!

Somebody mentioned feeding unwanted mice to another snake. I have done that in a pinch when it was obvious that the intended feedee wasn't going to eat in pretty short order, such as if I'd thawed the meal before noticing that the snake was going blue. It's important to be careful about offering to one and then feeding another. Be very sure about why there was a food refusal to ensure that you aren't passing on any possible infections that way. Otherwise I'd dispose of unwanted food. It's not worth the risk to the collection just to save the price of an unwanted prey item.

 

[dave partington]

What's a PITA feeder? Sorry, don't mean to derail the topic but I haven't heard/seen that one before.

I personally leave mice (in a feeding container w/ snake, in the viv) overnight. There's one little darlin' who always wants her meal cold and congealing..... I love all my snakes but some of their feeding habits are seriously icky!

Any mice that remain uneaten get put in a baggie in the freezer to be put out with the trash on trash day. Less stinky decomposition that way!

Somebody mentioned feeding unwanted mice to another snake. I have done that in a pinch when it was obvious that the intended feedee wasn't going to eat in pretty short order, such as if I'd thawed the meal before noticing that the snake was going blue. It's important to be careful about offering to one and then feeding another. Be very sure about why there was a food refusal to ensure that you aren't passing on any possible infections that way. Otherwise I'd dispose of unwanted food. It's not worth the risk to the collection just to save the price of an unwanted prey item.

PITA=Pain In The ...
Some snakes are finicky about feeding; what, when, the temperature their food needs to be, the temperature their home needs to be, humidity, etc. Because they are all individuals (not clones), there will be some variety in their habits. With all living organisms, there is no "always" and no "never"; though "rules" are based on normal occurance, not on exceptions. Personally, I have a few Sinaloan Milksnakes which act as my garbage disposal- they consume the leftovers on feeding night. A monitor lizard might make for a good disposal system too, unless you already have a piranha tank going.

It's not worth the risk to the collection just to save the price of an unwanted prey item.

That's worth repeating again.


Regarding leaving food in overnight, it might be okay to do with pinkies, but when the snakes prey items get larger, it is not adviseable if feeding live food. Rodents get hungry too. Some of us have heard of a hungry rodent eating parts of a snake; others of us have had the first-hand tragic experience.

 

[Nanci]

What's a PITA feeder? Sorry, don't mean to derail the topic but I haven't heard/seen that one before.

IIt's important to be careful about offering to one and then feeding another. Be very sure about why there was a food refusal to ensure that you aren't passing on any possible infections that way. Otherwise I'd dispose of unwanted food. It's not worth the risk to the collection just to save the price of an unwanted prey item.

A PITA feeder to me is any snake who doesn't eat at it's scheduled time, quickly and with minimal trouble.

So- my lavender who ate ravenously for a year, then went on a nine month feeding strike, and now will only eat in her viv, only rat fuzzies or pinks, in the evening, if the fuzzy is presented in the appropriate manner which involves the fuzzy retreating from her with a slight rustling of the leaves!

Cali King who previously ate in a feeding bin, no tricks, no problems, who will only eat _mouse_ fuzzies, in the viv, and generally not out of tongs, the fuzzies must be left on the roof of her humid hide.

Huge Florida King who used to eat in a feeding bin but now strikes relentlessly at anything passing by the feeding bin, even if the front of the feeding bin is covered.

I don't consider needing to be covered, or liking rat pups more than similarly-sized mice, or not accepting rats, or needing a single reheat, or needing to be left for an hour or two, undisturbed, in the feeding bin to be PITA; that's just personal preference. It's up to me to figure out the snake's preferred conditions.

I wouldn't re-feed a prey item that's been offered to a snake still in quarantine, or that has been out several hours, but I will re-feed a prey item, after washing in hot running water, among the stabile collection of many years.

 

[wade]

Regarding leaving food in overnight, it might be okay to do with pinkies, but when the snakes prey items get larger, it is not adviseable if feeding live food. Rodents get hungry too. Some of us have heard of a hungry rodent eating parts of a snake; others of us have had the first-hand tragic experience.

Of course nobody would feed live food so that really isn't an issue. Right??

 

[dave partington]

Of course nobody would feed live food so that really isn't an issue. Right??

Assumption is the mother of all messups.

 

[Caryl]

Thanks for the clarification of PITA. That makes perfect sense now that you spell it out.

Yeah, I have a few PITA feeders. And no, I wouldn't leave a live prey item overnight - or ever. I don't feed live.

I hate to say it, but my husband qualifies as a PITA feeder. :sidestep:

 

[Caryl]

I don't consider needing to be covered, or liking rat pups more than similarly-sized mice, or not accepting rats, or needing a single reheat, or needing to be left for an hour or two, undisturbed, in the feeding bin to be PITA; that's just personal preference. It's up to me to figure out the snake's preferred conditions.

Well said. I think a lot of snakes, particularly hatchlings, get classed as problem feeders due to a lack of human understanding. This often results in their actually becoming problem feeders. I know, it's virtually impossible in a huge collection to take the time to figure out what some PITA babies want. That's partly why I doubt that I'll ever have a huge collection!

I wouldn't re-feed a prey item that's been offered to a snake still in quarantine, or that has been out several hours, but I will re-feed a prey item, after washing in hot running water, among the stabile collection of many years.

Me too.