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live pinkies

W

wliob

New member
Hey guys I'm new. Nice to meet everyone. I got just afew questions. But first does anyone kknow if this site has a sreach botton because I don't want to keep asking the same questions if they were asnwered already. Anyway. My question is which is better health wise for a baby snake I plan to get at a expo at the end of the month. Feeding it live pinkes and maybe fussies untill it gets old enuff to take something bigger then change to pre killed or frozen that way they can get a lot of protiens and stuff that some time die out when you hfreeze something for too long...... or does it not matter with cornn snakes and I should just feed it frozen from the time I get it...

Another thing is does any1 know any about afican soft hair rats. I heard those pinkies might be better for snakes. Is that right or wrong. Thanks everyone
 
Yes, there is a search function. In each major forum you will see a red header bar saying "threads in this forum" on the left... and "tools" and "search this forum" on the right.

While pinkies and fuzzies are least likely to harm your snake, it's still better to feed F/T as soon as possible. It makes sure the snake is used to it, is more humane to the mice, and is not as hard on your wallet. You also don't run the risk of stores near you being out of mice the size you need.
 
The Af. Soft-Fur shouldn't be necessary for your Corn. They're mostly used for picky eaters. Most Corns are well domesticated, eat Frozen/Thawed readily. (That said, if you DO have a picky eater, the ASF may do the trick, but then you're stuck with the myriad problems of ASFs.) ASFs are a pain, and to be avoided if at all possible.

The huge likelihood is that your new baby Corn will be just fine. Relax and enjoy it!
 
I'd recommend feeding frozen thawed pinky mice right from the start. You can pretty much be assured that if you are buying this snake at a reptile expo, it is already an established feeder on frozen thawed prey, but I would make sure to ask the vendor for this verification. Problems may occur later if you start the snake off on live prey and then try to switch it over to frozen thawed.
 
Shiari said:
While pinkies and fuzzies are least likely to harm your snake, it's still better to feed F/T as soon as possible. It makes sure the snake is used to it, is more humane to the mice, and is not as hard on your wallet. You also don't run the risk of stores near you being out of mice the size you need.
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What she said......

As far as ASF. They are great. But I only use them to get non-feeders to eat, or to fatten up a baby. I also use them for my adult snakes after BUrmation and after laying. (It also helps that I raise my own, and do not have to pay 2-3 bucks for one meal). I have had only good results when using ASF.
 
ASF Husbandry

When raising them, do you find them difficult to deal with, in terms of chewing, scent, nervous energy, etc.?

Buzzard said:
What she said......

As far as ASF. They are great. But I only use them to get non-feeders to eat, or to fatten up a baby. I also use them for my adult snakes after BUrmation and after laying. (It also helps that I raise my own, and do not have to pay 2-3 bucks for one meal). I have had only good results when using ASF.
Click to expand...
 
Hey guys thanks for all the replys.. I guess I will feed it frozen. Do many of you guys feed in a different space than it lives in....

The frozen works out better for me anyway.. because I can get frozen pinkies and bigger from work... I work at petco. ...
 
Another benefit to frozen thawed is that freezing kills most bacteria and parasites that the mice may have in their guts.
 
Asbit said:
Another benefit to frozen thawed is that freezing kills most bacteria and parasites that the mice may have in their guts.
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I more or less disagree with that statement. Bacteria can survive extreme temperatures, and parasite eggs can also survive freezing. An example is that this is why we wash our hands after handling raw chicken, even though it has been frozen, salmonella can still be present. Pork should be cooked thoroughly, as parasites can still be present. I think it's best to always be vigilant to take notice of anything abnormal going on with your snakes, i.e. change in fecal consistancy, lethargy, weight loss etc, as it can be the result of something from its food source, which can include frozen prey items.
 
feeding in another container

I always feed them in a different container, for a number of reasons. The most often cited is that it removes the association with feeding. More accurately, it removes the association with STRIKING, as they know that the hand coming in isn't food. That doesn't mean they don't still know food's coming, but your hand itself isn't food... and they probably do welcome your arrival.

Then there's knowing for certain that they've eaten (rather than it getting lost in the substrate...

and, if you house more than one together, knowing that they have ALL eaten.

It's easy to clean the tubs... gives me a chance to have to take the snake out and notice any potential problem.... So yes... feed in a different container.:)

wliob said:
Hey guys thanks for all the replys.. I guess I will feed it frozen. Do many of you guys feed in a different space than it lives in....
Click to expand...
 
Toubab said:
When raising them, do you find them difficult to deal with, in terms of chewing, scent, nervous energy, etc.?
Click to expand...


No actually I can handle a few of mine. The others rather bite the $&^%$ out of me. I have each colony in a monster tub. If you supply them things to do, they dont tend to chew near as much. I Make little wooden homes for them, they rather chew on them also Wheels. Let me say it again, Wheels are an ASF's best friend. The scent hasnt been bad at all.( I have a shed out back which I raise them in so I can not compare smell of what it would be inside a house) Mice tend to smell really bad in comparison.

Be careful co-habbing, People on this site will blast you. Cornsnakes are solitary animals by nature. And it is not recommended that you co-hab. There have been several incidents were a snake ate the other. Also if one get sick the chances might be good for the other to get sick, also if you do not want to breed you might get unwanted eggs, not to mention young females getting complications(mostly egg binding) from breeding to early. Its so easy to use a plastic tub to house each snake 4-6 bucks at the Wal-mart. If you do co-habb (which I know a few that do) just be careful and look for stress like not eating normal/regurges, striking, ect... Personally I dont do it, to much at risk...

I do the same as far as feeding in a seperate container. My reasoning has nothing to do with association feeding behavior. I like it because it gives me a chance to do a look over of the snake, clean the enclosure, water ect...
 
Co-Habitating

I do it with youngsters. Mine either find their own hides, or sometimes they're curled up side-by-side. As they get older, like most things, they become solitary. There again, less reason for concern if they're kept well fed and are always fed in a different container. When I see them prowling at all, I know it's time for food. I suppose it COULD happen, but I like seeing a few of them. Most breeders are in tubs much of the year. Gotta get some beauty out of having them, no?:)
 
how much times a week do you guys feed your baby corn's? and do you just put some small holes in the top of the lid when you feed in a different place and leave the snake be?
 
wliob said:
how much times a week do you guys feed your baby corn's? and do you just put some small holes in the top of the lid when you feed in a different place and leave the snake be?
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I'm feeding Attitude every 5 days. I have a small deli cup type box with small holes I feed in, and I just leave Attitude alone. S/he will keep cobra-ing until I walk away, then settles down to eat. After the lump is well into the body, I lift the deli cup back into the viv, take the lid off the deli cup & leave for a few minutes to let Attitude get out of the deli cup.

I'm doing the same thing with a bigger plastic box with Humphrey & Icabod.
 
I put the pinkies/fuzzies in deli cups, and place the deli cups in their viv bins. Sometimes, some individual baby snakes need to be put in the deli cup, and have the lid put on it, but this is a rare exception, not my general rule. I also find that sometimes the snakelets like to remain in the feeding cup for a few days afterwards. I leave them alone until they decide to move elsewhere. Again, there are 3 exceptions, where the snakes just hang out inthe feeding cup all the time. Some of them go hide beneath the deli cups, and if it's still relatively clean, I leave them be, I guess they feel secure there. When it's time to feed them all again, I give them clean feeding containers. For the adults, I typically feed them in a separate container.
As for frozen or live, I try to get them all on frozen from the get-go. But sometimes some will not feed, so I get a handful of pinkies from a local fellow who produces mice for petshops. Sometimes it takes a few live pinkies scented with frozen ones before they make the changeover, or put a frozen and a live pinkie together in the feeding cup.

This is what works for me. Individual results will vary~

dp
 
wliob said:
how much times a week do you guys feed your baby corn's? and do you just put some small holes in the top of the lid when you feed in a different place and leave the snake be?
Click to expand...


My 09's get feed every 4-5 days as long as they have pooped. I place babies in there deli cups, the pinkie is usually already in it. This is so I dont have to fight a baby snake while reaching for pinkies. snake eats, I wait, about 5 min after it goes down, then return him/her to the enclosure.

I would get a glad tupperware dish(the disposable ones). Pop about 6-8 holes around the sides and 4-6 holes on top. Easily washable, disposable, cheap, and come in a wide range of sizes(as the snake grows), also readily available.
 
I'm with Buzzard, I found from experience that if you wait 6-7 days the babies are growing so fast that they are not getting enough and can become skinny( get that triangle look to them ...see their back bone).
 
Hey guys does any1 know how long you can keep frozen pinkies in the freezer. Because when I go to the repitle expo at the end of the month to get my corn I would of bought maybe a bag of 20 pinkies or something from the people there. Because since even though I work at petco.. I do not trust their mice.. or pinkies..I often find them to be bigger than they should be. And I just plan old don't trust them.... and I would also not like to buy 1 pinkie every week for 2.99..
 
It depends on how you keep them. I have double bagged them in ziploc then put them in a small plastic container and had them last 2 mths. As well I have a foodsaver vacuum sealer and if I do that then they can last 2-3 yrs with out freezer burn. A little freezer burn won't hurt the snake though, although I would not feed a totally freezer burnt mouse.
 
2.99!!! Now I know why I raise my own rodents
I found it useful(not nessary) to purchase a vacuum sealer. I get a good 4-6 months sometimes longer when I vacuum them(if they last that long, hungry buggers). It is espically helpful starting in March, when I start gearing up for pinkie production for hatchlings in June, July, and Aug.

But like Asbit stated just bag them with as little air as possible, even Double bag them they should last a month or two.

What really might help, is to find a local breeder of mice and/ or local herp club. The clubs usually have a member that breeds feeders and you can get them pretty cheap, and from hopefully someone you trust. I use to pick mine up at the club meeting in Tampa. Now since I moved into BFE it is more affordable to raise my own.
 
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