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Health Issues/Feeding Problems Anything related to general or specific health problems. Issues having to do with feeding problems or tips.

Update On Feeding Live
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Old 04-03-2005, 01:46 AM   #1
Bug22baby
Thumbs up Update On Feeding Live

Once again I would like to say thanks to everyone who gives there thoughts and opinions, it really helps even if your not a expert. I recently posted a question about feeding live to snakes that have only ate pre killed frozen mice. After getting many positive feedback I decided to go to the pet store and see what they had. I havent been there in a long time since they never use to have anything useful to me. Well this time I found that they now sell live hopper mice. So I decided what the heck and purchased a hopper live mouse which I would classify as a fuzzy more than a hopper they were on the small side. Anyhow I brought it home and tested him out with my snake that had refused to eat for 2 months. None of my snakes have ever at live so I wasnt sure how it would react. Well I put him in his feeding box and stuck the live mouse in there. He looked it over and really didnt seem to give a dang that it was food until it started walking all over the snake and he was not happy he then grabbed it in his mouth and wiggled him around and eventully ate it the whole time the mouse was stil moving. Well between me and my roomate we were both staring the whole time just amazed over this... even though Ive saw him eat a million mice before lol.... Well now I know many people know what its like to see a live mouse get ate. But I did have a question in all this.
When feeding live are corn snakes suppose to suffocate it like a constricter? Mine just bit it and ate it, did a lil wrapping but ate the thing pretty much while it was still alive.
While feeding in general, is it recommended that you feed multiple smallar meals or one larger mouse? I have gotten contridicting opinions from breeders I know, none of them are corn breeders though. I ask this because I have a bunch of fuzzy and pinkie mice left. All my snakes are on fuzzies with 2 of them being able to move up to a larger mouse like a hopper.
Anyone think I should continue feeding 1-2 fuzzies every 5-7 days or think I should order larger ones and move them up to hoppers? After feeding my largest the hopper he did seem to be looking for more.
Last question, how do u guys judge when to move up on a new sized mouse? I have had these corns for a year now and I am still learning alot, two of them have grown nice and big where the others are lacking in size, just wondering if maybe its because Im not feeding large enough mice. I just get nervouse when giving them larger meals, afraid they just will be too big.
 
Old 04-03-2005, 05:32 AM   #2
princess
I'm guessing your snake is an '04 baby from the size food he's taking.

A good rule of thumb is when the food item only leaves a very small bulge in the stomach area, then you can move up a size. Usually I start by offering 2 of the smaller size at each feed for a couple of feeds before moving up to the next size mouse.

To pick the right sized mouse to move up to, look carefully at the diameter of your snake at it's broadest point, I use one of my own fingers as a guage (as fat as my pinky, as fat as my thumb knuckle, etc) and then go to the freezer and pick out a mouse that's about 50% bigger(in circumference/diameter) than the 'guage'.

The snake will struggle a little more to get the bigger food item down but don't worry, nature has equiped corns to handle this. Once you've moved onto the bigger item, you have to be aware that it takes a little more effort to digest this object (surface area to volume ratio has changed) and the little guy should be left alone just a little while longer than usual to digest.

Good luck with the little guy,
Adèle
 
Old 04-03-2005, 05:41 AM   #3
princess
Just some after thoughts. If the snake that refused to eat for 2 months is a male and you have females in the same room, he could just be off his food cos he's horny!!! Even if he's not sexually mature, he'll probably still react to the pheremones int he air.

I was a little slow to move up sizes too for fear of hurting my snakes...you get over it eventually! They can handle a helluve-lot...that doesn't mean you should go for more than the '50% bigger than the snake' rule...this is a standard that is tried and true and is for your snakes benefit.

If your snakes are in fact older than I think (I'm assuming they were born last summer) then you could deffinately move up a bit in size. You hear cases of 3-4 year old snakes still on fuzzies, but it's not beneficial to the snake, they're better off with a proper sized food item.

The snake can tell if the prey is not a threat to his own safety, so often enough if you feed live (which I've never done) and the snake knows the mouse has teeth and claws too small to do anything, he'll just swallow the kicking screaming poor little thing...I hear it's particularly horrible when they chose to eat it butt first...urgh. OK so sometimes you have to do what you have to do to kick start a troublesome eater...but please stick to frozen if you can -IMHO.
 
Old 04-03-2005, 12:16 PM   #4
Bug22baby
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Thanks Princess, I am planning to stick to frozen mice, I tryed live because my snake hadn't ate in 2 months and I was seeing if trying live would do the trick. It appears that my snake is back to normal. Im not positive on the gender of my snake I was told before that it was female but Im thinking that he may actully be male, after appearing to be "In the Mood" for 2 months. Im unknown to his age as well but I got alot of feedback saying hes probley a 2003, I got him in 2004 but he was given to me and I had no idea on age or gender just that he was much bigger than my 04 babies. But as far as food goes for my snakes, I think Im gonna order some new food next week. Get some bigger mice in the freezer and offer slightly larger food. I to agree to stay on pre killed mice, I was terrified that the lil mouse that didnt even have his eyes open would flip out and bite my snake. Thankfully my snake did eat head first, but I do have corns that eat frozen mice tail first or even from the side. I dont think there mother taught them any mice eating manners. Thanks Again for your Help Amanda...
 

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