What all can you feed your cornsnake?

Obviously, mice and rats will always work, but with the goal of adding a little variety, what else can be fed to corn snakes?

I've heard mention of Gerbils and Hamsters and seen a couple video's of snakes taking down Parakeets(adult snakes, obviously). Are these viable options?

I've also heard mention of Lizards being a part of some snakes diets. Are they good for Corn Snakes? Any specific type of lizard that would do best?

Thanks for any responses!

Your best bet is to stick with mice and rats. The occasional African Soft-Furred rat is a nice treat every now and then.
I wouldn't recommend lizards. Anoles are just too expensive as feeders, and if you're living in an area where you can catch them, they'll most likely be loaded with parasites.
I've heard of people using birds for corns, but it makes their poo VERY runny and INCREDIBLY stinky. I know some people on here use chicken gizzards and hearts and what-not to get difficult feeders going, but again, it's not recommended for the long haul.

Thanks for the quick reply! Don't get me wrong, I fully plan on feeding my corn snake a mojority mice, but just thought he/she may appreciate some occasional variety in his diet.

I've already got my breeder mice ready to roll. Now I just need my snake!

I've also heard that if you offer things like gerbils,hamsters,etc. you could potentially put them off of their "staple" diet. Just what I heard!

btw, how good/bad are African Soft Furred Rats for Corn Snakes?

And one more question...


does incest not matter when producing feeder colonies? I assumed you couldn't/shouldn't, but it seems like many on here just pair the new babies up together to get another colony going. If you can, I found a lady near by with ASF rats, and I may try to breed some.

Incest does matter when breeding mamals, so try not to do it when keeping a colony.

I've thought about varying my snakes diet, eating the same thing over and over again does seem boring. But in the wild they eat mostly the same thing, plus they grow fine on what they eat so I just go with mice. I thought about dipping them in chicken broth or something for flavor though XD Never actually did it, but I'm not sure they can even taste. >__>

Mice incest, is not a big deal, You can get many generation before incest is a factor in mice. I am not sure about rats.

Originally Posted by VickyChaiTea

Incest does matter when breeding mamals, so try not to do it when keeping a colony.

Don't get all hung up on inbreeding feeder rodents. Your not keeping them for pets or shows. Sadly for them, their sole purpose in life is to become food. So any genetic defects or problems will just turn into poo, in the end.

Wayne

Just a note, I recommend bottled water too. Tap water is usually chlorinated, which kills the natural flora in the snakes stomach, and ends up with regurge problems.
Also, inbreeding isnt a problem in feeder mice, but it should be easy enough anyways to create new colonies from the offspring using females from different bloodlines than the male...at least that's how I do it.