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Couple-a questions

T

TaraRose

New member
Hello all :) If you missed my first post, I am a complete newbie. I dont even actually have my snakes yet.

But I have been doing lots of research and reading through this board and have a couple of questions. What does is mean when the snake is 'in blue'? Also, how do you know when it is time to move up to a bigger mouse/rat and which type of prey is best to feed? I know guinea pigs are too hairy and high in fat, but does it matter whether you feed rats/mice?

I'm sure I will think of more, but this will start me out anyway ;) Thanks in advance!!
 
What does is mean when the snake is 'in blue'
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In blue is when they are about to shed, their eyes sometimes go a blue colour, and their colours go dull.
when it is time to move up to a bigger mouse/rat and which type of prey is best to feed?
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When you can see no visible lump in the snake
I know guinea pigs are too hairy and high in fat, but does it matter whether you feed rats/mice?
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Not too sure on this, but if you get a hatchling, mice pinks are suitable because they are the smallest
 
Sorry..the snakes I am getting are approx 2-3 feet (guess I should have included that!). They are coming home on friday, and the guy who owns them now is going to come over and show me what they are eating. I'm also wondering if it is better to feed one decent sized mouse/rat, or two smaller mice/rats and why??
 
It's okay :)

I would have a look and see what the size meals they eat first, feed them the size they normally eat, then if you see no visible lump in her/him then move up a size, if not, stick to the size they are normally on :)

Hope that helps
 
you mentioned in an earlier post that your snakes are about two years old. I would imagine by now that have grown accustomed to either mice or rats, based on what the current owners are feeding. I would reccomend sticking with their current diet plan for a while. The change in owners will be enough for them to get accustomed too and you dont want to change too much at one time if you can help it.

Rats in general are larger than mice. Most snakes will take either if the size is appropriate ( food item should be about 1 1/2 size of the snakes widest body area). I think most people feed large mice or xlarge mice to their adult corns.

At two years old I imagine these corns are eating hoppers or maybe weanling size mice. It of course depends on how quickly they have grown, but the current owners should give you the information and details on what they have been eating, how far apart their meals are, and when the last shed was. These are important things to know.
 
TaraRose said:
Sorry..the snakes I am getting are approx 2-3 feet (guess I should have included that!). They are coming home on friday, and the guy who owns them now is going to come over and show me what they are eating. I'm also wondering if it is better to feed one decent sized mouse/rat, or two smaller mice/rats and why??
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This seems to be a matter of debate in the herp world. Different people beleive different things. It is also noted ( and debated) that digestion is easier if the skin of the mouse is cut a little bit
 
Price can be another difference between mice and rats depending on where you get them. Mice tend to cost less than rats. I know there have been a couple of threads outlining the nutritional differences of mice and rats. There have been some people who swear that there snakes grow faster with rats and some that say they don't notice a difference.

As suggested above, I would stick to their current diet for a bit before making any changes, if you decide to make any at all. Also, general consensus (as far as I have read many times on this forum) is that one appropriately sized prey item is better than multiple, smaller items.
 
Thanks guys :) I am really not worried about them growing fast, I am mostly worried about them being healthy. Like I say, the current owners are bringing them over friday and will show me all about how they have been being fed and what they are being fed. It seems like one of the biggest issues these guys could potentially have is not eating properly, so I want to make sure I know as much as I can about the right way to do things :)
 
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