Does feeding influence corns headsize?

[SnakeAround]

When I bought my first 2 corns the breeder told me he doesn't feed his corns to much to have them grow slowly, because if they grow too fast, their heads will 'stay behind' and stay too small compared to their body thickness. At that moment I knew much less about corns then now (not that I'm an expert no at all) so I started wondering if it's true? Besides that I've some more lesser thoughts about the breeder after reading more and more on this forum... it contributes to my doubts about his statement. I see so many different corns on the internet with various sizes of heads compared to the bodies, is that all because of the feeding pattern? One way or another it doens't seem logical to me...

 

[Joejr14]

It's absolutely true.

If you powerfeed, you end up with snakes that have 'tiny ass heads' comapred to big bodies. They do grow into their bodies, but you can still see the small head in comparison.

 

[dr.teeth]

best bet, feed the snakes what they should be eating, 1.5 to 2 X the thinkness of the thickest part of thier body..... thats a new one though!

 

[Energi2er]

So.. Would 2 small pinkys a week for a 2 - 3 month old hatchling be power feeding?

 

[SnakeAround]

tnx all!

@ Energi2er: good question, I feed mine the same!

And an 18 inch long male; 1 fuzzie every 5/6 days or 2 regular pinkies when fuzzies not available? He's a yearling so to me it seems he has been 'antipowerfed', he's quite small I think... ?

He's from the breeder whom told me this so he has definitely been kept on a 'diet' but isn't there something like a healthy, average growrate (length) and/or a minimal grow rate to assure the corn's health?

 

[Joejr14]

So.. Would 2 small pinkys a week for a 2 - 3 month old hatchling be power feeding?

No need to feed more than one appropriately sized pinky every 5 days for now, and then the same with fuzzies. Once you start doing that with hoppers or mice, you're powerfeeding.

Believe it or not, there are people who feed every 3 days.

Getting a snake to breeding size in 18 months just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

 

[CornCrazy]

I'm curious, Joe, what kind of actual experience do you have with this subject? (Just to clarify this...I am not trying to argue with you. I honestly want to know your experience level. Please do not take my question in the wrong way!)

I do not think that the head is going to grow slower than the rest of the snake. This doesn't make any sense to me. Were people with small heads fed too much as babies? LOL That's just crazy Honestly, I think the head size is more a matter of genetics than anything else. I could be wrong, but I will need some good evidence to make me believe otherwise.

I do believe that power-feeding is a bad thing. Many health problems can arise in snakes and other reptiles that are overfed. An appropriately-sized food item/meal every 7 days for little snakes and every 7-14 days for adults is plenty. The reason I say 7-14 days for adults is because sometimes females need to be fed more often (i.e. - during breeding season).

By the way, I move up to 2 pinks per feeding before moving up to fuzzies. It gives the snake a chance to adjust to larger meals without also having to deal with the fur and bones.

 

[Energi2er]

I feed 2 pinkys every 7 days if I feed any sooner than 7 days he wont eat, and he refuses one out every 3 feeds on average anyway, so then I go 5 more days (instead of 7) then feed again. 2 small pinkys or one large. Thats the feeding schedule for now.

 

[MegF.]

My amel had a small head but seemed to have caught up as he grew. He was fed only once a week, so there was no power feeding involved. I agree that it has more to do with genetics than feeding. Just to put it in proportion, he's also my largest snake at over 4 ft at a little over 2 years old. He's also been my best feeder. I have other snakes the same age who are much smaller than he is. It's all genetics. They're fed the same, yet they're different sizes. I think the same goes for the head. As far as frequency, I feed my young ones every 5 days until they go to fuzzies. Then it's every 7. My amel is eating a small rat, so he gets fed every 2 weeks.

 

[tcr03]

so if i had a new hatcling how long would i be able to feed him one pinky a week.

 

[princess]

On one pink a week it would take a hatchling a long time to put on any size. I bought a little striped motley a couple of months back that was on a pink a week and then a fuzzy a week and at about 6-8 months of age she was one 18g. I've had her on hoppers and weanlings (very small weanlings) for 2½ months and she's up to 44g already.

 

[princess]

Also. Over feeding doesn't make their head small. It just makes their body grow faster than their head can so they end up with the proportions of a sand boa!! I've seen it with my own eyes. I guy I know bought a 1.1 pair of snows that are clutchmates to my big male snow. When I saw them at age 10 months or so, they were enormous and at least double the weight and 50% longer than my snow but their heads were about the same size as my boys head. They looked wrong...corns are meant to have elegant proportions...they're not ball pythons!

 

[tcr03]

yeh i understand that. but i would like to keep him small for as long as posible. health wise how long could i feed him one pinky a week.

 

[Taceas]

but i would like to keep him small for as long as posible. health wise how long could i feed him one pinky a week.

Why exactly do you want it to stay small? Isn't that sort of convoluted? Your whole rationale seems a bit lacking, from my perspective. It sounds like you're asking: "How long can I get away with feeding/keeping it as cheaply as possible?" Snakes grow, fact of life. Restricting its diet to something wholly unhealthy is wrong, imho. Give it the food it NEEDS, not what you can afford.

And if that is your purpose, I'd have to say...get an anole or something. They're cheap and they eat crickets, woo. Oh, and they don't get very large either.

I feed my hatchlings 1 small pink every 4-5 days and gradually up the size depending on their growth. When they get to large pinks, almost fuzzies, its then every 7 days. Unlike Terri, I don't generally have pinks on hand to waste since I feed live/prekilled and move straight on to small slitted fuzzies, mostly without any issues. I've had more problems with the two pink thing than just fuzzies, oddly enough.

Although I have seen some really fat snakes with tiny heads; I think the body size just exaggerates the head size in most cases. Most snakes when slimmed down, go back to a proportional look. Although I've got a 2003 that I hatched that's got good body size, but she's always had a small head. Just her luck I guess, as her dad has a small head. But it doesn't hamper her eating at all. :shrugs:

 

[tcr03]

no, youve got it all wrong. im very conserned with the well being of the snake. its not the money at all. i just really like the way they look and their coloring while they are small. its really got nothing to do with money or how cheap can i get by. i want to have it as small and cute as long as posible while still keeping it healthy and happy. thats why i asked the question.

 

[Bobo's Mama]

First of all, I must point out that a cornsnake is not a bonsai tree! You can't just keep it small so it will stay cute forever and not expect it to have some long-term health problems. If you must have snakes at all I suggest you get a ribbon snake or garter snake, they stay small and eat feeder fish or pinkie mice. Here's a website about them http://www.angelfire.com/or/ladybugconspiracy/snake.html
but seriously how do you expect people to take you for real when you talk like that, its an animal, not a toy:shrugs:

 

[Energi2er]

He was just asking basically not how to keep it small forever, but what feeding schedule should he use to make his snake grow the slowest. Snakes are pets just like a puppy or kitten (in a way, but yes they are different and require different care) but its like when you have puppies or kittens they are cute and you want them to stay cute but watch them grow at the same time.

So to answer your question: IMHO a pinky a week is fine just dont go longer than 7 days. and I would make the size of the pinky like a 3 or 4 day old pink, not to small you probably want medium size. Just so he is getting enough food at each meal. Then move up to fuzzies when the snake grows enough so that the fuzzie is one and one half times the width of the snake, as a general rule. I cant say how long your snake will stay small because they are all different. Just feed properly, sit back and enjoy your snake.

 

[tcr03]

look all of you are taking it the wrong way. i dont want it to stay small forever. ok example. a lady on here had here snake go missing for 3 months. when she found it, it was so much smaller than the snake that she kept feeding.and that is only three months. in general snakes a opertunist eaters. they can probly go a month without a meal. but im not trying to starve the snake. im not some cruel person that wants to keep the snake the way i want it forever.

so since all of you arent going to help me out and try to answer the question, just go off on me and think im mean.

1 pinky every 7 days, is that healthy or not. im only going to feed him once a week. when he needs more food, i will get bigger mice. will this be fine.

 

[tcr03]

thanks energi2er, that is the answer i was looking for.

 

[MegF.]

I understand what you are saying tc, however, you pretty much answered your question. Snakes that don't get fed as much, or lack food (such as the one that was lost) end up growing slower. In the case of the lost snake..food was not available so it went without. Was it better? I would say no. In the wild, I would hazard a guess that snakes don't live as long, and it's not solely due to predation and health issues. I'm sure there are lots of times when they just couldn't get enough food to thrive. I personally would feed one pinky every 5 days, until they're ready to move up to fuzzies, and then go to every 7. Snakes will get bigger or smaller according to them, not necessarily feeding. All my snakes are fed on the same schedule. Three are from similar parents. Two of the three are about the same size. Of my other two, they are both a little over 2 years old. One is over 4 ft. the other a little over 3 ft. Fed identically except now, one gets a larger food item. You can control size a bit thru feeding, but a lot of it is genetics, and you can't change that. I love them when they're cute and small, just like I loved my dogs when they were cute cuddly puppies, but I also love the dogs, and snakes when they mature into healthy large adults too.