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Feeding question

D

danar1977

New member
I have a few general corn snake feeding questions....

Is the size of the prey supposed to be the smae as the widest part of your snake or twice the widest part?? I keep hearing both opinions.

Also, can you feed two mice about a half hour apart, or should you wait a few days between?

Thanks!!
 
Is the size of the prey supposed to be the smae as the widest part of your snake or twice the widest part?? I keep hearing both opinions.
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Oh dear, here's another one then! The standard in these parts tends to be that the food should be one and a half times the width of the snake's body (not the head or the neck).

Also, can you feed two mice about a half hour apart, or should you wait a few days between?
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I'd say neither. If you wait to offer the second mouse, then the snake can go into digestion mode and may not be interested in the second. I offer them both at the same time (assuming you're feeding defrost and not live) and my snakes eat them one after the other, sometimes with a few minutes in between.
 
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danar1977 said:
I have a few general corn snake feeding questions....

Is the size of the prey supposed to be the smae as the widest part of your snake or twice the widest part?? I keep hearing both opinions.

Also, can you feed two mice about a half hour apart, or should you wait a few days between?

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

Um, I go by the munson plan, you can look it up here, well its more a guide really but its a good one. I weigh the snake then I look at the plan and see what it says the snake should be eating then I look at how big the size it recommends is and usually dig around the bag of mice til I find one I think suits the snake.

Other than pinks I don't feed two at once unless I am out of a certain size and using up others before placing an order. How long you wait between feeds depends on the size, age and condition of your snake. Generally the smaller the more often, the larger the longer it can wait. Most don't feed more often than every 5 days or any less than 21 days.
 
I agree with Bitsy...feed one after the other if you're going to feed multiple prey items.

I usually look at the snake to see how much the mouse fills it out. If it still looks kinda lean, I feed the snake another.

I have one large snake, an Emory's rat (relative of the corn), that sometimes eats three adult mice in a meal. The reason is that I don't feed my snakes rats, so can't get any larger feeders, and two adult mice aren't enough. Two adult mice are barely noticeable when she eats, and three makes a pretty fair swelling in her belly. No problem digesting these in the hot summer months.

:eats02:
 
My corn weighed in at about 10 ounces, so about 280 grams. And it is a female...so, I am guessing about evry week to ten days I give her atleast one adult sized mouse!??
SO, what about the cold winters here in Illinois....do i slow it down for winter or no??
 
I space feeds out more during the winter, because I've found that keeping up the summer routine all year tends to make most of mine a little flabby. However, unless you have that problem or you're going to brumate, then keeping up their normal feeding schedule shouldn't necessarily cause a problem (you can always slow it down next year if it does).

The temp at the warm side in the tank should remain constant all year, so your snake won't necessarily be particularly aware of a temp drop.
 
Thanks bitsy. I keep the same undertank heater under the tank on one side at all times. It is under his hiding rock, so he can get pretty warm if he likes. I keep my house about the same temp all year round cause of my crested geckos, so there should not be much of a drop in temp for winter, maybe just a few degrees.
Since she is almost 4 foot, is she still okay in her 20 gallon long? I will have to post a photo....she seems to like it. She moves around quite a bit. Just want to make sure she has enough room. I DO have a 40 gallon breeder that I need to get a new sliding top for, so if I need to move up in size I can.
Also, will she get any wider or longer, or at three is she full grown??
 
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