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Help!

Lalad

Lalad

New member
Hi! To make a long story short, after a family emergency, I ended up with my grandson's corn snake. I have been reading about them, but I want to make sure he gets the best care possible. I am worried about how much to feed him. I know they say about 1 to 1 1/2 times his middle is the right size. He is about 3 years old and very sweet. (if you can call a snake sweet!) After I feed him, he is good for about 3-4 days, but he then seems to be hunting again. He's all over the tank. I don't know if this means he's hungry or if they just get active. I have been feeding him a hopper mouse every 4 days or so. Is it better to feed one large meal or smaller meals more often? If I move up to the adult sized mouse and he is ok eating it, how often should I feed him? Once a week or 2x per month? Does the activity mean he's hungry or do they just like to exercise?
 
Corn snakes are opportunistic and aggressive feeders. They will actually over eat if you let them and of course it's not healthy for them.

A 3 year old corn snake should only eat every 10 to 14 days, unless it's a breeding female and then you might want to feed her every 7 to 10 days.

The amount of food (size of the mouse) should be based on the weight of the snake. Or as you stated, about 1 to 1-1/2 times the diameter of the snake.

There is a chart known as the "Munson Feeding Plan" that details weight of mice and weight of snake for correct feeding. You can view it on this forum.

Just because the snake appears to be hunting and hungry does not mean you should feed it. If you are feeding the right size mice, I'd stick to about a 10 to 14 day feeding schedule.

(Link to feeding chart)
http://www.bhbreptiles.com/main.aspx?Page=feedchart

Of course you'll need an accurate scale that weighs in grams. I use a Kitchen Scale I bought at target in their kitchen wares department. It was about 30 bucks and weighs in grams or ounces and is very accurate.
 
A hopper twice a week or every 4 days is fine. I have one about the same age who sounds to be acting in a similar way. He will be hunting pretty much as soon as he is finished digesting. Don't give in and feed him. In the wild they are either in digest or hunt mode as food can be hard to come by. In captivity they don't have this problem but as they don't know this they will either hunt or digest.
 
I'm sorry but that is terrible advice for an adult corn snake. You won't find too many folks on this site that will recommend feeding an Adult Corn snake twice a week.

Please consult the feeding chart and feed accordingly for the best health of your snake.
 
It would be really beneficial if we knew how big he was. Can you get his weight in grams, or show us a photo of you holding him?

If he's three, and an average size adult (200-400 grams) I'd feed a medium adult mouse (22-26 grams) every 14 days. If he's undersize, though- if he's a size that actually should be on hoppers (snake weighs 50-90 grams) I'd be feeding one hopper every 5-7 days. If he's three, and that small, he has some catching up to do, but he will.
 
Oh, I meant to say, snakes eat, hide away to digest, then immediately come out and start actively roaming around. We interpret this as being hungry. Maybe he is, but that's okay. If you fed him too often, in an attempt to keep him constantly satisfied and digesting, he would soon be an unhealthy, blobby fat snake. It's good for him to spend days, even a week and a half, being active before his next feeding.
 
PS, thanks for taking him on and giving him a loving home. Snakes are so easy to care for; your kindness will be repaid with an easy, relaxing pet.

Also, you're feeding him frozen/thawed mice, right? You can stock up and not have to go to the pet store every couple weeks to buy a mouse, if you like. They last several months if sealed. Even just putting the mice in a brown paper bag, rolling it up, then putting that in a ziplock, squeezing out all the air, and sealing, will work fine to keep them from getting freezer burn.
 
I want to add my admiration for your stepping in and caring for your grandson's corn snake. They are such gentle and personable creatures. If you have any other questions or just want to hang out with us corn snake people, please feel welcome. :wavey:
 
Thanks everyone. I will try to get a weight. I have never been on a forum before and don't know if I'll find this link again! If I do, I'll let you know the weight once I get a scale.
 
I bought a scale and weighed him. He is 233g. According to the chart, I should be giving him a young adult every 7 - 10 days. Thank you for the support and feeding link!
If anyone said I'd be a snake person months ago, I would have thought they were crazy. Now I am obsessed with this little guy.
 
Lalad said:
I bought a scale and weighed him. He is 233g. According to the chart, I should be giving him a young adult every 7 - 10 days. Thank you for the support and feeding link!
If anyone said I'd be a snake person months ago, I would have thought they were crazy. Now I am obsessed with this little guy.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the club! :D
 
Hi everyone! Just wanted to thank you all again. My snake is very happy now that you helped me get his diet just right! I was so concerned at that time because we had just found him after 2 months of him being on the loose! We found him in the garage wrapped around a chipmunk! He wasn't mine when he escaped, and I had no idea what to do when I found him! He has quickly become a part of the family. Just one question...Can you see his picture? It doesn't show for me when I post, but it seems to be there.
 
Lalad said:
Hi everyone! Just wanted to thank you all again. My snake is very happy now that you helped me get his diet just right! I was so concerned at that time because we had just found him after 2 months of him being on the loose! We found him in the garage wrapped around a chipmunk! He wasn't mine when he escaped, and I had no idea what to do when I found him! He has quickly become a part of the family. Just one question...Can you see his picture? It doesn't show for me when I post, but it seems to be there.
Click to expand...

there are no pictures
 
Is that him in your profile pictures right there? I know he's swallowing his food right now but he looks pretty happy to me! That's wonderful of you to step in and take care of your grandson's corn! Hope everything works out and you two become best buds!
 
Yes, that's him. I love that he looks like he's laughing! I finally figured out how to link the pictures!
 
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