How often do you feed your corns?

[spyrotheleo]

How often do you feed a yearling corn? What method of feeding do you use? Thanks:uzi: :devil01: :madeuce:

 

[Rachel]

Every 7-10 days is recommended. I offer food to younger ones (up to a year old) every week then gradually increase times between feeds. My oldest male only gets fed once every 10-14 days now. They are all on f/t mice (frozen thawed mice)

 

[MegF.]

I feed mine once a week. I feed my amel in a seperate container to keep her out of the substrate. My aztec is on paper towels and is fed in her viv to cut down on stress. She refused to eat in a seperate container.

 

[MegF.]

Here's a picture of my amel sucking down the last of the spaghetti!

 

[mattsnake]

A small mouse every 7 days.

 

[spyrotheleo]

I have a pair of albino corn snakes that are one year old. Actually I don't have them with me I am picking them up in three weeks after vacation. To get them to breeding siz in a year should I feed them every 4-5 days? Thanks

 

[MegF.]

It's not healthy to powerfeed. It's better to take time and let them grow properly rather than feed them too much and have them develope too fast. Every 7 days is sufficient and then every 10-14 days when they reach adult size.

 

[Amanda E]

Well, I'm not sure that you should be trying to get these new snakes up to breeding size in a year.

If anything, it seems to me like all you would end up with are fat snakes that will have a tendency towards egg-binding. Also, even though I have no proof of this, it is always stated that powerfeeding leads to shortened lifespans, so you may get them up to breeding age quick, but you may ultimately cut their production in half if they die young.

Also, just so you know, it really doesn't matter how big the male is (well he can't be a hatchling, but I think you understand). My males have shown interest in breeding as small as 100 grams.

I've been told by a couple people that I tend to underfeed my snakes. (I feed every 7 days and I don't give them a huge food item - in other words, the food barely makes a lump and the lump is gone the next day.)

Yet one of my 2 yr old females ovulated even though I didn't put her with a male and she is currently full of slugs, so it is possible to get them to breeding size feeding them the way I do.

Incidently, this female is 270 grams and has yet to eat an adult mouse. I'm sure she could handle an adult, but smaller ones are easier to swallow and easier on my bank account.

 

[spyrotheleo]

Sorry, I didn't know feeding every four days was to much. What age should I breed my corns at? Thanks

 

[treppilj]

I feed mine approx every 5 days but they are young and I am trying to grow them a bit. I plan on cutting them back in the next few months and start feeding every 7-10 days. But I have one that is pretty scrawny and I will continue to feed more often until she catches the others in size. I am not sure this is the right way to do it but I have heard that it is OK for the young snakes but not too good for mauture ones, plus I have had not problems yet. I also just moved my first 03 onto large pinkies so I feed smaller portions more often....

 

[babbaloo99]

Feeding

It's not healthy to powerfeed. It's better to take time and let them grow properly rather than feed them too much and have them develope too fast. Every 7 days is sufficient and then every 10-14 days when they reach adult size.

When are corns considered adult size (is it age or length or combination of both)? My amel is eating one adult mouse every 7 days and he is about 30 inches long (does this seem big for a 9 month old snake?).

He is a great feeder (maybe he is older than the reptile store said). But sometimes he seems to be looking for more food after he eats. How do you know when to bump it up and what is the next step? Thanks.

 

[Rachel]

I move my snakes up onto the next size when the mice they are currently on are digested within 24 hours (ie no visible mouse bump left) and/or the mouse they eat no longer leaves a bump. General rule, your mouse can be up to 1.5 x bigger than the width (girth) of your snake. HTH

 

[Skyclad8]

I feed mine 2 pinkies every seven days. I take him out for a bit and Put his food in his cage while I'm handling him. Then when I put him back in his cage he finds his food and stuffs himself.

 

[leejay]

gr8 subject

i would like to put a different angle on the subject for a hatchling
page 21 cornsnake manual paragraph 2 some exerpts
"a pinkie mouse is enough of a meal for a 30cm youngster.you can skimp by and offer 1 every two weeks.baby snakes will eat twice per week or even occasionally three times per week"


so my new hatchling is currently getting 1pinkie on a wednesday and a sunday.
too much or what would you reccomend the schedule?

 

[J_Daniels]

Well, I'm not sure that you should be trying to get these new snakes up to breeding size in a year.~

~Yet one of my 2 yr old females ovulated even though I didn't put her with a male and she is currently full of slugs, so it is possible to get them to breeding size feeding them the way I do.

If I read his post correctly, and the snakes were over one year old in May, when he originally posted, that should make them well over 2 years old in "one year" when he plans to breed.

Still though, Spyro, size of the female is key. You'vegot to make sure she's big enough, or you risk losing her. Get a digital kitchen scale ($20 at Wal-Mart) and track her weight. If she's not ready by next spring, just wait. It's really not worth losing her to egg binding, especially considering that it would likely kill the eggs too.

Jason

 

[hockeystop]

I feed my Hatchlings every 3-4 days until they are big enough to eat hoppers then I scale back to once per week. I only have one yearling atm and she is eating hoppers 1 per week. When she was on fuzzies I was feeding her 2 fuzzies every 3-4 days.

 

[slithering]

i feed MR LEE 2 subadult mice every 4-5 days . thats live feeding also . he has a good fecal composition and usually tends to roam his viv 3-5 days after feeding usually inside the killing tank in his viv.here of late though its been 2 days after his last $#^%.

 

[stuart]

feed him/her, then wait for him to come out looking for more, simple as that, its what i do, seeming certain things like temp can affect how long a corn takes to digest a meal, u may be feeding it when he/she still has a mouse in him/her.

 

[MegF.]

If I did that, I'd be feeding my snake every 3 days, and that's powerfeeding. She digests and is looking around for food usually after 3 days. In the wild it would be the same, but most likely they wouldn't be finding prey for a week or more. I wouldn't feed using that as a guide. You could feed daily if you really wanted to, and they'd take it. It doesn't make it healthy.

 

[stuart]

ahhhhh meg, i missed a vital bit out, feed them, then when they come out wondering, wait a few days THEN feed them, i was tired this morning, i missed that bit out :bounce: