I registered on this forum to learn more about corns snakes. I could be getting one in the near future and want to learn as much as possible. My best friend Ally's sister has a corn snake named Blue, that she is going to have to get rid of. Her father got him for her 2 years ago, and she has had him ever since. Last night when I went up there I held him for a long time while she was talking about how she is trying to find him a home and all because she doesn't want the responsiblity(she just graduated college and is going to grad school). Then she asked if I would like him... She said she would give me everything he has for free because all she is wanting is a good home.Knowing me I wanted him right away, but there is always the mum and dad . Anyways, I just asked my dad if I could "adopt" him and he said I could, but that doesn't mean my mom is going to allow me. I've been reading some care sheets on them, and they all say to feed prey killed mice, which I already knew, but the girl now is feeding him hopper mice now. Since the closest place to get LIVE hopper mice is about an hour away, that would be next to impossible. If anything THAT would be the reason why my mom wouldn't allow it... Plus my dad said I would have to be able to feed frozen mice because he wasn't driving there. My main question is, would a snake that has always been on life food, take prekilled? I read that snakes will and do take pre killed mice if you use tongs to move it infront of their face to attract them... The cage she has him in is ideal from all the standards that the care sheets say. It is wood, with a glass sliding door(with lock) and is big enough for him. It also has a thermometer, and it does a heat lamp in it, but i'll just be using a heating pad under "half" the cage, so I read. Basically he has everything he needs, except a good home. I do have chinchillas and a parrot, but my chins are in a different room along with the bird. The snake will be kept in my room. If any corn snake owner could help me out on whether or not he will take pre killed mice it would be appreciated, i guess I could askt he girl to see if he did, but since she feeds him live mice, she may think i'm doing him harm if i switch his diet. Also I don't want her to think i'm a know it all, since she has had him for 2 years and he has been healthy.
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May be becoming a new corn snake owner...
- Thread starter emy_k
- Start date
Energi2er
New member
I started mine on live for the first 5 or 6 feedings or so (because he refused a F/T mice) but now he is on F/T he took them with no problem. He even ate one out of my hand.
but he is a hatchling still, I dont know if its different for a 2 year old or not.
But I have heard of people feeding live or F/T to the same snake with no problems.
The trick is to thaw them out properly then warm them up a bit.
but he is a hatchling still, I dont know if its different for a 2 year old or not.
But I have heard of people feeding live or F/T to the same snake with no problems.
The trick is to thaw them out properly then warm them up a bit.
bassteck76
Corns are the "Pits"
Feeding live isnt a bad thing so to speak. Hatchlings take pre-killed no problem, however some adults may need to be switched over slowly to take them. I prefer live myself so the snake will use some energy and "hunt" the prey so to speak. There is sooooo many different opinions on this subject. You will find out what is the easiest to feed your snake and go from there. Keep us posted on what all is going on.
DdotSpot
The Snewbie
It really all depends on the snake. Some are tempermental and will ONLY take a certain type of food: live, f/k, f/t. Some are not picky at all and will eat anything. Its just something that you have to try, we can't tell you for certain if he'll accept f/t, but its certainly worth the effort.
I prefer to feed mine f/t for several reasons; first and foremost is the safety factor. It is MUCH safer to feed frozen than live. I used to be of a different opinion and fed only live...but I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend sticking with just frozen if you can get him switched over.
I really hope this works out for you and you get to keep him. Cornsnakes are wonderful pets and pretty simple to care for. Keep us updated on what happens and feel free to ask any questions!
Welcome to the forums!
I prefer to feed mine f/t for several reasons; first and foremost is the safety factor. It is MUCH safer to feed frozen than live. I used to be of a different opinion and fed only live...but I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend sticking with just frozen if you can get him switched over.
I really hope this works out for you and you get to keep him. Cornsnakes are wonderful pets and pretty simple to care for. Keep us updated on what happens and feel free to ask any questions!
Welcome to the forums!
Wilder
Y HALO THAR
Just a thought if you're worried about offending the current owner with asking to feed him f/t... just tell her that you want the snake and your family agrees to your taking him as long as he will eat pre-killed mice, and then ask if you can try to get him eating the frozen mice while she still has him.
Once you have the mouse warmed up, cut a few slits in its back so it smells even better and then, if needed, wiggle the thing for him. Hopefully he'll go for it! It might take a few tries, but it will be safer for him, and great for you since you can keep the snake! Good luck.
I'm sure someone is around here who has switched an adult from live to f/t and can give some better advice.
Once you have the mouse warmed up, cut a few slits in its back so it smells even better and then, if needed, wiggle the thing for him. Hopefully he'll go for it! It might take a few tries, but it will be safer for him, and great for you since you can keep the snake! Good luck.
I'm sure someone is around here who has switched an adult from live to f/t and can give some better advice.
kathylove
Pragmatic & Logical
Don't wiggle it in front of his face...
that often scares them. First, just leave it (slightly warmed) in the cage for a half hour or so, with nobody watching. If he is in a hide, put it near the opening. If he doesn't go for it, bump him on the side a little (you can hold it with tongs or forceps, since he might accidentally grab your finger) to get his attention. Bump halfway down, or closer to the tail, not the head. Be careful to only annoy him or get his attention, not scare him. Don't give up if he doesn't go for it the first time. Let him get good and hungry - he may go for it the next time. Or feed him a really small live item, then immediately offer a small f/t item while he is still in a "feeding frenzy". Then he can get used to it a little at a time.
As mentioned, do all of this at your friend's house so you can determine if it will work before taking him home. There is no way to know if it will work on a particular animal until after you give it a few trial efforts to see what happens.
that often scares them. First, just leave it (slightly warmed) in the cage for a half hour or so, with nobody watching. If he is in a hide, put it near the opening. If he doesn't go for it, bump him on the side a little (you can hold it with tongs or forceps, since he might accidentally grab your finger) to get his attention. Bump halfway down, or closer to the tail, not the head. Be careful to only annoy him or get his attention, not scare him. Don't give up if he doesn't go for it the first time. Let him get good and hungry - he may go for it the next time. Or feed him a really small live item, then immediately offer a small f/t item while he is still in a "feeding frenzy". Then he can get used to it a little at a time.
As mentioned, do all of this at your friend's house so you can determine if it will work before taking him home. There is no way to know if it will work on a particular animal until after you give it a few trial efforts to see what happens.
I'll ask my friend if she can tell her sister about offering a dead mouse next time. See her sister lives a little over an hour away, so I probably won't be seeing her again, unless I'm able to get the snake. Can you just buy frozen mice from petsmart? Or will I have to order online? That is another factor on whether I'd be able to get him. I'll talk with my friend and see what she says. I'm still at the point where I want to make sure that he would have the best home with me. I'm really excited at the thought of maybe getting him, but I'm going to college in 3 years, which is still a ways away, but I doubt my mom would be too overly joyed with feeding a snake, lol. I'm also going to talk to my sister because she has always loved snakes, and she may be willing to take care of him while i'm in a dorm room. Anyways, wish me luck on this, and pray it all works out!
Bobo's Mama
proud corn mommy!
Petsmart has an evil little contract with PETA and will not sell snakes or frozen feeders. Petco, however, does sell frozen feeders, but they are usually fairly expensive. It would be better to get them from a local petstore that isn't related to a big chain. Even if your petstore is not close by, you could still make one trip and buy about 10 mice, that would be enogh for an adult to last at least a couple of months if you are feeding once a week. Others will chime in on this topic I'm sure, but those are my thoughts. I hope you get the snake
Energi2er
New member
The petsmart around here doesnt have F/T mice because they dont even have snakes. But the Petco here has F/T mice in all sizes. But it might be different in your area, Just call around to pet stores and ask if they have frozen feeder mice. Usually if they have snakes they have snake food too.
you can get them at a pet store one or 2 at a time just to see if he eats F/T
you can get them at a pet store one or 2 at a time just to see if he eats F/T
JAG 32
look at that face :)
As far as switching from live to frozen, i would definetally give it a shot. I got my corn out of the paper about 2 1/2" long, and it had been on live mice. I didn't want to keep him on live mice because of the satey issues. As Kathy said, I put a nice warm mouse in his cage on a piece of paper ( to avoid him swallowing substrate) in the eveing and kept the room quiet and dark. He took to it right away. Good Luck!!! i hope you get the snake, there a lot of fun!!! John
See the problem with going to a local pet store is our town is so small it doesn't even have one, lol. I don't even know where the closest is... That is why if I were to get this snake it would be next to impossible if he didn't take frozen mice . I'll look into the closest petstore, I know there are a couple in my old town I lived in, and we make frequent stops down there. Thanks for all the replies. It is helping
. I'll look into the closest petstore, I know there are a couple in my old town I lived in, and we make frequent stops down there. Thanks for all the replies. It is helping 
tradinbay_com
WHY ME?
This post is getting dramatic!
If I was you... I would get a hold of a frozen mouse. Two places local pet store ( look in the phone book) or online (search google.com and try to find one in your state). Most of the time if your going to need a supply, online will be cheaper even with the shipping charges. I don't know how your mom is going to feel about dead frozen mice in the freezer. lol... Another thing is don't nuke the mice, I don't like microwaved food and I sure your snake wont. I use to just use warm water, but that was with pinkies. I would also try to smuther the mouse with something that will attract the snake example blood from a steak. Good luck, I'm sure if he is hungry he will eat. I never tried feed a snake anything else but frozen mice. Is there anything else it could snake one. This question is mostly for a 6 month old cornsnake. Maybe bugs? spiders? frogs? Idk any ideas?
If I was you... I would get a hold of a frozen mouse. Two places local pet store ( look in the phone book) or online (search google.com and try to find one in your state). Most of the time if your going to need a supply, online will be cheaper even with the shipping charges. I don't know how your mom is going to feel about dead frozen mice in the freezer. lol... Another thing is don't nuke the mice, I don't like microwaved food and I sure your snake wont. I use to just use warm water, but that was with pinkies. I would also try to smuther the mouse with something that will attract the snake example blood from a steak. Good luck, I'm sure if he is hungry he will eat. I never tried feed a snake anything else but frozen mice. Is there anything else it could snake one. This question is mostly for a 6 month old cornsnake. Maybe bugs? spiders? frogs? Idk any ideas?