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Newbie here, can a corn snake live on feeder fish?

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peruvianfreak250

New member
Hi, i am recently considering getting a corn snake and have been doing some research about it. I have read that corn snakes eat fish in the wild and have heard of people giving their corn snakes fish without any problenss. But, can a corn snake live on feeder fish like minnows? I am okay with feeding mice but my mom is a little freaked out about it. She is okay with feeding it fish or pieces of cow heart but doesnt want any mice on her freezer or doesnt want to see me defrosting the mice in her kitchen. :shrugs: Are there any other alternatives to mice?
 
No, feeder fish is a bad idea. I recently saw a kingsnake, which feed the same way as corns apart from the occasional snake (it was being traded in) at a local pet store which had been fed on fish its whole life. It was a yearling, but the thing was so skelatal it was disturbing.

Corn snakes eat mice. The end, pretty much. They get all their essential nutrition from mice. I've heard of some people offering quail as a diversion, but their main food is mice.

Couple of hints: Mom will get used to the mice in the freezer, just lead up to it. If they are in a marked container apart from the other food, she might relax about them. In any event, you and she need to investigate/research these animals more.

Making two posts on the same topic is not generally viewed well on this site.

I truly do hope all goes well for you. Read the FAQ's and use the search function. There is a pile of great info here.
 
but doesnt want any mice on her freezer or doesnt want to see me defrosting the mice in her kitchen.
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I'd be wigged out about mice in my kitchen too, if they were alive. These are dead mice and free of vermin (hopefully)....I've never had one run across my counter ;) But, if merely the thought of a mouse in her kitchen truly bothers your mom, you can thaw it in another room...just get a container of hot (out of the tap) water and let the pinky soak for about ten minutes or so. As for freezer storage...how about a freezer bag wrapped in a paper bag or something else you can't see through?
Sometimes the thought of something is far worse than the actual something. Perhaps your mom will get accustomed to mousicles in her freezer with time. If you approach her with regard for her feelings (even if you don't understand them), she'll probably be more apt to relax about it all (I would)
 
I haven't read anything about corns eating fish in the wild (I mean, they may, but...). Everything I read says mice/rats, baby birds, lizards (especially anoles), and frogs. Corns can swim, of course, like basically all snakes, but they're not aquatic snakes. Many don't bother swimming unless they need to cool off or have a problem that water will help correct (shedding or mites). Anyway, a minnow would be too small for a full-sized corn. And minnows in a bowl of water would introduce a whole new array of pollutants to the snake's environment. I mean, is the snake going to be drinking out of the water the fish pee in? Eww. Not pretty.

I don't mind having pinkies in my freezer, personally. I mean, they're frozen and bagged, so it's not like there's pinky juices getting all over my ice cream (eww again).
 
I have also heard of someone feeding their cornsnakes live goldfish, apparently they put the live goldfish in its waterbowl and the snake hunted and caught it there... :sidestep:

Personally, I would never feed my snakes any type of fish...firstly because they are "rat snakes" and secondly because feeder fish very often have problems and diseases that may effect the snake negatively...

Personally, I stick by known methods and leave experimentation to others... :rolleyes:

Welcome to the site by the way! :crazy02: Don't worry, your mom will get used to the idea of feeding mice, its definitely more the idea of having mice in her freezer that's freaking her out a bit!
 
It might help to let her know that feeders are bred and raised to be free of all those things that really cause the general public's dislike of "vermin". These mice aren't parasites invading your home to exploit your resources, they are resources to keep (what is hoped to become) a beloved friend healthy.
 
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