Question on cornsnake diet

[OURANOUS]

Hey i want to buy a cornsnake and i am thinking i could cut the feeding price by hunting wild birds and feeding them to the snake after cleaning the birds (plucking them and removing beak and claws)

 

[DollysMom]

Cornsnakes primarily eat mice. It is recommended that captive snakes not be fed wild prey due the the parasites they carry.

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

A corn snake would not pluck the bird if it ate one. Corn snakes are known to eat birds. But feeding a pet animal something wild can be dangerous. You could introduce a poison, parasite or toxin into the snake. You never know what you're dealing with when you catch a wild animal of any kind.

And I second what DollysMom says above.

They don't call them "Rat Snakes" for nothing.

Find yourself a supply of frozen mice of appropriate size and stick with that. Your snake will be healthier and happier.

 

[Dragonling]

They are certainly known for snagging a fledgling or two when given the opportunity. You can order frozen thawed baby quail, especially young button quail, from at least one company. I'd have to do a quick google search to remember which one. You might be able to find it on your own. Unfortunately that doesn't solve the problem of cutting costs. I would just buy mice in bulk to save money, especially when your snake an adult. Mice can be stored in a decent freezer for 6 months to a year without worry. Perfect Prey offers smaller bags of mice for decent prices.

 

[lilmike227]

Welcome to the site! If you want to feed your corn birds you can feed them day old chicks (if its an adult) and depending on where you buy them they usually run for less than mice. Laynes labs and rodent pro sell them along with other feeders but shipping can be more than the feeder sometimes.

 

[DollysMom]

If you all notice the OP is in Lebanon. Some of the suggestions are not a option for people outside of the US. Even frozen thawed may not be an option in some parts of the country. In any case, any prey fed to a captive needs to be raised in controlled circumstances in order to be as parasite and disease free as possible.

And yes, Ouranus, welcome to the forum!

:welcome:

 

[OURANOUS]

Wow guys thx i never thought the forum is this active anyways back to the topic i asked this qs because online buying is not an option for him so i need to improvise .
And the birds i hunt r the ones large whipsnakes feed upon inaddition to being a dish on my own menu (srry for the vegeterians and bird lovers out there) and im considered plucking the bird and putting it over an open fire for a few seconds to kill of any pathogens hanging around.
P.S: pls ignore any violation of general forum etiquette i am new to this all .

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

a corn snake is a small snake. It can not eat large birds. A baby snake requires very very small meals.

Personally, if I could not find the proper food for an animal, I would not obtain the animal.

 

[daddio207]

Welcome!
What could be harboring inside a wild bird is more of a concern than what is on the outside.

BUT ... let's back up here for a minute.. Where do you plan on acquiring a corn snake?

 

[DollysMom]

And to define "small meal" newly hatched corn snakes eat 1.5 gram newborn mice. Fully grown average size corn snakes usually eat mice in the 25 gram range. Very large full grown corn snakes may eat 40 gram mice, but most of us use smaller mice than that.