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Size related to feeding

Shadowedfate

Shadowedfate

New member
Hi there,

I have a small corn snake named Simon, I bought him at a pet store 4/21/11. I count his age by that date since the realy dob is unknown. I had to take him to the vet recent, because he's been having very bad sheds, last one was stuck to his body and hardly even flaked off so I decided to take him to the vet.

The issue there was that the vet said he was very small for his age and his diet should be increased to 4 pinkies, I am not sure if that is right and people will tell you anything so I would like some feedback(is he too small?).

Also, since I am running low on pinkies it was suggested I move him up to fuzzies. Would this be a good idea and if so is anyone near buckeye AZ within the maricopa county area ordering from rodent pro.

I took these pictures today hopefully they help(don't know if they will show up might have messed up attaching them). I don't have a ruler. xD

Thank you for your time and help! ^^
 
I'm not terribly experienced, but 4 pinkies sounds wrong. I know people sometimes feed two pinkies for several feedings before moving up to the next size, but I've never heard of anyone feeding more than two.
 
Also, I don't see the pictures. I always use the 'preview post' button when I'm adding pictures, just to make sure everything worked.
 
I wouldnt feed more than 2 pinkies at a time. Feeding more than 2 pinkies can result in a regurge which wouldnt be healthy at all. It would depend on how big around Simon is at this time, as to if I would feed a fuzzy. Like Wyldrose said I would bump him up to two pinkies every 5-7 days. But pictures would help.
 
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Photobucket... less of a hassle.
I thought four pinkies sounded weird too.
 
He looks to be perfectly in proportion to me - not over or underweight.

He also looks a perfectly fine size for a ten month old. Not sure what sort of Corns your vet is used to! They don't generally hit adult size until around three years old and yours looks to be right on schedule.

Having said that, he does look about the right size to be promoted to fuzzies. Remember that as food size increases, you need feed less often. This gives their digestion time to work properly.

You might find that he puts on a growth spurt with bigger food, which means he'll shed more often. To avoid the stuck shed problem in future, you could try putting a humid hide in with him when he goes blue (just before he sheds). That keeps the old shed moisturised so that it can come off easily. It's a reasonably common issue for those in drier areas, or hot places which need a lot of AC, so you're not alone! Once you've figured out a way of helping the shed in future, the vet should be a thing of the past.
 
I would say 2 large pinkies or 1 fuzzy(maybe a smaller fuzzy). I rather feed a little bit to small of a meal than to big of a meal and have a regurge. He is a pretty snake. Like mentioned earlier stay away from to many food items at once.
 
I would feed 2 pinks for a couple of feedings then move up to a smaller fuzzy and see how Simon handles it. Then you can slowly move up to a fuzzy that 1x the biggest part of him. If you can get a scale you can keep a log on weight gain or loss as well. There is an awesome site iherp.com that will help you track everything for Simon. He does seem to be a bit on the smaller side but I wouldnt say it would warrant 4 pinkies in one feeding. ~sigh!~ He really does look healthy.

Also, there is a sticky note on bad sheds that can help you if he has another one. If your viv has a screen top you can put a wet towl over half the screen during the shed process or mist down the cage. Also, if you use heat lamps instead of under tank heaters, that can contribute to the bad sheds because the heat lamps suck out all the humidity in the air.

My yearlings are about 100g give or take a few grams. They are on hoppers but fixing to be bumped up to weaned mice. But all snakes grow differently. I know some that have yearlings twice as big as mine and some that have yearlings smaller. Snakes from big chain stores are always a bit smaller because of they way they are feed and what not.
 
okay, thanks for the help! What is the difference between dark fuzzies and regular ones, How often should I feed if I offer him fuzzies? I usually have a week between when I feed him should that stay the same or should it be increased?
I will be doing odd jobs around the house, I've been getting bloody noses from my room being too dry. There's one for $26 that should help moisten my room lol. I have a tupperware filled will moss and some water he lays on top of it just not in the moss, how often should I switch out the moss?
 
What is the difference between dark fuzzies and regular ones
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A mouse fuzzie is a mouse fuzzie - colour makes no difference.

How often should I feed if I offer him fuzzies? I usually have a week between when I feed him should that stay the same or should it be increased?
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I'd stick with a week for fuzzies. Maybe make the gap between feeds bigger when you go up another size in a while.

I have a tupperware filled will moss and some water he lays on top of it just not in the moss
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When I make a humid hide, I put the lid on and cut a hole in it big enough to let the snake in and out. That keeps it humid. You don't need to have water in the bottom. If using moss, I wet it, then squeeze it out so that it's damp rather than wringing wet. Think of it as trying to create a kind of mini sauna rather than a swimming pool!

How often should I switch out the moss?
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I wouldn't leave it in there all the time. I did that with one of mine who seemed to prefer it over her usual hide, and she ended up with scale rot. If you only use it when he's coming up to a shed, I think I'd use fresh moss each time. Take it out once he's finished shedding and you shouldn't have a problem.
 
Bitsy has given you great advice! I second that your snake looks to be in excellent body condition, I'd move her up to fuzzies as well.
 
Well now to order up some fuzzies. Should I get 100 fuzzies and 100 hoppers, or will it take longer to move up. I really don't want to make a lot of orders, S&H is expensive and I have a nice freezer that rarely causes freezer burns. Maximizing my order so I can minimize overall payment, I have a class coming up that I still need to get books for.

Is anyone else ordering from rodent pro in arizona, if so let me know before promo code dies.(tomorrow)
 
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