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slitting?
- Thread starter Dirk94
- Start date
Jadie.Glitch
:) colubridstudios.com :)
That's a good question... help, someone! I am going to start feeding f/t mice soon so I need to know as well...
desertanimal
2003 UB313
Yes. The skin is the toughest part for the digestive juices to break through. Someone here did an experiment showing that hatchlings fed on slit food grew faster than their counterparts fed on non-slit food at the same rate.
Jadie.Glitch
:) colubridstudios.com :)
Okay... I guess that makes sense... so what do you do.. you just cut their belly after you thaw them, or what? I understand what you are saying though. I dissected a preserved rat in school once and they have some majorally THICK skin. You wouldn't think so, but they do...
Nanci
Alien Lover
Roy Munson
New member
No, no, NOT THE BELLY! *bleccch* You slit the backs of the prey item.
There's been some discussion about this lately, some of it involving my own snakes. I've been convinced that slitting all prey items offered to a snake throughout its life is a bad idea. I'll probably still do it when they're on pinks, but I'm stopping all slitting of larger prey items. There seems to be some correlation between slitting and growth rates that may be TOO fast. It seems that the practice may encourage the conversion of too many calories to fat. There is also the possibility that the metabolic "cost" of digesting that tough skin may be of some benefit to the snake. My evidence is anecdotal, but it's sufficient to encourage me to change my practices...
There's been some discussion about this lately, some of it involving my own snakes. I've been convinced that slitting all prey items offered to a snake throughout its life is a bad idea. I'll probably still do it when they're on pinks, but I'm stopping all slitting of larger prey items. There seems to be some correlation between slitting and growth rates that may be TOO fast. It seems that the practice may encourage the conversion of too many calories to fat. There is also the possibility that the metabolic "cost" of digesting that tough skin may be of some benefit to the snake. My evidence is anecdotal, but it's sufficient to encourage me to change my practices...
Jadie.Glitch
:) colubridstudios.com :)
Wow, that's all really good information. I want to try that but I feel so bad cutting them... I know they are already dead... but eww!! Argh.. I'm a girl who plays with snakes all day... I can't believe something would make me squeamish... but this does. I guess I should just buck it up, huh?
Weebonilass
New member
Slitting them is no guarantee that they will stay down. I had a regurge on Friday, from a tiny thing that has been eating fine since Dec. Didn't even stay down 24 hrs. I'll continue to slit the pinkies, but may have to think twice about the bigger prey, esp. considering the weight that my Ultramel has started to put on.
Jadie.Glitch
:) colubridstudios.com :)
How quickly can you notice your snakes gaining weight? I got mine last month and I could swear they have grown a ton! I wish I had weighed them... I desperatley need to get a scale for the little fatties so I can keep track of it....
Weebonilass
New member
Since I moved my crew up to hoppers and weaned they are packing on the grams weekly... except for Gunn, the one who regurged on me. He came home with me at 6grams in Dec and is only up to 8grams. I tried bumping him up to a 4 day feed week and that's the only thing that I can think of that may have upset his little stomach
Back to five days for him.... after a break here to let his tummy heal...sigh...I weigh & measure mine every time they feed. Can't imagine being without my scale now
Lynnea
That's "lin-NAY-ah"
Just pretend it's a piece of chicken...unless you're a vegetarian, of course.
ghosthousecorns
New member
I've never done it either.
There's a lot of feeding advice out there and some of it to me is not the best idea. Feeding babies every 4-5 days, and slitting the food seems wrong to me. I just feel cornsnakes are not supposed to grow that fast. Yes, they will if given optimal conditions and temps, but those are also the snakes that seem to end up with hips later. I hate to see fat snakes, I prefer a more conservative feeding every 6-7 days and less for the full grown ones, and NOT slitting.
There's a lot of feeding advice out there and some of it to me is not the best idea. Feeding babies every 4-5 days, and slitting the food seems wrong to me. I just feel cornsnakes are not supposed to grow that fast. Yes, they will if given optimal conditions and temps, but those are also the snakes that seem to end up with hips later. I hate to see fat snakes, I prefer a more conservative feeding every 6-7 days and less for the full grown ones, and NOT slitting.
Lynnea
That's "lin-NAY-ah"
I just started slitting, but *only* for the emaciated snake (Mystery), because right now she has a tendancy to regurge. If and when she is closer to what her normal weight should be, then I will stop the slitting. It seems to help her digest easier. Otherwise, I don't slit for any of the others.
Also, I weigh mine at the beginning of the month, unless I'm monitoring them more closely. I bought my scale at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Also, I weigh mine at the beginning of the month, unless I'm monitoring them more closely. I bought my scale at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Last edited:
Weebonilass
New member
The FACT that I have not found one single mouse bone in any of my snakes poo over my lifetime of owning snakes leads me to believe that slitting mice is a waste of time and I've not engaged in the practice to date. I know, I'm a loser!
D80
Well, I'm not convinced of it as the research that was posted previously was pretty compelling. My two 06s have really started to grow since I went from a 7 day feeding schedule to a 5 day. I'm still not sure what I'll be doing with the bigger prey at this point, but I'll continue to slit the pinkies.
Yes, I too was a cutter...
I slit the prey for my corns until this past winter.
They grew fast on slit prey, TOO fast.
My 06 's are all easily breeding size now, all 400-500 grams. None look "fat" and all have good muscle tone, but the larger ones are definitely rather thick.
I never power-fed them, always followed a schedule that worked out to be pretty close to "the Munson Plan".
But they were all slit.
So now I am back to feeding them primarily mice with the occasional ASF rat, no cuts.
Slitting the prey definitely works and makes them grow much faster, but you obviously don't want them to keep packing on the weight once they reach adult size.
I slit the prey for my corns until this past winter.
They grew fast on slit prey, TOO fast.
My 06 's are all easily breeding size now, all 400-500 grams. None look "fat" and all have good muscle tone, but the larger ones are definitely rather thick.
I never power-fed them, always followed a schedule that worked out to be pretty close to "the Munson Plan".
But they were all slit.
So now I am back to feeding them primarily mice with the occasional ASF rat, no cuts.
Slitting the prey definitely works and makes them grow much faster, but you obviously don't want them to keep packing on the weight once they reach adult size.