Time for fuzzies? and other q's

[Pharo]

I've been feeding my snake 2 pinkies a week and just this last feeding I gave it 3, it ate them all easily. Do you think it'll be able to move onto 1 fuzzy? The thickest part of my snakes body is about the width of a pinky, maybe slightly bigger.

My snake isn't a picky eater when it comes to environment and stuff, I always feed him pinkies I buy from petco (called Gourmet something) but when I tried to feed him some pinkies from a dif. shop he completely ignored them. Could it be the smell? Or maybe the petco ones are sprayed with something?

Another question: What's the estimate size for a cornsnake thats about a year old? I'm not sure if my snakes small for it's age. Thanks for the help.

 

[Dave123]

Yes, Your snake should be ready for a fuzzie. I dont know why he wouldnt take the pinky from a different store. Maybe it just had a different smell? :shrugs: And the estimate size of a corn snake at 1 year is around 1 and a half to 2 feet. Hope that answers your questions.

 

[Raiden The Almighty]

I have a snake that is about a year old and hes pusing three feet and about 300 grams. hes pretty big for his age and hes been eating 3 adult mice a week. he never stops growing. :grin01:

If I were you i would move him up to two appropreiately sized fuzzies about 1.5 times as wide as his widest part is as big as you should go.

 

[Pharo]

Thank you, I'll get him some fuzzies, his next feeding is sunday. He's about 1 1/2 - 2 feet so he's about normal size So you think I should feed him 1 fuzzy, two times a week? Or 2 in one feeding? That seems like alot for one feeding but I guess I'm still not use to him eating something much bigger then his head. XD

 

[Raiden The Almighty]

2 in one feeding will be better then 1 twice a week. If you feed twice a week the snakes dont really have enough time to digest, especially if you want to handdle them.

 

[Raiden The Almighty]

Dont worry about your snake their jaws can stretch pretty wide. Like i said my normal can wolf down 3 Adult mice in a single sitting. My best wishes. :wavey:

 

[Pharo]

Ok I'll try 2 fuzzies, thanks alot for the advice!

 

[Kitty]

I'm sure someone with more experience will come along and correct any errors I may make, but the general rule of thumb is feed prey items no more than 1.5 times the diameter of your snake.

I don't know that I would start him off right away on double fuzzies, though. Try a single for a few feeds - I'd personally try one fuzz every six days or so. If that seems too small, take a look at hoppers.

My two biggest babies (53 gr and 48 gr, respectively) are handling 8-10 gr hoppers without much difficulty. I haven't measured in a while, but I'd guess they're around 2 feet long now.

Good luck with your snake. :wavey:

 

[Lennycorn]

Go with what Kitty said about the 1 1/2 times the snake girth rule. The snake age and lenght is not a good guide to follow when it comes to feeding.
And you should try to feed it only one food item. Only when you are moving up to a larger food item do you double up, for a few feeding.

 

[PnyKlr]

I would have to agree with Kitty and Lenny: feed one fuzzy for now. If you can not see a noticeable lump for 24-48 hours after feeding, try a fuzzy and a pink. If you can't see the lump....move to 2 fuzzies, so on and so on. It is, in my opinion, better to go slowly with your prey items than to jump up all at once and risk a regurge.

:-offtopic

Raiden The Almighty Dont worry about your snake their jaws can stretch pretty wide. Like i said my normal can wolf down 3 Adult mice in a single sitting. My best wishes.

Is this normal feeding for most snakes this size (3', 300 grams)? 3 adult mice a week seems excessive. I say this because many feed their snakes one adult every 7-10 days. Is this considered power-feeding? *Please know, that in no way am I attacking you on this, I am truly curious about the matter*

 

[mcp41483]

Size

I have two corns that I have had for about two years. I am just putting in my two cents so hope this helps.

When you are going up in size with your feeders it is recommended that you just do one for a couple of feedings and then move up to two per feeding until you dont see a lump after 24 hours.

Also snakes can eat more than people think. Now for the guy feeding three adult mice does seem like much, but it all depends on the size of the adults, but I feed my snakes small rats every 7-8 days and have been for a while now. Some might call that powerfeeding too.....

 

[PnyKlr]

Well, that would have been my next question: If feeding 3 adults, why not move to rats (pups or whatever size is appropriate)?

 

[Raiden The Almighty]

OK let me explain a little. First off my corn is quite healthy he is just very well muscled, he is in no way obese but just keeps on growing. He is a very aggressive feeder and always has been. I feed him three small adult mice a week but they are medium sized not large adult mice. I would feed him rat pups but my local petshop never has them in for long. And because i know someone will ask I don't use frozen thawed because my snakes prefer fresh killed mice and it is easier for me check for quality than if I were to use an internet order rodent supplier. My normal is a bit of a giant, he'll most likely be four ft before the end of the year the way he grows. I never push my snakes to eat. If they refuse a mouse I freeze it for when I cant get an adequate supply of mice.

 

[PnyKlr]

Is it the wild caught or captive bred normal? And I understand completely about snakes growing like weeds. Both of my corns are adding about 2 inches a month!

 

[Raiden The Almighty]

He is a captive bred.

 

[Jessicat]

Pharo, feeding a snake two smaller prey items is not as nutritious as one larger one. Use the two smaller pinkies or fuzzies as transition meals. Don't be afraid to move your snake up in mice size. Once you get up to hoppers you should hopefully start seeing a more rapid growth rate in your snake.