Tips and Tricks

[diamondlil]

i would be more worried about over feeding with "snacks" then about a feeding a split this or that
the regurge protocol calls for smaller food items than normal for a few weeks and ample time for them to rebuild their gastric fluids, during this time the snake gets no nutrients
and often the smaller food item consists of a pink's head to accommodate a smaller food item
that being said, a big part of this would probably depend on the frequency that you feed your snake, if it is a half every two weeks then i could see the effects being greater than if you heed a half ever 3-4 days
when i got my first snake, i fed her every week one whole pink, i dont really see the difference between that and if i would have fed her a half pink twice a week
but i could be wrong
btw... i am still waiting to be ripped a new one

I'm still not ripping you anything!
I watched a program about how a snake's liver actually enlarges when it's digesting prey, I think it was an African rock python digesting an antelope. Eating actually caused physiological changes. So feeding small meals frequently could perhaps be more harmful than giving a suitable item with a longer interval?

 

[cat bojangles]

I have a question about the sterilite tubs.

Do you drill a hole to fit a lock on the lid, or do they snap shut securely enough to prevent snake escapes? I know that you need to drill holes for air around the sides. I am going to need a bigger viv for my little guy this spring/summer, and would be happy to get a sterilite tub if it turns out to be a good habitiat.

 

[gelshark]

I'm still not ripping you anything!
I watched a program about how a snake's liver actually enlarges when it's digesting prey, I think it was an African rock python digesting an antelope. Eating actually caused physiological changes. So feeding small meals frequently could perhaps be more harmful than giving a suitable item with a longer interval?

that could be...
how often do african rock pythons eat?
and how often do they eat that big of on item?
i think that most healthy snakes in the wild do not eat as often as most snakes in captivity thus making malnourishment in captive corns a smaller risk ... i could be wrong

 

[diamondlil]

that could be...
how often do african rock pythons eat?
and how often do they eat that big of on item?
i think that most healthy snakes in the wild do not eat as often as most snakes in captivity thus making malnourishment in captive corns a smaller risk ... i could be wrong

I'd say you're exactly right. Except malnourishment in the form of overfeeding leading to obesity is a major risk for captive snakes, IMO

 

[luckycharm318]

Don't older mice have a higher calcium content than younger mice, as their bones are better developed with age?

Halved (length-wise) larger prey items would not necessarily be less nutritional than whole smaller/appropriate sized prey items. I would think that they would have more nutritional value as they are better developed than their smaller counterparts.

So in essence, feeding a larger, but halved prey item could be beneficial to your snakes. :shrugs:

Also, you must remember that, in the wild, snakes eat whatever prey they can swallow and there are many snakes alive and well out there who I'm sure are not concerned with the nutritional value of their meals.

 

[diamondlil]

Don't older mice have a higher calcium content than younger mice, as their bones are better developed with age?

Halved (length-wise) larger prey items would not necessarily be less nutritional than whole smaller/appropriate sized prey items. I would think that they would have more nutritional value as they are better developed than their smaller counterparts.

So in essence, feeding a larger, but halved prey item could be beneficial to your snakes. :shrugs:

Also, you must remember that, in the wild, snakes eat whatever prey they can swallow and there are many snakes alive and well out there who I'm sure are not concerned with the nutritional value of their meals.

I'm all out of rep power, I owe you one!
How often does a wild corn eat each year? Have there been studies to show exactly what they eat? Do they carry pocket Munson plan guides in hidden pockets? I think the world needs answers!

 

[gelshark]

Don't older mice have a higher calcium content than younger mice, as their bones are better developed with age?

Halved (length-wise) larger prey items would not necessarily be less nutritional than whole smaller/appropriate sized prey items. I would think that they would have more nutritional value as they are better developed than their smaller counterparts.

So in essence, feeding a larger, but halved prey item could be beneficial to your snakes. :shrugs:

Also, you must remember that, in the wild, snakes eat whatever prey they can swallow and there are many snakes alive and well out there who I'm sure are not concerned with the nutritional value of their meals.

you cant cut an adult mouse in half and feed it to a snake that is on small pinkies,

instead of cutting them in half, i think we should just order shrink machines
if we ever get a mouse to big then we just shrink the mouse
honey i shrunk the mouse...
or better yet, we get the reverse shrinker
and instead of waiting to grow our snakes into adulthood, we just blow them up initially

(anyone remember that seinfeld when there was significant shrinkage?)

 

[snakewispera snr]

I don't think the nutritional content of half a mouse is a good enough reason NOT to do it........
The mess after the strike feed is...... ergggg.

 

[diamondlil]

I don't think the nutritional content of half a mouse is a good enough reason NOT to do it........
The mess after the strike feed is...... ergggg.

Ah don't be such a girl, Mike! (Mind you, I've pureed mice then been forced by my boys to buy a new blender, so maybe I should say 'don't be such a man'!)

 

[luckycharm318]

I'm all out of rep power, I owe you one!
How often does a wild corn eat each year? Have there been studies to show exactly what they eat? Do they carry pocket Munson plan guides in hidden pockets? I think the world needs answers!

I appreciate the thought.

And I laughed out loud at the thought of a snake carrying a Munson plan guide in a hidden pocket! :rofl:

The only reason snake owners fret over what to feed their snakes and the nutritional content of their prey items is because we want them to really thrive, but plenty of wild corns do thrive eating less nutritional prey, less often.

Corns haven't evolved to be coddled and fed by humans, they are lean, mean, hunting machines that can go for extended periods of time without eating, and without losing a dangerous amount of weight or affecting their health to a life threatening point.

While I have never put an animal through the process of brumation, and have very little knowledge about the subject, I would assume that in the wild, brumation is brought on by a period of colder temperatures. During these chillier times, reptiles do not eat, as they would not be able to properly digest anything at said lower temperatures. I would also assume that these cold periods could last for several months, depending on the habitat.

 

[luckycharm318]

you cant cut an adult mouse in half and feed it to a snake that is on small pinkies,

instead of cutting them in half, i think we should just order shrink machines
if we ever get a mouse to big then we just shrink the mouse
honey i shrunk the mouse...
or better yet, we get the reverse shrinker
and instead of waiting to grow our snakes into adulthood, we just blow them up initially

(anyone remember that seinfeld when there was significant shrinkage?)

I wasn't suggesting feeding a hatchling on pinkies a halved adult mouse.

I was suggesting that the halved prey be roughly the same size as whatever size prey that is appropriate for the size of your snake.

 

[diamondlil]

I appreciate the thought.

And I laughed out loud at the thought of a snake carrying a Munson plan guide in a hidden pocket! :rofl:

The only reason snake owners fret over what to feed their snakes and the nutritional content of their prey items is because we want them to really thrive, but plenty of wild corns do thrive eating less nutritional prey, less often.

Corns haven't evolved to be coddled and fed by humans, they are lean, mean, hunting machines that can go for extended periods of time without eating, and without losing a dangerous amount of weight or affecting their health to a life threatening point.

While I have never put an animal through the process of brumation, and have very little knowledge about the subject, I would assume that in the wild, brumation is brought on by a period of colder temperatures. During these chillier times, reptiles do not eat, as they would not be able to properly digest anything at said lower temperatures. I would also assume that these cold periods could last for several months, depending on the habitat.

Shelby, if you get the chance to watch the documentary about tiger snakes on King Island, they only get to eat the chicks of a seabird that nests there once a year, and can only eat the young for a limited time until they all fledge and leave the island. All the rest of the year, nothing except small lizards which the juvenile snakes feed on. The adults basically have a small window of time each year to get all their nutrition.

 

[gelshark]

I wasn't suggesting feeding a hatchling on pinkies a halved adult mouse.

I was suggesting that the halved prey be roughly the same size as whatever size prey that is appropriate for the size of your snake.

are you sure?
i read your first post 18 times and it says exactly thus
"when feeding a newborn hatchling for the first time, get an adult guinea pig, cut it half (or just the tail off) and then weigh the two fragments and feed the larger of the two sections to the snake, this is to be done when you have run out of extra small pinks and are awaiting shipment of the next bulk order of 1000 to come for your single baby bliss, or when ever the price on pigs is better than on pinks"

did i miss something?:sidestep:

 

[gelshark]

Shelby, if you get the chance to watch the documentary about tiger snakes on King Island, they only get to eat the chicks of a seabird that nests there once a year, and can only eat the young for a limited time until they all fledge and leave the island. All the rest of the year, nothing except small lizards which the juvenile snakes feed on. The adults basically have a small window of time each year to get all their nutrition.

are those the snakes that are almost all of them blind?
due to getting their eyes pecked out?

 

[luckycharm318]

Shelby, if you get the chance to watch the documentary about tiger snakes on King Island, they only get to eat the chicks of a seabird that nests there once a year, and can only eat the young for a limited time until they all fledge and leave the island. All the rest of the year, nothing except small lizards which the juvenile snakes feed on. The adults basically have a small window of time each year to get all their nutrition.

That's amazing! And a perfect example of evolution at work.

I'm actually surprised that a vertebrate can live on one meal a year. :eek1:

And to think, we humans can go eight weeks at best, without food and only three to five days without water.

We may have large brains, that have allowed us to excel in the world, but we wouldn't win in a fasting contest. :nope:

 

[diamondlil]

are you sure?
i read your first post 18 times and it says exactly thus
"when feeding a newborn hatchling for the first time, get an adult guinea pig, cut it half (or just the tail off) and then weigh the two fragments and feed the larger of the two sections to the snake, this is to be done when you have run out of extra small pinks and are awaiting shipment of the next bulk order of 1000 to come for your single baby bliss, or when ever the price on pigs is better than on pinks"

did i miss something?:sidestep:

Yes you did! If you pick the guineapig up by its tail, the squeak falls out, making a perfect meal for a hatchling corn. Everyone knows that!

 

[luckycharm318]

are you sure?
i read your first post 18 times and it says exactly thus
"when feeding a newborn hatchling for the first time, get an adult guinea pig, cut it half (or just the tail off) and then weigh the two fragments and feed the larger of the two sections to the snake, this is to be done when you have run out of extra small pinks and are awaiting shipment of the next bulk order of 1000 to come for your single baby bliss, or when ever the price on pigs is better than on pinks"

did i miss something?:sidestep:

Silly me, I did say that. :roflmao:

 

[diamondlil]

are those the snakes that are almost all of them blind?
due to getting their eyes pecked out?

Yep, from the adult birds in the burrows, that they have to kill so they can eat the chicks.

 

[luckycharm318]

Yep, from the adult birds in the burrows, that they have to kill so they can eat the chicks.

I don't envy the one-meal-a-year eating eye-ball-less or blinded-by-pecking Tiger snakes that live on King Island.

Off topic, but I just received a call that my boyfriend has cracked his noodle open outside the bar, is unconscious in the ER at the moment, and has a BAC too high for the machine to read. I knew I should have gone to visit him this weekend. Anxiously awaiting another phone call. :awcrap:

Please continue on topic, I just needed to tell someone.

 

[diamondlil]

I don't envy the one-meal-a-year eating eye-ball-less or blinded-by-pecking Tiger snakes that live on King Island.

Off topic, but I just received a call that my boyfriend has cracked his noodle open outside the bar, is unconscious in the ER at the moment, and has a BAC too high for the machine to read. I knew I should have gone to visit him this weekend. Anxiously awaiting another phone call. :awcrap:

Please continue on topic, I just needed to tell someone.

I think they get about 5 or 6 weeks a year to feed in.
I hope your boyfriend's ok