View Full Version : Help!
the pinkie seems way to big to be fed to my little snake...besides the fact i saw the pinkie and now i dont think i can feed the snake the pinkie, is there an alternative, or am i going to have to feed the snake the poor pinkie? the pinkie does seem way to large.
JAdkins2451
02-05-05, 12:02 AM
You would be suprised what it can take. And there is no alternitives. Sorry.
Jamie
HeatherRose
02-05-05, 12:05 AM
If you've bought a snake...you're going to have to feed it :\
Is it a rat pinky or a mouse pinky? I'm not much experienced with corns, but I would try feeding it anyway. If it's too big, it's too big and it will probably not eat it. Offer it anyway, snakes can often eat prey that is larger than you'd think.
If it makes you feel better, pinkies don't live very long... chances are, it will die anyway.
its not that i feel bad its that what if my snake eats it then it clogs him up?
HeatherRose
02-05-05, 12:09 AM
It won't 'clog him up'... while it's not healthy for the snake (or pleasant for you), they can regurgitate prey.
Likely, if it is too big it will not eat it.
beanersmysav
02-05-05, 12:20 AM
In the corn snake manual is says that they can be fed prey that is 1 to 1.5 times the size of the largest part of the snake. Make your best judgement on that. But new born corns take baby pinks so you should have no problem.
They can take even larger. Without even seeing your snake, I would be 99% positive it would take the pinky down with no problems unless other health or husbandry problems exsist.
Marisa
well, the pinky has een in there about 10 min now, the snake, hasn't yet to notice it, however I'll keep you up to date on the happenings, thank you for your concern, and help.
JAdkins2451
02-05-05, 12:31 AM
Did you just get the snake within a couple o f days.. if so you should let the snake settle in before you feed it..
well, I had originally intended to, however the guy at the local petshop, seems to have on record that the last feeding was nearly 2 weeks ago...
beanersmysav
02-05-05, 12:34 AM
So it's well past feeding time, I feed my 2 ft corn once every five days, he'd be due for his third feed in my book... Adults you can feed much less but they take much bigger prey.
HeatherRose
02-05-05, 12:35 AM
Regardless of when it was last fed, giving it time to let it settle in and adjust would be best before attempting to feed...
Just an opinion :)
beanersmysav
02-05-05, 12:36 AM
Yeah that's very true Heather, forgot the fact she just bought it. I'd definatly wait a week or two, they can go without food for awhile, but once it's an established eater don't be shy :)
JAdkins2451
02-05-05, 12:39 AM
Thats all I was tryin to figrue out. Just incase. I didnt want it to regurge on you .
He has killed the pinky, now it looks as if he is struggling to find a way to get it into his mouth?
oh he has got it now...i didnt see you guys had replyed so it is to late now, he was hungry, just could find the pinky i guess ... he has it now...
HeatherRose
02-05-05, 12:48 AM
He'll figure it out ;)
he ate it andis now working it down his body, you will have to forgive me. this is the first time ive ever really seen a snake eat and is the first snake i owned so i was a bit freaked, ill getused to it, for there are many more furture feeding to go.
HeatherRose
02-05-05, 12:53 AM
No problem! There is a first time for everything :D I remember my first time feeding a snake (someone elses though, not mine)...it was exciting! :D
Good luck with the little corn in the future :D
beanersmysav
02-05-05, 12:59 AM
Yeah my first time seeing my corn snake eat I was amazed at how they could take such big prey. Then I saw my Colombian Red Tail eat and was shocked in the difference as soon as I lowered him to his feeding box he uncoiled from my hand and wrapped around the f/t mouse, and then when I saw my almost 4 foot ball python eat I found it humorous, he did the same thing as my boa except he went under water with it for about 10 minutes.
I guess you could say I still love watching snakes feed :)
it will take me a few more feedings...i just get squeemish...dont like seeing things like that...ill get used to it after all I wanted the snake so ..one question how soon after a snake eats, can it be handled?
Asian Jon
02-05-05, 01:11 AM
Yup you're right on the money with that one. Although, there is still the chance it may regurge because you did not wait for it to adjust to its new home before feeding it. But what's done is done. Just make sure you wait the full 48 hours and if you get tempted please refrain :)
tempted i am but because of the injury it could cause my snake i am refraining, if he was going to regurgitate the pinky mouse, would he have done it already? ~thanks Amber~
48 hrs is the "rule of thumb", however "rules" are somewhat flexible.
I have had regures after 72 hours with prey items that were quite 'large' for the snake's size. Generally I won't handle my Kings or Milks after feeding until I see some fresh stool if that's the case.
24 hours might be the case with smaller items, but generally I leave them alone for at least 36 hours, although I don't time myself.
I guess if you can see a bit of a bulge after 48 hours, leave her alone another day. :)
And no it's not too late to regurge if it's too big, however if he/she's got adequate heat it'll be fine.
I do notice some snakes prefer to spend a lot of time soaking after their meals and once or twice I have attributed a regurge to this. I think since the water is on the cool side of the tank, if it decides to soak after a big meal, it may be too cold to digest and it ends up regurging a few days later.
If I think the meal was a bit on the big side, I'll take the water dish out for a day or two to try and coax the snake to bask rather than soak. If the meal wasn't large or the snake isn't soaking all day after a big meal, I don't bother doing that...
I have a small problem with my snake i have him in a rubbermaid enclosure with alid that locks...wel i have a uth and he seems to be spending the majority of his time at the top in the crease of the lid, this is keeping him cool..he has not rugurgitated his food yet but im scared he might becasue he is too cool and i cant firgure out a way to keep him warm..ive even put the uth on top of the lid...it still cant reach him. I heard someone say use heat tape with a dimmer . what is all of that?
JAdkins2451
02-06-05, 08:35 PM
It dosent mean he is cold. If he gets to cold he will go where its warm.
i hope so i dont want the little guy becoming ill.
peterm15
02-06-05, 08:47 PM
do you have a hide on the warm side.. that might get him off the lip..
yeah i do have a hide but he still goes in it and out but he prefers the lip. and when i dont see him i freak out thinking he got out and i open the lid and there he is curled up in the lip.
Chances are that when he wedges himself between the lip and the lid, he feels more secure than anywhere else.. And like you said, you think he's not in there until you open it and see him at the lip.. He's doing what he wants.. Hiding... Try putting a SMALLER hide on the warm side and one on the cool side as well, one that you think might be too small, that way he can feel it all around him..
Just a thought.. :D
-Matt
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.