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Hello!

amelanistic frank

amelanistic frank

meshuggahnite
Hi everyone...pretty new to the forum and herps in general...
Have a 4 month old amelanestic corn male named "Frank"
He is happily residing in the pictured viv, having eaten a pinky upon arrival, and two more the following week (he is a hungry little bugger!)
He seems quite content, drinking water while in my hand,
and he is defecating regularly. He is due for a shed before months end.
the viv has heat tape under the left rear quarter, and as you can see, he has his choice of a cold or warm coconut hut for gradient.
the water is cool, bottled and cleaned daily, and he loves to climb his "tree"
Just wanted to say hello to all, and ask- is it abnormal for him to eat "tail-first" occasionally, and should I discourage it?
Also, when would be the appropriate time to bump him to fuzzies, as he seems to take two pinkys a week.
Thanks in advance, it is wonderful to be a member of such a great community of herp-lovers.
Dave
 

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Welcome to the forums! :wavey:
I would say eating tail first is no problem. My snow at tail first almost exclusively until she moved up to bigger mice and realized that she could no longer start at the back end, because it was to big. It is really just the preference of the snake as to which end it goes for. As for fuzzies: I would say when he is eating two pinkies at a sitting and it doesn't leave a very noticable lump then you can try a fuzzy. Don't choose a huge fuzzy, though. Just keep in mind the rule of offering something that is about 1.5 times the widest part of the snakes body and everything should be good. Sounds like you have a very happy snake so far. Have fun and good luck! :)
 
You have a very pretty snake there! you Can feed him ever 5 days if you wish while he is still on pinkies. once he can take 2 pinkies and the lump isn't there long and he is about 16 inches you can try moving him to a small fuzzy. Welcome to the forums! You will find here that there is endless sources of information. the inclouse looks good but once he grows you will want a diffrent one. corn snakes do climb sometimes but there perfer more floor space the height. a 20L fish tank would do fine. but he looks like he will be OK in that for a while. i hope you enjoy your corn and you will probably have many more soon. :wavey:
 
Thanks for the words of encouragement and advice guys/gals-
Frank ate another good sized pinky this evening, he is a very hardy eater!
I m having a blast, cant wait to get him up to fuzzys and hoppers!
Dave
 
i do, i normal light by the tank would look just fine, and they dont need UV so why spend the 25+ shipping???? if i were you i would save that for another snake :wink:
 
One word of caution about your tank...
Since your guy is little, just thought you'd want to know that in most tanks like that (with the "rock" on the back), there are a couple of little slots at the bottom where a little one can get behind the rock. You may want to seal those areas up. If your little one ever goes missing, check there first.
 
Hey CornCrazy-
Thanks for the tip...actuallly, I noticed that the 1st day whan he went "missing" within minutes of putting him in his new home.
Sealed them up with some turf, worked nicely, although- he wasn't too pleased at first, but he'll get over it! :)
Also had to do the same across tohe top rear edge (under the screen)
He was still soo tiny that he wedged himself in there pretty good.
I have a feeling with his appetite, that I will be buying a new tank within a year...Not even going to bother with a hood at this point...would be a waste of money that could go towards gasoline. :(
I will say, he wolfed down a good sized pinky last night, and he was out cruising viv this morning...I have 4 pink's left, I think after those, he will be going up to small fuzzy's. :cool:
 
just wondering, how often are you feeding? You shouldn't feed more than every 5 days.. mine is 16 inches and i have a feeling he would eat 2 pinks a day if i let him, but im feeding him 2 pinkys every 5 days.. since i orderd 20 pinkies i will have to use them up before moving up to fuzzys so i may even go up to 3 pinkies every 5 days soon, before going to fuzzys, but it seems like your feeding him mroe than every 5 days? Just wondering because you stated you fed him 3 times in this thread.
 
Thanks for the concern ashleynicole-
I am actually feeding frank every 4-5 days at this point.
I am just spacing his pinky feeds out to a pink a day versus two at once.
My local herp specialist suggested this as we will be moving him up to fuzzies in a few weeks.
The pinks are hardly showing a lump, so its just a matter of time before he moves up to the next level, and I am in the same boat as you- I have to use up the pinks I have left! :)
I am reading Love's cornsnake guide, just got it yesterday (the newer one)
and Kathy reccomends that feeding hatchlings twice a week is safe and does not constitute power-feeding, so I am currently going that route.
Dave
 
amelanistic frank said:
Thanks for the concern ashleynicole-
I am actually feeding frank every 4-5 days at this point.
I am just spacing his pinky feeds out to a pink a day versus two at once.
My local herp specialist suggested this as we will be moving him up to fuzzies in a few weeks.
The pinks are hardly showing a lump, so its just a matter of time before he moves up to the next level, and I am in the same boat as you- I have to use up the pinks I have left! :)
I am reading Love's cornsnake guide, just got it yesterday (the newer one)
and Kathy reccomends that feeding hatchlings twice a week is safe and does not constitute power-feeding, so I am currently going that route.
Dave
Click to expand...

Its better to feed two at once than one one day and one the next , in my opinion, because that way they get it all at once and can settle in and digest it... its not really good to eat one day, start digesting, adn then eat again the next day.. please someone correct me if i am wrong, it also seems like it would limit your handling time. Of course with my snake i feed him two pinkies one day and hes out and about the next day and i can hold him without problems.. but some say to wait 48 hours after feeding before handling.
 
amelanistic frank said:
I am reading Love's cornsnake guide, just got it yesterday (the newer one)
and Kathy reccomends that feeding hatchlings twice a week is safe and does not constitute power-feeding, so I am currently going that route.
Dave
Click to expand...

I don't hold fast to anyone's recommendations for feeding frequency. Pinkies aren't that nutritious, and if temps are right, a baby digests one in very little time. General guidelines are nice, but every snake is different, and every keeper's conditions are unique. For my hatchlings feeding on small pinks, I feed them every third day. If they're eating one large pinky, or two small ones, I feed every fourth day. When they're up to fuzzies and then hoppers, I feed every fifth day. Skinny adults and yearlings get an appropriately sized (weaned or adult) mouse every fifth or sixth day depending on the snake. Healthy adult snakes get one adult mouse every seventh day. I don't get regurges, and all my snakes seem to be in perfect health. Growth is steady, but not explosive (although the transition to nice, fat fuzzies seems to spike growth).

I've had better results from feeding single prey items more frequently rather than multiple prey items less frequently. You end up getting a feel for it after awhile. At first, heed the experts' recommendations, then tweak them to suit your unique animals and conditions later. Best of luck!

-Dean
 
Thank you everyone for your advice, I very much appreciate it.
I just got home, and it is barely 24 hours past his "2nd" pinky, and he shows no lump or bulge, is out and very active climbing, and had a nice poop on the floor of the viv.
This is the 2nd time now that I have fed him by this method, and it seems to be working very well. He is due for two more double pinky feedings, and then on to a fuzzy he goes!
If you havent checked it out yet, take a look at this link of his feed yesterday:
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24676
Let me know your thoughts!
Dave
 
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