• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Am I not feeding my snake enough to eat?

R

richcar

New member
I just got a 1+ year old Creamsicle cornsnake and fed her a pinky today and I could not see a bulge in her after she downed the pinky? :shrugs:

I thought the store clerk said she was still feeding her pinky, but i did not think to ask her while I was at the store. (to busy with my new friend)

She is about 14 to maybe 16 inches in length I have not measured her yet. She weighs about 45 -50 grams (I need a better scale)

I dont want to starve my baby!
:eats02:
Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated

Richcar
 
You really should be feeding mice that are 1-1.5 times the girth of the snake if the snake is healthy. Anything smaller for a healthy snake is not enough food unless you are feeding multiple small items to make up the difference. At a year old, I'd think good sized fuzzies or hoppers would be the size appropriate to be feeding your snake :)
 
doesnt sound like she's a year old to me, unless she's really small. If she's still in pinkie's, and there isnt a buldge, I would start feeding her two pinkies to get her started on a larger amount of food, and move her up to small fuzzies. If you do it gradually, it'll be an easier switch for your little one.
 
A 1+ year old snake should not be 14" long :shrugs: Either you were given an incorrect age, or your measurements are inaccurate.

If you can't see a lump after feeding, it's time to move up to the next prey size. If your snake really is over a year old, he certainly shouldn't be eating pinky mice. My corn is 16 months and he's on medium/large adults.
 
Yeah, my year old is already off of fuzzies, and Informer, who isnt even 6 months old is on SMALL fuzzies, now.
 
My corn is 16 months and he's on medium/large adults.
Click to expand...

Personally, I'd beware of rigidly equating age with size.

I have a 3 year old who has only been capable of taking medium mice in the last couple of months. Looks like it'll be summer at least before she goes up to the standard large mice that I'd expect a snake of around 18 months-2 years to be taking.

Different Corns grow at different rates so it's best to judge food size by the girth of the individual.

I'd agree with a gradual increase - if you suddenly offer a larger food item, then you risk a regurge. Try 2 pinks at the next feed, then 3 the feed after, If they stay down OK, go to fuzzy on the feed after that. Once mine are on fuzzies, I usually offer one every 5 days.

Don't worry about underfeeding. It's much better for their health than overfeeding (unless the Corn is on the verge of starvation).
 
bitsy said it wonderfully. You can't always judge age based on size. I've got quite a few slow growers in my collection, as well as some that have really taken off for their age. A 45 - 50 gram yearling is just fine. I go more by weight than length as it's difficult to measure length. I have an '05 that is still only 38 grams and feeding on large pinkies to "just turned" fuzzies. He's one of those snakes that simply can't handle the mid to upper extreme of what one could normally feed a corn. And he has a bit of a problem with the hair. But if I keep him on the slightly smaller meals (they leave a bulge, just not a really large one), he does well enough. Yeah, he grows slowly, but at least he doesn't regurge.
 
My Dean chart says a 30-50g snake should eat a 7-9g fuzzy every 5-6 days. A 51-90g snake should eat a 9-12g hopper every 5-6 days.

Nanci
 
Nanci said:
My Dean chart says a 30-50g snake should eat a 7-9g fuzzy every 5-6 days. A 51-90g snake should eat a 9-12g hopper every 5-6 days.

Nanci
Click to expand...

Where can I get more information on that chart?
 
Dean's Feeding Chart

Pink 2-3g every 4-5 days 4-15g snake

2 Pinks 3gx2 4-5 days 16-23g snake

Small Fuzzy 5-7g 5-6 days 24-30g snake

Fuzzy 7-9g 5-6 days 30-50g snake

Hopper 9-12g 5-6 days 51-90g snake

Weaned mouse 14-20g 7 days 91-179g snake

Adult mouse 24-30g 7 days 170+g snake

(I have it in my Palm so I don't have to search for it whenever I need to consult it)

Nanci
 
bitsy said:
Personally, I'd beware of rigidly equating age with size.
Click to expand...

Sure, I agree with that and I understand age isn't always an indicator of size prey required. I was merely using what I said as an example to make my point, I wasn't trying to say that all 16 mo snakes should be on that exact prey size. But I still stand by what I said - I really believe that no 1+ year old corn snake should be on pinkies, unless there have been health issues or something. The OP indicated that the pinkie leaves no lump in her snake, indicating that the snake should be on larger prey.

If anyone looking for advice read my original post, I apologise if I was misleading. What I said was just an example.
 
Nanci said:
Pink 2-3g every 4-5 days 4-15g snake

2 Pinks 3gx2 4-5 days 16-23g snake

Small Fuzzy 5-7g 5-6 days 24-30g snake

Fuzzy 7-9g 5-6 days 30-50g snake

Hopper 9-12g 5-6 days 51-90g snake

Weaned mouse 14-20g 7 days 91-179g snake

Adult mouse 24-30g 7 days 170+g snake

(I have it in my Palm so I don't have to search for it whenever I need to consult it)

Nanci
Click to expand...

Where are you getting this information and how do you know it is correct?
:shrugs:
 
TriggerHappy101 said:
Where are you getting this information and how do you know it is correct?
:shrugs:
Click to expand...
It's the Munson plan! It seems to work as a good general feeding guide. You have to adapt it to fit your particular snake's digestion and growth rate.
 
She is definately ready for a bigger meal

I fed my baby 2 pinkies today and she made them disappear like magic. I did some more sizing and she is 24 inches long and ways 50 grams (before meal). next week I am going to upgrade to a fuzzy and see how she does with that.

on the sizing chart that has been mentioned in this thread is it documented anywhere?

Thanks again everyone for you input.
 
As I acquire more experience, I tweak my guide. I've never offered this guide as THE definitive guide to corn feeding, but it has worked for me. Here's the latest version:

-When they're on single pinks (2-3g), I feed every 4-5 days. (Snake = 4-15g)
-Double pinks (3g x 2) every 4-5 days. (Snake = 16-23g)
-Small fuzzies (5-7g) every 5-6 days. (Snake = 24-30g)
-Regular fuzzies (7-9g) every 5-6 days (Snake = 30-50g)
-Hoppers (9-12g) every 5-6 days (Snake = 51-90g)
-Weaned (14-20g) every 7 days (Snake = 91-170g)
-Adult (24-30g) every 7-x days (Snake = 170+)
-Jumbo Adults (40-50g) every 7-x days (Snake = 400g +)

Note: Adult females are fed more frequently than adult males (especially following brumation). Females are fed every 6-8 days; males are fed every 7-14 days.
Click to expand...
 
Interesting

Thank you for the info, I will definately move up a couple of notches. even with 2 pinkies in her she does not have a bump and I was going by the store clerk who said they were feeding them a pinky once every 7 days. I am begining to think it might have been to slow down the growth so the snakes would stay "relitively" small longer.

Thanks again
 
I am begining to think it might have been to slow down the growth so the snakes would stay "relitively" small longer
Click to expand...

Shops/retailers tend to leave longer between feeds, because the more the snakes consume, the smaller the profit margin. Of course, nobody worth their salt does it to the detriment of the snake (there's no profit at all in a sick or dead animal), but if it's likely to be with the seller for some time, they won't be too worried about growth rates. Seven days is about what I'd expect for a hatchling in a commercial operation, but a private keeper will usually feed more often.
 
Nanci said:
Pink 2-3g every 4-5 days 4-15g snake

2 Pinks 3gx2 4-5 days 16-23g snake

Small Fuzzy 5-7g 5-6 days 24-30g snake

Fuzzy 7-9g 5-6 days 30-50g snake

Hopper 9-12g 5-6 days 51-90g snake

Weaned mouse 14-20g 7 days 91-179g snake

Adult mouse 24-30g 7 days 170+g snake

(I have it in my Palm so I don't have to search for it whenever I need to consult it)

Nanci
Click to expand...

Im new to this, but i wouldnt trust that wholly, im guessing it all depends on the snake as to what it wants to eat. I heard of someone who couldnt feed their snake anything other then a pinky, and it was 3 years old, so her snake just got 8 pinkys a week
 
im guessing it all depends on the snake
Click to expand...

Oh for sure. That feeding table is a tried and tested set of good, general guidelines that will apply to most Corns.

However, as we all know, the Corns just don't read the books and you'll eventually come across one who throws you a curveball and decide to eat "off the menu". :rolleyes: It's learning how to deal with the exceptions to the rule, that can sometimes be most satisfying.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top