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2 questions on feeding before I have any probs

rob&spence331

rob&spence331

New member
I thought I'd ask these while my corn is still young as I bought it as a hatchling and have only had it about a month. I just want to get some opinions before my feeding habits for it become problematic.

1) what are your opinions on hand feeding it (holding the pinky in one hand in front of it while holding it in my other hand)? I have done some reading and searching and most agree to feed it outside of its enclosure. Almost all have said to put in a small container with food item and feed it that way, but I was told by a couple of my friends that it would be better to feed it by hand since it is still young. Both friends have several snakes that they have had for years and one has only ever been bit once and it was his fault. The other has never been bit.

2) what would be a good way to tell that it is time to increase the size of its meal? I want to know before I need to so that i don't underfeed it for too long. I would prefer not to underfeed it at all. lol. I also don't wanna give it too much either.
 
It doesn't hurt anything to hand feed your baby if he will do it that way. You may find yourself uncomfortable hand feeding an adult, though.

You base the size of the meal on the snake's diameter at its widest part. The mouse should be one to one and a half times the snake's diameter. It's better to feed a meal that is slightly too small than too large.
 
Okay, thanks! :) It has always taken the food from my hand right away so far! It strikes it then brings it towards the hand its sitting on and gets it down then once the lump is close to the middle i set it back in its cage and leave it alone for a day or two. The only time I was uncomfortable so far was the last feed when it insisted on turning away from the pinkie's head and toward my index finger instead. lol. I just kept turning my hand aiming the head at it and it gave up on trying for my finger and took the pinky. lol.
 
Okay. Thanks. Do you think it is likely one day it will bite me? lol. I'm not scared and after reading some of the bite stories I am surprisingly quite ready for the day it does happen if that day ever comes. lol. I have been bit by all kinds of animals, none of them mine. lol. So, I think I will be able to take it. lol.
 
Probably! I get bit by some snake or another every feeding day. The more snakes you have, the greater chance you have of getting bit. It's nothing to be afraid of, though! Just a couple pin pricks. It's more startling than anything. Don't forget to take a picture for Bite Club!
 
MUCH less than either of those. If your baby tags you it won't really hurt at all. If a 5-footer gets you it will sting, but still not a big deal. Their teeth are small but really sharp, so the bite will bleed a bit. I've had worse experiences with a blackberry bush, truth to tell.

I've hand-fed babies who had issues with eating. One of them was determined to eat me. He latched on, wrapped around and gave every evidence that he meant business. What could I do? I laughed and sent my daughter for the camera, of course! She couldn't find it for ever so long; naturally the little fellow had let go by the time she got back.

As Nanci said, there's nothing wrong with handfeeding a baby if you just want to do that, but in the absence of feeding problems there's no real reason to do it either. Most of them don't need it. After all, Mother Nature doesn't handfeed baby snakes.
 
Okay, cool. I can handle bee stings as long as they are not a complete surprise as I am TERRIFIED of bees and wasps. lol. And dog bite, been there done that not fun, but not too bad. lol. staple? I wouldn't feel it. lol. stapled my fingers together once and just pulled it out and kept working. lol. Now, as an adult corn snakes only hurt this much? lol.
 
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