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cutting mice before feeding

D

debcash

Austin's Mom
I just thought I'd pass along a recent experience on this...

When I first got my hatchling from Kathy Love, she mentioned to me about cutting through the skin on pinkies backs before feeding. It seems to help the snakes digest more readily. In additional, last year a study was done by one of the members here that proved that the hatchlings that were fed cut mice to grew at a much quicker rate than their other clutch mates.

Well, I had been great about cutting the pinkies for the first several months, but about 3 weeks ago things got very busy for me...I was rushing through feedings, and didn't cut the pinkies/fuzzies for several feedings. Over that two week period, out of my 44 snakes, I had 5 regurges (I had had none when I was cutting the mice).
As soon as I realized what was happening I went back to cutting the mice and this is now the second feeding with no regurges.

Does anyone else cut the mice before feeding??
 
After an article in the SAC newsletter I have cut all my hatchlings meals. I have seen a marked improvement in growth from previous years.
 
As soon as I switched Sienna to f/t, all of her mice were snipped, and my other 2 have had snipped mice from day one with me.

Sienna is quite big now, at 3+ feet and well over 150 grams (and her first birthday was last week). I'm all for the mice snipping method.
 
My X-Acto knife is right next to my tongs. I slice down the spine religiously, even the adult mice that I feed to JD, who as an '04, is over 3.5 feet long now.

And no, I don't powerfeed. Hatchlings/juvies are fed every 5 days, sub-adults/adults are fed every 7-10 days.

Along with the standard feeding tips (feed in a separate container than the viv, make sure the f/t temp is as close as possible to the "live temp", etc.), I tell noobs to "slice yer mice".

regards,
jazz
 
I cut all the mice for every snake but my big amel. He doesn't need any help with digesting! He's plenty big already :) I bought a pair of little sewing scissors for the purpose. One for the corns, one for the Green Trees.
 
Hey I have a question of my own...
I've been told to 'slice my mice' down the back but not exactly sure how to go about it. Should I do it before they are thawed or after?
 
CopperCornsnake said:
Should I do it before they are thawed or after?
Click to expand...
Take a razor blade to an ice cube, and then to your thumb; the results should approximate slicing a rodent frozen vs. thawed. :grin01:

regards,
jazz
 
Thaw, then snip crosswise down the back in 3 or 4 places. It makes a little "v" shaped cut with the bottom of the "v" facing the tail of the mouse. I can usually make 3 in a pinky and 4 on everything else.
 
I have a pair of 'kitchen scissors' I keep in the snake room. I snip across the back 3-4 times for each pinkie after it is thawed.
 
I've never done it before but Im going to start. Sounds like its just easier on the snake and even if they dont need it, it doesnt hurt.

I love the info on this board. It makes it easier to give your snake the best possible life.
 
For anyone wishing to view some of the data, I just clipped a few pics for fun...

Red = control group - no cuts
Blue = 2 cuts, skin only
Yellow = 4 cuts, skin only
Green = 2 cuts with cavity perforation (chest)
Purple = average of the 3 cut groups combined

+/- = 1 standard deviation...


averages.jpg


chartweight.jpg


chart.jpg
 
Hmm, I'd never heard about this method before, even after doing lots of research. I've only had Louis five days and he had his first meal recently, though, so it's not too late to start.

Question: how deep should the cuts be made? I don't want to end up disembowelling the mouse by accident.
 
If you cut over the neck and chest, dorsally (over the back), you have little risk of guts popping out at you. You only need to perforate the skin, that's your main barrier. I usually make 2 to 4 little v-shaped snips from head to lumbar (back muscle) area.
 
Amazing Hurley! You could be the next Ross Perot with all the charts!

But really, that is excellent information! Anyone who sees that is deffinately going to start cutting those mousers.

Thank you for putting up such wonderful information, Im sure it took a while! Its greatly appreciated :D
 
I've got a small pair of curved sharp tipped iris scissors, but any small, sharp-tipped sewing scissor would work just as well. You can also tear pinky/fuzzy skin very easily by just pinching it on either side of where you want the break to be and pulling. Guaranteed no cuts into the abdomen that way. No special equipment required (other than a non-squeamish stomach).
 
Mom didn't believe us

She just thought we were being gross! But we showed her this post and she said we are going to start cutting tonight. Thank you for the information.
 
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