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feeding qustion from the newbie

Pebbles

Pebbles

New member
Please excuse me. Im a newbie. I have a simple feeding question.
I have never seen any snake eat but my own so I dont have anything to compare to.
Fluffy is almost 3 mo old corn snake. The first 2 feedings we dropped live pinky into the feeding container and she immediately struck and constricted. But she 'butt-munched" and I heard this was not the best way for them to eat. So the next two feedings we used tweezers to hold live pinky in front of Fluffy head-first. Both of these times she did not strike or constrict. She just opened her mouth and lazily ate. The pinky fought and scratched and squeaked the whole time. It was not the quick slam bam done I saw before.
I am worried only because this is not was I saw the first two times. I dont want her to get hurt while she is eating if the pinky struggles too much. Maybe she is not as hungry? maybe its because we used the tweezers? Is this normal?
Please give this newbie some peace of mind!
 
You feed live? That's sort of dangerous, and not really necessary. Have you tried feeding frozen/thawed? Much less painful for the mouse, and safer for the snake. n___n

I've seen my babies eat butt first a lot, it's not really a problem until they start eating larger mice lol. The only real reason being that legs might get stuck. As they get older, they should start eating head first naturally, though.
 
yes the reptile store we bought the snakes from feeds them live and sells the pinkies to us live. I didnt even know there were any other options until I started reading on here recently. Why is it dangerous to feed live food? Because the snakes can get hurt? Would it be difficult you think to switch from live pinkies to frozen?
 
For some snakes it's more difficult, but generally most corns can be converted. Just start offering them frozen/thawed, and if they don't take it you can try scenting the pinkie with with anoles. I think you can also scent with chicken broth? Or cutting it open, particularly to expose brain matter. (gross, but it works.)

It's dangerous because mice can do some serious damage to a snake. Especially as the mice get larger. A cornered mouse that is fighting for it's life has the potential to kill the snake.
 
I did not know that! I am going to talk to my husband about trying that. Thanks for the advice!
 
I also have feeding issues. I've had Peanut for about 5 days now and I was told that he/she (not sure yet) was due to eat the day after i had purchased him. The pet store sold me a pack of 6 frozen pinkies and i have attempted to fed Peanut 3 of them and he/she has only struck at it once & now is not interested in eating at all. I left Peanut in the feeding dish for two days straight with a live mouse and still no response. I'm starting to get worried and am not sure on how to feed. help?
 
most people recommend a few days of settling in before you feed a snake for the first time in a new house
the stress of moving can be hard on a snake
also, if a snake refuses to eat, it is recommended that you wait a few days before trying to feed again (i think like 5-7 days)
trying day after day can further stress a snake out
snakes can usually go quite some time without eating - so waiting shouldnt hurt the snake
when you try feeding the frozen pinks, make sure that they are all the way thawed and hot - i thaw mine out in the hottest water that can come out of the tap
if thats what youve been doing there are other methods to get a non feeder to eat - just search the forums there are lots of ideas thrown out here
 
also most ppl suggest that the first thing you do is check the temps in the enclosure as improper temps can also trigger a non feeding response
 
Ah, can't believe I forgot about temperature! If your snake is too cold, it may not eat or digest well. It might even regurgitate.
 
i wouldnt worry too much about it eating a mouse "backwards"
mine have eaten their food backward on occasion without problems
it seems most ppl think that feeding frozen thawed mice or prekilled mice is safer
if you fed a live one while holding it with tweezers, then my thoughts are that it will eat a dead one that is held with tweezers/tongs just fine (most convert pretty easily from what i hear)
if it doesnt take it the first time then there are certain things you can try - the first thing to try that most will tell you is to put the pinkie and the corn in a small container (like a deli cup) and leave it overnight
and dont get too upset if things don't work out the first time or first day - rushing probably wont help - be patient between attempts
hope that helps you feel a little better - there are many ppl willing to try to help u out if problems arise
 
also,
reasons that your snake might have lazily eaten could have been because u used tweezers, making the mouse seem like it was already dead, but it is fairly common to have the snake just start eating w/o going thru all the fancy ninja moves that it learned illegally from hacking into the govt defense website (although when they have their nunchucks ready they always use those first - they just cant resist the hypnotic state that it puts the mouse in before the imminent attack)

mine sometimes strike and coil and sometimes just get straight to eating (on F/T mice)
 
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