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jon31072000

jon31072000

New member
Ok, I have 2 baby corns that were born 2010 and Ive had both for about a month. One thing that I noticed was that my Creamsicle seems to only eat if I use the warm water method to thaw his mouse. If I let it thaw by leaving it out in room temp, he seems very disinterested. This could just be coincidence, but that is the way it seems to me. I have been trying to feed him for a week and he wouldnt eat, every mouse I thawed out by letting it sit out in my room for about an hour. Yesterday, I tried the warm water method and he took 2 pinkies. Like I said, it may be just he wasnt hungry the other days, but it seems like he is a fan of the warm water. When I first got him, I also used the warm water method and he ate great, but the 2 weeks in between, I was just letting them sit out and thawing that way with no luck. Again, I know there are a thousand reasons that they wont eat, so I am definately not saying that is fact, just what I have seen. Thanks for reading and hope to hear others stories about their snakes. Jon
 
Corns can be odd little beasties and they do have their own individual preferences, habits and foibles.

Some folks have Corns who will only eat mice of a specific colour and I know at least one bod here has a Corn that won't touch anything with fur and has had to eat younger mice all its life.

Behaviours can change as well. One of mine once decided that he wanted to be hand-fed, despite normally being plonked in a feeding tank with a defrosted mouse and taking it without any problems. I spent six months feeding him with tongs before he decided to chow down of his own accord again. He's been fine ever since.

The bottom line is that an eating Corn - however you achieve it! - is a happy Corn.
 
I have read that sometimes the mice have an offensive smell if not washed before serving. "For what it's worth."
 
Thanks to both of you. I agree with Bitsy, these guys can have odd habits. One thing I will say is that I always put the mouse(pinky) in a ziplock bag when I soak them in warm water, so I dont know if there is an odor problem as it would still be there, if there is any, even when thawing it in a cup of water. Both my little guys are doing great and are extremely fun to watch and handle and now both are eating again. I think the bottom line is they eat when they want too, not when we want them too... lol. I appreciate all the info and love this website. Thanks again to you guys who offered suggestions. Jon
 
I thaw all my mice by dropping them straight into a cup of heated water until totally thawed, when I pull them out they are dripping and warm and my snakes eat. I have had them eat ones that cooled while they circled in their feed bins but most good responses have been to warm feeders. I have yet to have any snakes other than newly hatched babies refuse this method. I am getting prepped for this years hatchlings. Stocking tuna, chicken broth and some other things to get the buggers to eat lol. If your guy likes them warm by all means continue doing that way so he will eat :)
 
Maybe a warm mouse is more attractive to your guy than a cool or room temperature mouse. I am lucky that all mine eat happily!
 
The ones you are thawing at room temp; You still heat them to warmer than room temp before feeding? If not that might be the source of the trouble. As the mouse still has to be around normal body temperature to tempt the snake to eat it usually.
 
Hahahaha, good point Naagas, thank you, both you and all the folks here for the good points. I will start heating them up so they are warmer. I guess my next question would be, does anyone know what the normal temp is for a live mouse? I again thank everyone for their info, suggestions, and stories of things they have come across. Love this site and telling everyone I know about how informative on many species of snakes, but specially corns. Keep up the fantastic work and I plan on being around for a long time. Jon
 
Also NEVER heat them using a microwave oven. I've seen pictures of them go *poof* that way and you don't wanna clean that mess up ;)
 
Lol, I hear you there. I remember the stories told to me when I had my RTB about 8 years ago of how a customer of my snake guy tried to warm his up that way... It was soo bad they ended up getting a new microwave rather then clean the old one. Never a mistake I will make, lol. I just use a cup of warm water and let the mouse sit in it for about 5-8 mins and it seems to warm them up enough to interest the 2 I have right now. Thanks for the good advise, though. Jon
 
Have you ever held babies mice? They feel pretty hot to the touch. If I was the snake I wouldn't want an obviously dead cold room temp mouse lol.
 
Re: how warm...the advice I gleaned from this site was to thaw the mouse out and then let it sit in really hot tap water for a few minutes to warm it up. (I thaw mine in warm tap water, too.)
 
Mine all go in a tea mug (the snakes have their own special mug) with hot water poured on them. By the time I'm done weighing the snakes and getting them in their feeding bins, the mice are thawed and warm to touch. Only one of mine waits for the mice to cool to room temperature...the others prefer them on the warmer side (we've had to warm them under hot tap water if they cool too much)

But, as I've seen from a lot of reading here, different temperament snakes like different things, so if you've found what yours like, that's the important part :D
 
My two-year-old, Emily, likes her mice thawed in very warm water. She is about to move up from peach fuzzies to weanlings, and I was thinking of just thawing them under a light bulb, and offering them dry, but maybe she will object to the change. We shall see...
 
I do remember a particularly revolting anecdote from somebody here, who once put their coffee mug down next to the mug containing the defrosting pinkies.... yuk!
 
I thaw my mice and rats out in a little metal mixing bowl. I use a paper towel to slightly dry them off and sprinkle them with vitamin powder every other feeding. The corns had a problem with the powder at first, but them ate anyway and now them don't seem to mind.

If you want to talk about picky eaters we just got the ball python off of chicken broth dipped rats.
 
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