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he eats but

L

Leeps

New member
I just got a carolina corn, im guessing about a month old hes roughly 14 inches.
So far he(she/it) is great. Good temperment ate today without issues. I fed him a live pinky but he didnt constrict it he just swallowed it whole, the pinky fought back a little bit. Thats not a problem now but once he gets to hoppers they might be able to do some damage with there claws. I know most people feed frozen but i dont like the idea of having a brick of 50 mice in the freezer. Do they start constricting later on, kind of like "hey this guys little i can handle him", then "woah im gonna have to stop this guy".
And second question i never once witnessed my snake go near his water bowl, he almost seems to smell the water and avoid it. I use bottled water so its not like hes smelling chlorine or anything.
thanks guys
Joe
 
Welcome! Someone else from NJ! I'm in Ocean county.
Anyway.

Well then you need to start stunning or killing the prey, because you can't always rely on the snake to actually constrict the food as you well know.

You might never actually see him go towards his water, when he's crusing his tank he probally just sees it as being in his way.

As long as you put it along the edge of the tank I'm sure he'll find it if he needs it. Also when you take him out and then put him back in trying lowering him into the waterdish, I started doing this with my snake and now she drinks her water every time I put her up, still in my hands.
 
While they instinctually know to constrict, the finer points of the technique still seem to require practice. He'll get the hang of it as it becomes needed, from what I can tell. But by far it's better for you to stun or pre-kill the prey. It's safer for the snake as his dinner starts to be able to fight back for its life!

As for frozen mice, pinkies don't take up that much room, and they shouldn't be in a solid brick anway. Think of a bag of frozen lima beans. You can segregate out the smallest ones and use them early while your corn is small, then move up the larger ones. With live, you've only got what's available.

I've seen my little guy drink once, and it was one gulp. I'm sure he gets more as he repeatedly makes laps around his home looking for another way out.
 
thanks for your help. i figured id have to do something about feisty mice.

Ill try getting him wet a little bit next time i put him in his cage, but thatll have to wait hes digesting now.

Joe
 
While I'm not suggesting you test this, as prekilled or frozen/thawed is healthier, I'm pretty sure your snake knows just how to constrict, as well as when it's necesary. Lots of people post about how their snakes start constricting when they get to furred mice, whether it's alive or dead. I'm sure with the living pinkie, your snake just knew it wasn't a threat.
 
I'm wondering whether it's possible that a pinkie just doesn't move enough to trigger the constricting reflex? I only feed frozen/thawed mice as feeding live (unless it's absolutely necessary to keep the snake alive) is forbidden by law in Finland. (Not that I wouldn't go for the frozen ones anyway.... so convenient.) Anyway, I'm trying to say that my snakes only constrict if a) I do the "zombie mouse dance" liek someone described it or b) they're really hungry after a longer break from eating.
 
thanks guys

i figured that he just went for the pinky being that it was so small.
i looked at rodent pro for the frozen mice, its the best deal that i found but hell grow out of pinkys before he eats a 100 of em. Could i give him 3 or 4 pinkys instead of one bigger mouse. I remember reading here that one bigger mouse is better nutritionally than multiple smaller ones, but it would be temporary until he finishes the smaller ones.
Joe
 
I just fed my baby corn her first pinkie. It was frozen/thawed and after I warmed it up and nicked the skin a little, she grabbed it and constricted it like crazy for a minute! Then she ate it. I ordered 50 frozen pinkies from The Big Cheese Rodent Factory and they were shipped very well, fully frozen, and only cost $30.80 total. I figure that many pinks will last a long time, and if needed I'll give her more at one time if there are any left by then and she requires more food.
 
If you only have 1 snake then don't order from rodentpro, 100 is far too many. Find a vendor that will sell smaller quantities or even mix up the sizes for you if possible. The Big Cheese I've heard is excellent, as is the mouse factory.

ANother option is to find a local feeder breeder or go to a reptile show and buy them to avoid paying shipping, many will also sell in any quantity.
 
My snake store sells however many frozen pinks I want. Is that an option, could you just buy a few at a time? Most of my snakes don't constrict FT- they just know somehow.

And I'm sorry, I've read this thread before, but once I read it as "He Eats Butt" I just can't help myself, that's how I read it all the time. :sidestep: That can happen, you know.

Nanci
 
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