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Hello from So. Cal.

S

SoCal

New member
Hey gang.. Looks like a nice site y'all got here. I just got my first cornsnake and found this site while looking for online resources to learn more about it.

I have had snakes (black rat, ball python) when younger and always seem to snatch up snakes when out on the trails mountain biking for a quick look and release.. Friends think I'm nuts..

I'd be interested in knowing of any good sources for live feeder mice in my area. Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Aliso Woods, Irvine cities are all close by. I'll have to start calling around.

Anyways, below is a poor pic of "Emily" as my daughter named her. She was advertised as an Albino Cornsnake.. I believe you all may refer to them with a more formal name. Also below is a vid clip of her first feeding in our care.. I was very surprised to see her simply start eating the live fuzzy.. Maybe I should have killed/stunned it first. Either way, it seemed to not give Emily any trouble. I suspect she will develop the strike and constrict as she grows.. I estimate her length to be about 15"..

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Cheers,
Jerid
 

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Welcome! Beautiful girl you have there.
I'm going out on a limb to say that by the video, it looks like she is used to eating f/t (frozen/thawed) which is why she didn't strike & consrtrict the mouse (she's used to it already being dead)
I won't be the only one to tell you that it is recommended to feed f/t, for so many reasons. Most importantly, it prevents your snake from injury from the mouse.

Very few people feed live. As far as I know, only if absolutely necessary, for example a hatchling not taking to feeding, sometimes a later stage option is to try a live pinkie, but there are other options, even then.

Where did you get her?
 
Thanks, I bought her from a place called Prehistoric Pets in Fountain Valley, CA.

I got the impression many were feeding f/t.. In the past I always fed my snakes field mice that I would catch in our barns.. The snakes had to be pretty good strikers cuz these mice were fast, smart, and would fight back.. LOL.. When you thaw the frozen mice do you just let them become room temp or do you actually need to warm them up a bit? F/T is definitely the more convenient way to go and I see your point about the safety aspect however part of me feels the snake should be able to eat somewhat naturally..
 
Eating mice is natural for them, but remember, these snakes are captive bred, & are not used to "catching" their own food.

I take out the quantity & size of mice I am feeding, out of the freezer, & put them in a bowl of hot water (my tap water gets pretty hot). They are thawed (& a little warm) in 7-12 minutes, depending on the size of the mouse.
You can warm up the water in the microwave, however, do not put the mouse/mice in the microwave.

Ironically, I was already doing this for my private bred ferrets, so I already had mice in the freezer when I got snakes. :)

You will find a lot of knowledge on this forum, they're very helpful!
 
Thanks Heather.. It's day one and I've already learned a bunch.. I'll be looking into the frozen mice.. It will be real hard to beat the convenience and piece of mind.. Good thing I got a freezer in the garage.. Not sure how wifeypoo is going react.. hahahaha..
 
You're welcome :)
I'm fairly new at this too, but I have learned alot, with the books I've picked up (by Kathy Love, Don Soderberg, plus 2 others I cannot think of the authors right now). Plus, this forum is a huge help.

I have a standup freezer in my laundryroom, that is just for pet food...filled with raw & whole prey. I have a brown paper bag with "micicles" in my kitchen freezer, so no one has to look at them. LOL

I have an Amel baby (girl) in my photo album.
 
First of all welcome to the forum :). Now to me the snake looks like a reverse okeetee, but I really suck at morphs so it's probably best not to listen to me on that ;). I'm very new to morphs.
 
Hi Jerid!

I'm in Mission Viejo. Nice to see someone from my area in here! If you just have the one snake you can totally get frozen mice of all sizes at petco! They cost more there than buying in bulk but it's easy and convenient for those times you just need to go grab one. There are online sources like Rodent Pro who sell in bulk for much less on each feeder, but you do gotta pay shipping which isn't super cheap. I found a guy in Laguna Niguel who sells me large amounts when I need it and I save on the shipping. He usually sells live but said he could do frozen as well. I used him for my first time a couple weeks ago and haven't needed to restock yet. But before that I was just stoppin in at Petco once or twice a week on my way home and grabbing what I needed. But definitely feeding them frozen thawed is the way to go!! I just use sandwich bag and put them under warm water in a cup and they warm right up pretty quick and are ready for consumption. Just make sure to feel the body that its warm to the touch and doesn't have cold spots still. Welcome to the fun!!!!
 
Welcome Jerid! Emily is a cutie!! My daughter also got me into Corns. She had to have the "Princess" looking one! lol He was red, pinkish & white & TINY! Now he is pushing 6ft...3yrs later.
I second Corns are HIGHLY addicting!! I did not believe anyone til I snuck in a few! And YES you can 'sneak' them in w/out anyone knowing they're there....LOL
Oh & I buy frozen as well. You can stock up on them & save tons of $$.
Congrats!!!
 
Welcome to the forum. Good advice about feeding f/t mice.
As to the morph of your snake - she appears to be an amelanistic (or amel for short). Some people do refer to them as red albino's. Amelanistic basically means lacking black pigment.
I would not qualify her as a reverse okeetee - which is a selectively line bred amel - which would have thick white borders around her saddles.

And as previously mentioned - welcome to the addiction - hard to keep just one!!
 
CALIVIK said:
I second Corns are HIGHLY addicting!! I did not believe anyone til I snuck in a few! And YES you can 'sneak' them in w/out anyone knowing they're there....LOL
Click to expand...

It's easy to increase the # of corns when there's no one else in your home, & when you find several at wholesale price....LOL
 
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