Hey Guys

[Arcrist]

Hey all,

Just registered here, and got an albino snow corn yesterday. Hes in a 10 gallon tank with a 60 watt infra-red lamp on top of the lid. Got a half moon bark thing for him to hide under, a little clay water dish on one end with some newspaper shreddings on the same side for another hideout.

Hes just a little guy right now, probably 13 inches. I was holding him the yesterday (sunday) and he was fine, but today hes being a real grump. Ive never seen such an agressive snake. Hes probably just stressed out with the new environment. He also eats on tuesdays and saturdays, so it hasnt been 48 hours yet.

He is my first snake but im learning alot from these forums. I'll be talking to you guys a lot probably. Glad to be here

-Andy

 

[CAV]

Welcome to a new addiction

Here are a few suggestions.

Ddn't feed the snake every 2-3 days. Feedings need to be spaced out to at least every 5-7 days. Snakes aren't mammals and don't need to eat frequently.

Little snakes see you as a threat. As hard as it may be, try to leave him alone for a week or so without handling him. This will help get him used to the new surroundings. A lot of changes stresses out snakes.

 

[Arcrist]

Well the pet store lady said hes on a tuesday/saturday feeding schedule, though im not sure how much she knows about snakes specifically. How do you know if its hungry or not? It sure seemed like he wanted to eat my hand today. :/

 

[CAV]

It is difficult to "diagnose" these things online.....

It may be that he is hungry and is ready for slightly larger prey, BUT feeding schedules never really change during a snake's life. Snakes swallow their prey whole, which means that digestion takes much longer than it does for animals that chew their meals.

 

[howiet4702]

I agree with Gary not to feed on Tuesday/Sat. Just pick a day to feed him and wait 5 days to feed him again. If you feed him on Tuesday, just wait to feed him that Sunday. Then feed him again the following Friday. If he still looks hungry you can move up to a little bit larger pinky. However, he is only 13 inches so he really isnt that big yet. All of my hatchlings get fed every 5 days..

You don't want to overfeed the snake...It can lead to bunch of different problems.

 

[Alias47]

CAV, as usual, is absolutely correct.
You do not want to feed your snake that often...it will end up causing it problems in the long run...and you should wait at least a week before handling or feeding it again...let it get used to it's enclosure...

For more information...the best source I can recommend is The Cornsnake Manual by Kathy Love...

It is a great source of information...and will give you all the pointers you need to creat a great environment for your snow.

This website is also a wonderful tool for any further questions you may have...

Welcome, always glad to see new people here.

 

[mbdorfer]

Welcome Andy, CAV has given you some real sound advice. I feed my snakes once per week and have been doing so for over 25 years, I've never had one suffer from hunger pains LOL. The pet stores job is to sell animals. Our job is to rescue them and take care of them properly. Overfeeding can lead to a regurge in young snakes and is something you need to avoid. In a few weeks your snake should be at ease in his new home.
Mike B

 

[Arcrist]

Well i found a little blob of white stuff in the tank the other day, which was 1 day after he was fed, i assume it was feces of a pinkie. I wasnt around when it happened so i dont know if it was regurgitated.

How long should it take for the snake to completly digest the food and excrete it?

Thanks

 

[Alias47]

That was probably urates...snakes don't "pee" in the normal sense of the word...they use a much higher percentage of the moisture ingested than mammals...what they will excrete is urates...solid or semi-solid chunks (or even a pasty consistency) of white to yellowish excrement. A lot of times these will be released with the feces (which should be a dark brown to black color) but not always by any means.

A regurge usually looks like the mouse...only purple...or partially digested...

 

[CAV]

A regurge usually looks like the mouse...only purple...or partially digested...

I promise you will be 100% certain if it is a regurge or at least your nose will know.

 

[Alias47]

RIGHT??

Overlooked the obvious...as usual :shrugs:

 

[oldhand]

regurgatated food stink's to high heven, so you would know if it was a regurge uke01: .

 

[Spirit]

lol! I agree with everything said. BUT...

My snake ate his first meal the day after I brought him home, but he "seemed" comfortable in his new viv (more than likely wasn't and was just looking for a way out) and my "motherly instict" told me I was right when I enquired about his last meal (he was due to eat that day). He showed no signs of "stress" (or what I thought might be stress) so I fed him with no problems. He even took it right from my hand... however, I do NOT recommend this with all snakes.

Edit: After feeding, I allowed the FULL 48 hours to digest, and an additonal few days to adjust to the new home before handling.

If your snake is showing ANY signs of stress, don't bother feeding and leave it alone for a few more days. I'm sure it's already been said but I can't stress how important it is to have LOTS of hiding places for the little ones.

Hint: Paper towel rolls are key. LOL

 

[Alias47]

Hint: Paper towel rolls are key. LOL

I am the ONLY one who changes paper towel and toilet paper rolls in my house...everyone else is tired of being chastised for throwing the empties away...LOL

 

[Spirit]

hahahaha! My roommate "stocks up" for me. Last week he gave me a bag of the damn things he "collected from work".

Uhhh, yeah. He works in a warehouse with ALL MEN. I asked him to keep a few... careful what you ask for, eh? :laugh: Thanks, buddy. Yeah, I'll just toss all 40 (or whatever) right into the viv. :laugh: blech. lol

 

[oldhand]

40 or more spirit?
do you want to split them 50/50 and i'll pay the postage? lol