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how do you know when to up the feeding?

W

wildernessey

Feelin' Snakey
My pretty little corn is about 14 inches in length. She was the size of my pinkie (I'm a little thing too) when I got her about a month ago. She's now the width of my index finger. She's had one good shed so far and appears very healthy.

I had been feeding her one pinkie every 7 days, but recently I noticed that soon after she fed, there was no noticeable lump.
So this most recent feeding (yesterday) I gave her two. She really took to the second one and ate it in half the time it took her to down the first.


First question: Should I see a lump after feeding?
Next: How will I know when it's time to increase the # of pinkies given at a feeding?


Thanks!
 
A good rule of thumb is to feed a prey item that is 1 1/2 times the diameter of your snake at it's thickest area. It sounds to me that your snake should have no problem eating fuzzies now (once a week also).
 
stupid question

Ok...I've never seen a fuzzy....:confused:
How big are they exactly?

And I guess until I run out of pinkies, I can just up her feeding to three or four pinkies at a feeding?

Should I feed her another 2 today, since she ate the other two so well last night? or just wait until her regular feeding scedule and give her a fuzzy?

Did you base the fuzzy determination off the size I gave you?
I'd say she's right under 3/4" diamater at the widest part.
 
Fuzzys are young mice (after they start getting some fur). Typically you can buy large or small (peach) fuzzies. Here are some pictures (borrowed from RodentPro.com):

size_m_peach_fuzzies.jpg


size_m_fuzzies.jpg


You can continue giving her pinkys until you run out of them. That way you don't waste the pinks. I would offer her 3-4 at her next regular feeding time.

And yes, I used the size you posted to estimate the size of food she needs. I personally would start with a small fuzzy. If she eats it and there is only a slightly visible or no visible lump, then she is big enough for larger fuzzies. It's better to give her a smaller meal than to stress her digestive system and potentially cause a regurge by offering too large of an item.

Fuzzys are also digested differently than pinks. The hair, bone, etc., is not very digestable and some of it will come out with the feces. Don't be alarmed if her feces looks different after starting on prey items that have hair.

Good luck, and keep us posted!
 
Thank you for those awesome pics! What a great comparison.

I believe that's what I will do next feeding. Thanks for answering my question!

I wonder if I should worry about the feces bit....I haven't actually seen any feces in her tank. She's in a 55 gal, with reptibark and although I haven't searched for it, I haven't noticed any. I've had her for a month and she appears to be very healthy.
She spends a lot of time in her hide and under the mulch. Is it possible her feces is just getting buried beneathe the mulch and I haven't seen it?
Wonder if this is something I should be concerned about?

Sorry to keep pestering you with questions!
 
I will add that she did poo on me out of fright when I first brought her home and again 2 weeks later when I gave her a bath, but both times it was mixed with the secretions they put out in fright. You know (can't remember the name of it now) the really bad smelling yellow-ish stuff, and also the feces (which was brown). (that time she was really stressin', she had mites and I had to do something she wasn't at all happy with me about-bath)

How often do snakes go to the bathroom?
 
That's a good example of why I don't like, or use, repti-bark. It is often hard to find the feces. That can create a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. I personally prefer aspen or paper towels.

Snakes typically have a bowel movement 2-3 days after feeding (or after you clean their cages!). This varies, however, based on their rate of metabolism and how warm their enclosures are (higher temps = quicker digestion = feces produced sooner).

When snakes are frightened, they sometimes "musk." The yellow stuff you saw was most likely urates (snake urine). Their urine is much drier and sometimes looks like yellow chalk. Musk is kind of a tannish color, I believe. You most likely got a mixture of ALL three...feces, musk, and urates.

One other thing I want to ask...how many hides do you have in her enclosure? An enclosure that size can be stressful to a small snake. be sure to give her plenty of hides in order to help reduce stress levels.
 
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Not to worry

The real issue is that pinkies are so completely digested that there isn't much left (in the way of feces). As long as you clean out the white urates, you don't have much to worry about.

You will start seeing more fecal material once you switch to larger prey items. This holds true regardless of the substrate used. I've used both reptibark and paper without sanitary concern.
 
Corn Crazy, I have 4 hides in the enclosure. 2 on the warm end and 2 on the cool end.
I can see that finding fecal matter is difficult in the bark!! LOL! ah, well, live and learn I guess. It just looks so pretty.

I was already considering a 20 gal long instead. It does seem like it's a lot of room. But she's recently been investigating it more and more. When I put her back after handling, I always place her in in a different place than the time before. She's learned the area well this way, it would appear.


Thanks for all the great advice and suggestions!
I love this forum!
 
Fuzzies too big?

I was feeding my Amel corn two pinkies a week and she had almost no noticeable lump afterward. On top of that I just got a new Okeetee (my 2nd snake) and he is much thicker, and just a little bit longer than my Amel. So I was thinking that my Amel was a little malnourished (I could see a "line" running down her sides when she moved which my new Okeetee does not have). She seems healthy, just skinny. Anyway, I decided to try giving her a fuzzy this week. It took her a LONG time to get it down and she definitely has a noticeable lump now. I'm wondering if the fuzzy was too big? I felt bad watching her struggle with it, but it was the first time she ever constricted anything and at one point looked like a ball python! What do you guys think? Should I go back to the pinkies?
 
I think if she was able to get the fuzzy down and she keeps it down, then it is fine to feed fuzzies. I would be sure to space her feedings out to only once a week, though.
 
if she ate the fluff fine and didnt regurge wheres the problem? if she ate it then she is obviously big enough, my snake takes a while to eat her food now (bout 5mins a meal) but thats just because the mouse it long, and fluffs are tiny on her.
also 2 fluffs a week are what i recomend wilder...

and about the large poops, god tell me about it! thewy are massive and orrible and she is only 3ft, god can u imagine a 25ft retic *gulp*
 
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