How Many Pinkies ?

[CarloS01]

Hi
I have a corn snake 6-7 months. She is 18 inches long. My pet shop has told me to start feeding 2 pinkies per week now..
This sounds a bit much to me.. what u guys think ?

 

[Roy Munson]

I'd say that she is probably overdue for moving up to double pinks. If I were you, I'd give her two pinks, every 4-5 days, for the next three feedings. Then move her up to a fuzzy every 6-7 days, providing that the fuzzy's girth is not more than 1.5 times the snake's. Hope this helps.

 

[colinmcc]

I'd say that she is probably overdue for moving up to double pinks. If I were you, I'd give her two pinks, every 4-5 days, for the next three feedings. Then move her up to a fuzzy every 6-7 days, providing that the fuzzy's girth is not more than 1.5 times the snake's. Hope this helps.

100% agreed.

 

[CarloS01]

Um.. If this is the case is it better to feed 2 in one go.. or one but more frequently.

Id prefer all one go so that i can keep 5 days of handling.

 

[Roy Munson]

Um.. If this is the case is it better to feed 2 in one go.. or one but more frequently.

Id prefer all one go so that i can keep 5 days of handling.

Offer the two pinks at the same time, and stick to the schedule in my previous post.

 

[kimbyra]

I'm so glad you posted this, it saved me the trip. I was thinking that my babies (same age as yours) needed either two, or more frequently. They look so little to me, but I bet I'm underfeeding a tad. I will make myself take y'all's advice.

 

[CarloS01]

I'd say that she is probably overdue for moving up to double pinks. If I were you, I'd give her two pinks, every 4-5 days, for the next three feedings. Then move her up to a fuzzy every 6-7 days, providing that the fuzzy's girth is not more than 1.5 times the snake's. Hope this helps.

Mama mia.. This seems a bit of a fast trax to fuzzys.
Hes been on 1 pinky/week Now you say 2 every 4/5 days.
Wont this seem like binge eating
Whats the thinking behind this.

Wont 2 pinkies/week be fine for now ?

Thanks For the replies

 

[Kvlt]

Mama mia.. This seems a bit of a fast trax to fuzzys.
Hes been on 1 pinky/week Now you say 2 every 4/5 days.
Wont this seem like binge eating
Whats the thinking behind this.

as the snake grows so has the mouse he eats...so increasing to either 2 pinkies or 1 fuzzy should be fine (as long as its not more than x1.5 the thickest part of your corn)

Wont 2 pinkies/week be fine for now ?

2 pinkies every 5-7 days should be fine, but yeah i would follow Dean's advice

 

[Roy Munson]

Mama mia.. This seems a bit of a fast trax to fuzzys.
Hes been on 1 pinky/week Now you say 2 every 4/5 days.
Wont this seem like binge eating
Whats the thinking behind this.

Wont 2 pinkies/week be fine for now ?

Thanks For the replies

In my opinion, one pinky per week, even for the tiniest hatchling, is way under-feeding. If this has been your schedule, then it is even more important that you start getting more calories and nutrients into this snake. And no, it's not a fast track, and it's not binge feeding. If I acquired your snake tomorrow, I'd put it on an even more aggressive schedule than the one I recommended to you. But you should stick to what I gave you. And remember, pet store staff members are typically bad sources of info, so forget everything they ever told you. This site is the greatest repository of corn info that you can find. Use it.

 

[amystl]

I would agree with Dean and follow what he says. I've been feeding my hatchling 2 mice pinks a week (and he readily takes them ... sometimes wanting more.) so I would also suggest moving your mouse size up.

 

[Tyger9791]

I have a question though...what if after you feed him 1 pinky it leaves a lump? I thought you didnt move them up to the next food size until there is no lump. I dont want to overfeed Blaze. I tried to give him a fuzzy and he regurged it. so this week I gave him a large pinky and he didnt regurge.
I got Blaze in Oct. 2005. He's about 20 inches long.

 

[Roy Munson]

I have a question though...what if after you feed him 1 pinky it leaves a lump? I thought you didnt move them up to the next food size until there is no lump. I dont want to overfeed Blaze. I tried to give him a fuzzy and he regurged it. so this week I gave him a large pinky and he didnt regurge.
I got Blaze in Oct. 2005. He's about 20 inches long.

I use the 1.5x girth guideline, not any lump guideline. You can't automatically assume that the prey size was the cause of the regurge. Having said that, I've had a few that regurged on their first fuzzy, and I'm pretty sure that the prey-size bump was the culprit. All snakes are different, and some seem to prefer to stay on smaller prey for awhile, even in multiples. This isn't an exact science.

 

[Tyger9791]

ok thanks...and i understand that it's not an exact science. i'm learning this is my first corn snake. i just dont want to overfeed or underfeed. i'm following kathy love's guidelines for the regurge...i dont know if it was due to the size of the fuzzy, but after he regurged it i just offered him a pinky 8 days later. and the pinky was just a little smaller than the fuzzy. and he kept it down like a champ! so i think he'll be ok if i move him back on up to fuzzies again.
and if we go by the 1.5 times body width, then the fuzzy wasnt too big for him...so hopefully i'll get him back on fuzzies soon after recovering from his regurge.

 

[Roy Munson]

ok thanks...and i understand that it's not an exact science. i'm learning this is my first corn snake. i just dont want to overfeed or underfeed. i'm following kathy love's guidelines for the regurge...i dont know if it was due to the size of the fuzzy, but after he regurged it i just offered him a pinky 8 days later. and the pinky was just a little smaller than the fuzzy. and he kept it down like a champ! so i think he'll be ok if i move him back on up to fuzzies again.
and if we go by the 1.5 times body width, then the fuzzy wasnt too big for him...so hopefully i'll get him back on fuzzies soon after recovering from his regurge.

It's very cool that you're learning. I'm learning too. Sometimes the members here teach me, and sometimes my snakes do. When I say it's not an exact science, I really mean that these guys are definitely individuals. In your case, if my snake regurged a fuzzy, and ate an almost-as-big pinky, I'd give him one or two more of those before bumping up. If good growth is your goal, it's important to understand that a regurge is a major setback. I have a weird system. If a snake isn't responding well to the fuzzy bump, I simply give them double-pinks until it would be ridiculous to continue doing so (35g). By the time they are at that weight, they are more than big enough, and well enough established to handle fuzzies.

 

[Tyger9791]

that sounds logical. so i'll continue with pinks for awhile. i just want him to be healthy, not starving. i just want to make sure he's getting enough to eat.