Kyle,



Braining is accomplished by opening the brain cavity with a sharp object - a knife works well. Also, make sure the pinky is warm, offer it at night, and don't handle the snake before feeding it. Be prepared for your snake not to eat it, though. Many temperate triangulum don't recognize domestic mice as food... especially until they're larger. Here's a quote from one of my earlier replies to you:



Many forms, especially the ones from "North of the Border" are lizard and Peromyscus/Microtus (two types of native rodents) specialists. These native rodents smell quite a bit different than domestic mice and have smaller pinkies. With this in mind, some of the smaller subspecies, at 5-6 inches (or smaller) are too small to take domestic mouse pinkies right out of the egg, even if so inclined.



I suggest you add a moss tub to the tank. Milks prefer a moist microclimate. They also like tight spaces. In a 10-gallon tank, your snake might feel exposed and be reluctant to feed.



The UTH should be fine, but I'd suggest adding a rheostat or thermostat to help control the temperature.



Be aware, too, that many temperate Colubrids naturally "shut down" this time of year and quit feeding. Think of it as a safety mechanism. They've evolved this strategy to prevent getting stuck with a full belly when that freak, early snow storm hits.




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-Cole

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