Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey I need some advice. I got a corn snake about a month ago. He's (she's) about 3 or 4 months old and I've been feeding him (her) 1 pinky every Sunday morning. The first time I fed him, I gave him a small one, but the rest they (the place I got him) gave me were somewhat larger than the first pinky, but weren't fuzzies.

He was fine the second time around, but I fed him this past Sunday and he was fine again, but I came home from work today (Wednesday) and saw the almost the whole mouse, head and everything, laying in the cage. I'm pretty positive he crapped it out b/c there was some slight white and brown crap around it too, but I'm guessing he just didn't fully digest it. Am I wrong, or is this normal, or did he maybe regurgitate it? I really don't know and I need an answer please! Thanks in advance to whoever answers!

If you see an undigested mouse, it's because of regurgitation. It's not possible for a mouse to pass through the snake's digestive tract and not get digested. Some common reasons for regurg: handling less than 24 hrs after feeding (a stress response), cage temp is too cool (under 75 or so), or the mouse is too big to digest. Younger snakes should be kept around 80 - 85 deg (some say cooler is OK, but definitely not hotter), and yearlings on up can be kept from 75 - 80. Night-time temps can go as low as 70 without problems (usually) but why push the limits?. Make sure one end of the cage has a heat source (heat pad under glass cages work well), and make sure the hide box is not away from the heat source. A good rule for feeding is the mouse should be as big around as the largest part of the snake.

For more details, see corn snakes cares sheets on the web (South Mountain's site http://www.cornsnake.net/new/care.php3) or check out a corn snake manuel (Kathy Love's book)

Good luck!

Yes, they can pass a mouse through the digestive tract without it being fully digested. Usually it will look just like the skin of the mouse.

More often it is caused by reguritation, but it can be pooped out.

I had this happen to me not more than 2 months ago with one of my 2002 babies.

Which ever thing happened, if I were you, I'd treat it like a regurgitation, and wait at least 7 days (from the regurged/pooped mouse) to feed it again. Preferably wait 10-12 days.

This is what I do. The first feeding the snake only gets half of a pinky (it's easier to cut it in half while its still frozen). Then the next feeding, it gets the second half. The third feeding I cut another pinky in half but feed both halves. It gets to choose if it wants to eat both halves or not, and I think it's easier for them to digest 2 halves rather than a whole pinky. The fourth feeding, I feed a whole pinky but I make a puncture in the skin so the snake's digestive juices can get into the mouse better. Then after that, back to regular feedings.

The time between feedings is this (provided the snake digests the meals well):

Regurged/pooped mouse
Wait 10 days.
Feed 1st meal.
Wait 9 days.
Feed 2nd meal.
Wait 8 days.
Feed 3rd meal.
Wait 8 days
Feed 4th meal.
Wait 7 days
Feed regular meal.

This has worked for me in the past. Hope you have good luck.

Yes, it is possible for a snake to pass undigested mouse parts or even an entire mouse. The cause could be as simple as a overly freezer burned mouse to something more sinister (a bacterial infection). If you still have that mouse and it's still fresh, get it to a vet and get a fecal run off of it to make sure no parasites are around. If you have the extra cash I'd order a bacterial culture done on it too to be on the safe side.

Also check your temps to make sure they're not too WARM. An overly warm enclosure speeds up bowel movement and sometimes it speeds it to the point where the mouse isn't even digested by the time it leaves the GI tract.

I would to be on the safe side add a few drops of grape fruit seed extract to the water and powder the next mouse with a little acidophillus and continue this routine for 2-3 months. If you don't seen this clear up soon get that snake to a vet.

-13mur 6

This is the second time I've heard this one mentinoed.... What is it, where do you find it, what's it good for, and how much is it?

Someone was suggesting I add this to the mouse water to decrease smell, decrease fungal growths in the water bottle, and for a bunch of other reasons. Was at the pharmacy, but the only thing LIKE it I found was GRAPE seed extract.
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~Sasheena

and the kids: Tantilla, Tantillas, Lightning, Kinkee, Maple, Castle, Bishop, Queenie, Jester, Pandora, Phantom, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, and Lady

You can buy it at health food stores or on the web. A 1.5 ounce bottle should last for years. You use it at a rate of 10 to 20 drops per gallon of water. I have a western hognose that was regurging about every other meal. Since I started putting GSE in it's water it hasn't regurged. That's been two months now with twice weekly feedings. I'm giving it to all my snakes now. There's lots of info about it on the web just do a Goggle search.
Southampton Herps