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How often should you feed a Corn that is less than a month old? Just want to know what you guys do.

implicit Aug 30, 2003 11:41 AM

Once a Week? Once every 3 days? Once every 5 days? Once every 4 days? Tell me what you guys think.

Thank you

Replies (8)

duffy Aug 30, 2003 11:57 AM

For me, if a baby snake will eat every 4-5 days, I will feed him that often. Sometimes after 3 days. The duration will depend, in part, on the size of the meal and how often I want to handle the snake since I tend to wait at least a couple of days after feeding to do any handling at all. That's just me. Good luck.
Duffy

carl3 Aug 30, 2003 12:04 PM

pornosaur, aka birdhous53, aka implicit,

Some people feed their baby corns every 3-5 days. However, I like to feed mine every 6 or 7 days to more accurately represent their feeding frequency in the wild. They probably even eat less in the wild, but who knows for sure??? Its probably a pretty good guess to say that most animals do not eat as comfortably in the wild as they do in captivity. If you feed a baby corn every 3-5 days, it may grow and shed quicker. However, there is no evidence that it will be larger overall as that is primarily due to its genetics.

good question!
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carl3
www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes

implicit Aug 30, 2003 12:23 PM

Thank you very much guys. However I do have about two more questions that I cannot seem to find an answer to:

1. IF my corn snake happens to NOT eat, how long can the pinky be out in room temperature before it starts to ROT?

2. And should I Re-Freeze the pinky if my corn snake does not want to eat? I don't really like to waste food but then again, I do not want to make my snake sick if he happens to eat a re-frozen/thawed pinky.

Thanks guys.
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"Isn't it funny you hear a phone ring and it could be anybody, but a ringing phone has to be answered doesn't it?"

carl3 Aug 30, 2003 01:16 PM

1. IF my corn snake happens to NOT eat, how long can the pinky be out in room temperature before it starts to ROT? Usually a snake will eat within 15 minutes of being presented with a mouse. Unless its a known problem feeder, you shouldn't have to leave it in overnight. So I guess, if you just got the corn, wait a few days for the snake to get adjusted, then place the pinkie in with it...leave for the room for about 15 minutes when you come back, it should've eaten...if not, you may want to leave the pinkie in overnight on your next try (but not in the same day...wait a day or two). If you leave the pinkie in overnite and it still doesn't eat it, throw the pinkie out as it will be nasty.

2. And should I Re-Freeze the pinky if my corn snake does not want to eat? only if you left the pinkie in there for a short while as mentioned above. I don't really like to waste food but then again, I do not want to make my snake sick if he happens to eat a re-frozen/thawed pinky...I don't know if he'll get sick as much as you will from the rotting smell!

PLUS, if you have your corn in a 27 gal...you should feed it in something smaller.
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carl3
www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes

duffy Aug 30, 2003 01:21 PM

You can leave the pinky in there for several hours. If you feed in the evening, you can leave it overnight. Do not re freeze.
Is this your first feeding of a new snake? He may need to settle in for a few days. If you have offered the food and he is ignoring it, try cutting the head off. Sometimes when they flick at the headless stump (I know, kinda gross) they just can't resist. Of course, the more often you try to feed, the more likely you will get food refusal/wasted food. Is this the guy that was on a Tuesday feeding schedule? Good luck, especially if this is the first meal at his new home. That's always a milestone. Duffy

implicit Aug 30, 2003 01:52 PM

Hey Duffy and Carl3, thanks so much....just to let you guys know, EVERYTHING that I have asked and you guys have answered, I actually put it into my note pad (kinda like my book on corn snake tips so I can refer to). I don't just read it and forget about it Oh yeah....ISN'T IT REALLY GROSS TO CUT OFF THE HEAD? (How do you even manage to do that without puking? :S)

Oh yeah, this is the snake that has the tuesday feeding schedule, the guy said to feed him next tuesday and he also said to let him settle in for about 1 week...so no handling him.

I really do feel like feeding him now though....I really want to see if he will eat! I'm just so excited about his first feeding!

Well thanks once again for giving me all this advice and being patient with me, I really DO appreciate all your help.
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"Isn't it funny you hear a phone ring and it could be anybody, but a ringing phone has to be answered doesn't it?"

griffindor Aug 30, 2003 12:07 PM

I feed my keepers 2 pinks a week. the others may only get 1 pinky.

pinatamonkey Aug 30, 2003 02:09 PM

>>I feed my keepers 2 pinks a week. the others may only get 1 pinky.

My first corns, I fed them every 4 or so days, going to five, and then to once a week @ a year old. Last year I just fed my new ones one meal a week, and they turned out to be the same size at a year as the ones I fed every 4-5 days. And the more-often-fed ones moved on to bigger foods more quickly, but still the amount of growth wasn't that different. It surprised me.
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-audri
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