heys!
About 5 days ago my brother found a very small milksnake at a barn. He wants to keep it but isn't sure what to feed it. He got crickets but i don't think they eat crickets? So i told him to get it a pinky mouse, and he did, but the mouse is much bigger then the little snakes mouth and i don't think he can eat it. So what should we feed such a tiny snake?? Thanks!
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Feeding?
DragonEmpress
Sep 11, 2003 10:24 AM
Replies (4)
rtdunham
Sep 11, 2003 11:12 AM
>> So what should we feed such a tiny snake?? Thanks!
Most milksnake hatchlings can eat a NEWBORN mouse pinky...there can be a dramatic difference in size between the average pinky sold at a petstore and a newborn. So you might need to ask that you be called when the next litter is born, for example, and pick the smallest one. Or you COULD try a small lizard, but i'd suggest you freeze it first for a week and then thaw it, to reduce the chances of teh snake getting parasites from it.
Milksnake babies can be hard to start, depending on the subspecies. It would be useful if you told us what state you live in, and the nearest big city. Then someone on this forum will know specifically what kind of milksnake you've found, and might be able to give better advice on feeding it.
good luck!
terry
DragonEmpress
Sep 11, 2003 01:53 PM
I live in Mass, the nearest big city to me is Boston.
rtdunham
Sep 11, 2003 04:29 PM
>>I live in Mass, the nearest big city to me is Boston.
ok. then if your ID as a milksnake is correct, it would be an eastern milk. Others can better advise you about feeding. You might also check the archives, i'm sure this is a subject that's been discussed before.
terry
Croc 2-3
Sep 11, 2003 02:18 PM
Man I wish I could find some now that I would be able to keep it. I found some when I was still living w/ my grandparents. I'm from PA so I can't give you any idea of any stores up there except N.E.R.D. who is near Boston. Look them up in the breeders section of kingsnake. If all else fails & you have larger mice for other herps. What I do to feed my hatchlings is cut the tail off a frozen mouse. The tail is the perfect shape for the snake to swallow. You may have to put part of the tail in the snakes mouth to trigger a feeding response the 1st 4-5 five times but once it gets use to the smell of the mouse blood they usually begin eating on thier own. I found that it may take 20-30 mouse tail feeding before they are big enough to take the regular size pet store pinkie. But N.E.R.D. may have day olds (pinkies) if you are close enough to them to make it an economical trip.
