Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my cornsnake a live pinky yesterday and he wouldn't take it off tweesers. I leave and go in like 30 seconds later and hes eating it whole WHILE IT'S STILL ALIVE AND MOVING!! He did not constrict it because i was only gone a little while!

Could he constrict that fast?

Is it a problen?

Should I worry?

Thanks for all the help!
Dom
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Nothing is better than reptiles except MORE reptiles.

It's perfectly normal for some corns to not constrict pinkies. Pinkies pose no real threat to a cornsnake, even live ones. I would recommend switching to frozen-thawed by the time you get up to hoppers though, as hoppers and larger can injure your snake.

-Kat
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"You keep WHAT in your freezer?"
"Mice. And rats. If that bothers you, I can call them 'cows' instead."

Will he learn to constrict though.
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Nothing is better than reptiles except MORE reptiles.

My corns generally constrict only if they feel it's necessary. When I feed them larger prey items that are freshly killed and still moving a bit they will constrict. If the food is a helpless pinky or even frozen thawed they usually don't but it depends on the snake. Most snakes won't use more energy than absolutely necessary to feed probably because feeding makes them feel vulernable.
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Anna

The Zoo
Corns
1.0 Snow - Cornelius
1.1 Ghost(pastel) - Eek & Boo
1.1 Amel - Parker & Scarlet
0.1 Hypo - Nikko
0.1 Anery - Missy
0.1 Hypo Motley - Cordelia aka Cordy
Boas
0.1 Columbian (BCC) - Bella
Lizards
1.0 Leopard Gecko - Leo
Rats
0.1 Dumbo Agouti - Moon
1.0 Silvered Black - Pluto
1.0 Powder Blue - Corner
Plus the breeders
Cats
1.1 Siamese - Blue & Fiona
0.1 Gray DMS - Druscilla aka Dru
Horses
1.0 Thourghbred (Hunter/Jumper) - Morgan's Majesty aka Cody

Sure, my young corn for the first time ever, constricted her last meal (f/t fuzzy). Probably because of the larger size than she was used to. The purpose of constricting is to suffocate live prey before swallowing, so don't be concerned. When you're feeding pinkies and then f/t, the snake is not in danger of it's dinner Constricting however, provides some exersise for a captive snake.