Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My new and first corn snake is extremely small, 15 inches long and only as thick as the tip of my pinky finger at the thickest part, the neck right behind the head being half or less that thickness, almost looks to skinny to support its head though it has no problems there.

I tried finding really small pinkies, but most places around me only have adult feeders. I bought a pair of mice to breed my own but i am told it could take a month until they are born. Until then what should i feed this little snake? Two out of the five pet shops i tried said crickets, but i am not sure if it is safe or not. I have since found out after purchasing the snake that it was in fact fed crickets before i bought it, though i was told at time of purchase it was feeding on just born mice pinks.

Any advice on what to feed this little snake?

I will try to get a picture with a quarter or pencil or something to show size.

thanks

Order some frozen pinks if your pet stores don't stock them. Crickets are not an appropriate food source for a corn snake. They can handle a tiny pink at that size. I know it LOOKS like they can't, but you'd be surprised.
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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

I was going to order frozen pinks, but the smallest quantity i can find is a bag of 50 and i was worried about thawing them only to repackage and freeze them individually again and if it would even be safe to do so.
Thanks

Even if you don't use all your pinks it will still be cheaper to order them than buying them from most pet stores in the long run. As far as freezing them goes, You just thaw what you need at the time and keep the rest in a freezer bag. They should keep well in the frezer for a few months, as long as you keep them wraped up good.
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1.0 normal corn snakes
3.6 normals het stripe and snow corn snakes
0.1 amels corn snakes
1.0 striped amels corn snakes
0.1 striped snows corn snakes
1.0 lavenders het opal corn snakes
0.1 opals corn snakes
1.1 blizzards corn snakes
1.1 pewters corn snakes
0.1 boa constrictors
1.1 western hognose

Steve, I was thinking that if they were bagged in such a large amount they would be all stuck together and i would have to thaw the full bag. This is not the case? How are they usually bagged?
individually then in a larger bag?

thanks

If you buy them vacum packed they will be stuck together, but they are still easy to get apart. The place I order from doesn't vacum seal them so they are all loose, but I go through them very fast.
If you are just feeding one snake, I would try to get them vacum packed, because they won't get freezer burn as quickly. They should still last a good 3 to 6 months as long as you keep them in a freezer bag.
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1.0 normal corn snakes
3.6 normals het stripe and snow corn snakes
0.1 amels corn snakes
1.0 striped amels corn snakes
0.1 striped snows corn snakes
1.0 lavenders het opal corn snakes
0.1 opals corn snakes
1.1 blizzards corn snakes
1.1 pewters corn snakes
0.1 boa constrictors
1.1 western hognose

They do come in a bag all together, but it's not so bad to pry off one at a time if they are slightly stuck together. Then, you just pop it in a cup of warm water for a few minutes or so, and you're good to go! You will be surprised how quickly you go through a bag of 50 pinks. Your snake will eat one pink a week for a few weeks, then as it grows and sheds, you will probably be feeding 2 pinks at a time, or 1 pink every 4 days or so. It's easier with a corn to increase the amount of the meal than the size, especially when they are small.
Yours looks alot like mine did when he was a baby. I have a normal red now that is tiny like that. He ate his first pink this past weekend. We've had him for 1 month! Worried that he wouldn't eat.....

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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

Anyone care to recommend a place for me to order the mice from?
vacuum packaging not extremely important i can vacuum pack them
into smaller packages myself. I'd like to avoid PayPal if at all possible i honestly don't trust them anymore after a few bad
experiences a few years ago when i used to use them for Ebay

Thanks

I use Rodentpro. I love their mice. They always seem so healthy. They also have 2 different sizes of pinkies, so you could get the smaller ones.

If the mice come to you frozen in a big block, and you can't get them to come apart easily, all you have to do is let them sit out on a counter for a minute or two, just until they come apart a bit. This wont harm them because you wont let them thaw out completely, just enough to loosen them.

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alstiver@hotmail.com

1.0 2001 Coral snow cornsnake
0.1 2002 Pastel Ghost poss Het Amelanistic cornsnake
1.1 2002 Bloodred cornsnakes
0.1 1998 Het Hypo, Het Caramel cornsnake
1.0 2000 Hypo Het Caramel cornsnake

I would recommend The Big Cheese Rodent Factory (www.bigcheeserodents.com/). They have cheap, good quality mice. On the site, it says that they package in multiples of 50, but I asked to get them packaged in multiples of 25, and they didn't have any problem filling my order. I just called the 800 number after emailing the boss about getting them in 25's. I would recommend ordering at least a total of 50 to 100 mice. I ordered 75 and the shipping still cost me more than the mice themselves.
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***** Brandon *****

0.0.1 White's Tree Frog
1.0 Creamsicle Cornsnake
corn_snake_dude@yahoo.com

Here is a photo, sorry about the quality my "good" digital was broken and i had to use an old one.

Hmmm well if you need feeders in a hurry....you can always order frozen pinkies online....they can even do overnight shipping.....no wonder the snake is so thin being fed crickets....Russia is pretty much the same length....but she is a bit thicker...but ill tell you what she can take down a good sized pinkie anyday.....its amazing how big their mouths get lol...plus its good if the food leaves a lump of some sort....that way you know its feeding good....heres a pic below of how big her food is compared to her.....and i feed her about every 5-6 days or so.

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KRISTI Mommy 2 Autumn Rose (daughter) 2 1/2 yrs
Reign Michael(son) 6 months
Duncan (Budgie) Passed away 5/11/2004...Love you duncan
Asia (Juvie Leopard Gecko)
Russia ( Baby Albino Cornsnake)
OH, And Ron the geckos #1 FAN!!! (owned by BlizzardGecko)