Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had experience with adult specimens but this is the first time I have dealt with juveniles of any cobra species. I just got my little beauty the other day and was curious how long I should wait before attempting to feed it a pinky. I tried once this morning but the snake meerly killed the pinky and let it be. Should I leave the pinky in the cage a day or so or should I just remove it. I keep the enclosure at about 84 degrees and it also has a hide spot with a shallow water dish as well. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Leave the pinkie in with the cobra over night and see what happens. Also give it plenty of alone time and a good hide box. Good luck and good choice!!!! Sean

I have a ton of Naja species, and 8 of them are Monocles. 4 are albinos. I have had a few little ones give me a bit of trouble starting out, but they all have grown to be awsome snakes. I find that they love movement. They seem to be much more interested in a prey item that moves around a lot. They get so excited, it kind of gets them anxious to feed. I have a pair of Formosas that when they were sold to me I was told to leave the pink in for a few days and they would eat it once it turned purple. Needless to say I did not do that as decaying food is not good. However they fed for me right away and never have I had to leave prey in there longer than a minute before it was gone. Try and feed a small fuzzy mouse while its still live. Once you get them started they do not stop. Also, if you put them in a deli cup with the prey item, they usually will take it by the morning. Being in constant contact with the prey often aggrivates them enough that they will usually kill it then eat it. With over 40 Cobras in my collection, I have had to try a few different things through the years. Try not to leave the prey dead to long. If you have any questions you can e-mail me, and I will walk you through a few good tricks.
Good luck,
Chris