Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I just bought a 2001 Cali King and fed it 2 live mice. After a couple of minutes, he was able to eat both of them but I noticed he got minor injuries possibly from the mice but I just can't think how this could've happend because the mice looked so timid and scared... so my questions are:

1) How many mice do you feed a snake this size a week?

2) Does anyone of you have had the same experience? Is it advisable to feed live mice to snakes?

3) Is he going to be okay with his minor injuries? How fast do they heal?

4) Is it a good idea to touch him?

1.) one or two mice is fine I think.
2.) We probably all have similar stories from feeding live.
Frozen/thawed or fresh killed is preferable to live for the obvious reasons.
3.)Without seeing him first-hand it's hard to say but,unless they are very deep wounds or wounds to the eyes, he should be o.k. Just keep an eye on him and make sure his enclosure is spotless.
They should be fully healed by his next shed.
4.)I never handle my snakes after they eat. At least for 48 hrs.
If you think his wounds are bad you may think of getting him to a vet.
:Mark

Thank you

try f/t (frozen and thaughed in hot water). The mouse could have bit him in defense. Go to www.rodentpro.com they have good products.

Thank you for the link but I don't feel comfortable putting dead rodents with our food. I only have one Freezer.

your snake will be fine. when he sheds a couple of times he will be back to the way he was ,hopefully. If it is not a pinkiy mouse it should be kill be for your snake gets it there are many humane whys to kill them freezing,hiting them on something hard,but however it is done it needs to be done b/c as you see on your snake they can hurt your snake how long is your snake that is what will tell you how many mice to feed it. but 2001 could be 4-5 long so 2-3 med size mice is good. if you have any more Q's post agian
good luck with your new pet
kevin

THANK YOU so much for replying so fast and the tips. Is it okay is I drown the mice or just put it in an enclosure without air? I'm a bit hesitant to feed my snake pre-killed mice because it might not want to eat it anymore but now I know better.

The snake is a little over 3 feet.

How big is a medium sized mouse? The mice I bought are the white small ones. Are they considered "medium"? Sorry I know I sound a little dumb here but I really don't know the sizes of mouse. How about the ones that is as big as a hamster? Do you think my snake can consume it?

Finding the right size
when i got my first snake i picked mice according to the snakes girth ( how large s/he is around... it's width... etc.)... get prey items that are about the same size of the snakes girth, prey items a little lager are ok (you'd be amazed what snakes can consume).

Drowning or suffocation:
i think there's an easier way to get it done, get a small box (cardboard or plastic) place the mouse in there and shack it put aggressively for a few seconds, the mouse may die or be really "out of it" giving the snake enough time to kill/eat the mouse without injury.

when i feed pre killed i always delivered a heavy blow to the head... but that gets a bit bloody some times... i think the box idea is the easiest.

Hamster size:
if you were to feed the snake a mouse the size of a regular sized hamster (teddy bear, short hair, black bear) i think it may be a bit difficult, but the size of a dwarf hamster should go down easily.

hope that helps

~ZF

So the mice I fed my snake is just right? Thank you So 2-3 mice a weeks should be enough, right OR could he consume more?

By the by, your snake looks awesome-- all yellow and golden.

Thanx... he's a lavender brooksi from a sulfur bloodline.

2-3 mice for an adult male cali is good (my 8 yr old cali male takes 3 mice a week)

good luck with your snake(s?)

~ZF

ZFelicien,

A Brooksi... Oh, that's why it looks so gorgeous. Thank you so much for answering all my questions.

I just fed my snake yesterday 2 live mice and bought another 3 today. I killed one of the mice and gave it to him but he didn't touch it. When I tried putting a live one, he immediately bit and strangled the mice... What do I do now??? He doesn't like eating dead preys. Um... I wonder if it had to do with how I killed the mice-- I drowned it in hot water. Any advice on this one???

Umm... that could have been because he just ate yesterday.. then the hot water thing (I guess you changed the smell... kinda cooked it a little) give him about 5 days then try the box method (or blunt trauma to the head)... he should take it without a problem.

when you purchased this snake did the seller tell you what he fed on? (i.e. f/t, pre-killed, live)

~ZF

The seller told me that it eats both prekilled and live.

give him some time he may just take p/k

~ZF

I drowned it in hot water. Any advice on this one???

yeah, don't kill a mammal in a way you wouldn't want to be killed! I"m a little surprised anyone would think drowning--much less in hot water--what was the point of that?--would be humane.

we're supposed to respect our reptiles and speak out to people who think thge only dead snake's a good snake, for ex. We should extend the same consideration to mammals. Yes, it (being killed by a snake for food) happens all the time in the wild. So if you've gotta feedl ive, or feed live rat pups (see suggestion elsewhere in this thread, as safer alternative from the snake's point of view) at least it happens in the wild, too. but hot water? nahhh. and drowning or suffocating are really inappropriate considering there are humane alternatives (if you take the mouse by the tail and swing it hard onto a counter top or the floor, it will be stunned and can be fed, or more likely will be dead. That may have some sort of mental toll on tdhe person doing it, but it's certainly less of a toll on the rodent. I think it's a fair price to pay to avoid subjecting even a mouse to drowning/suffocation/parboiling/etc.

peace
terry

...

Go to the Breeders/Dealers/Stores page on kingsnake.com (1st page). Then find the Rodents/Feeders section. Click on the Mouse Factory. Enter the site. Click on the Rate Chart. Look and see what size mouse you want. If you don't breed your own mice, check out the prices.

Good Luck!

-Paul Stojek

Triplehet,

Your snake looks like it's on fire... You people have beautiful snakes. STOP SHOWING OFF

Thank you for the suggestion but I really don't like putting dead rodents with our food. I only have one freezer. Besides that, I just learned that my snake don't like pre-killed preys. This is so odd because the previous owner said it eats pre-killed and I never saw anyone snake owner who has this same dilemma as I have... What to do...???

I tried to navigate you to the rate chart to show you the different sizes of mice, so you could match up the appropriate name to the size of the mouse you want. I was going to describe some tricks to convert your snake into going for F/T mice and where to find a cheap freezer with the money you would be saving but that's ok.

Good luck!!

a med size mouse its body is 2-3in long with out the tale some thing i for got to tell you is never hold or play with your snake when it has a bulge in it b/c it will throw up the mouse. do you have a heating pad for it or heat light?
kevin

I have a heating pad but I'm not turning it on right now because it's hot as hell here...

Oh, thanks for telling me about the belly. I played with my snake the day after it ate because I thought it looked so cute... Good thing he didn't throw up. BUt THANK YOU so much for telling me this. I'm learning so much. So far I learned:

1) Not to feed it live mice

2) How to kill live mice

3) Not to play with it after feeding

4) Use scented soaps or lotion when handling snakes so they won't mistake it for food.

5) No sudden movements.

freezing's not humane, a mouse will have the same shivering response & agony a human would go thru. (whereas imho it's humane for reptiles, whose systems gradually slow down and then the snake dies in its "sleep" state). A blow to the head is much more humane for rodents. Some people use gas to put them to sleep.
terry

y questions are:
>>
>>1) How many mice do you feed a snake this size a week?

One every two weeks would be fine to keep him healthy.
>>
>>2) Is it advisable to feed live mice to snakes?

No. they can injure the snake, as you learned. Feed frozen. Or if the snake needs the stimulation of live food (a few do) feed rat pups the same size as the mouse you would normally have fed...the rat pup doesn't have the tooth development and activity level of a mouse and won't (can't) hurt the snake.
>>
>>3) Is he going to be okay with his minor injuries? How fast do they heal?

obviously depends on extent. you can put a human-style antibiotic cream (triple A is good for example) on injuries. prob'y heal about as fast as you would.
>>
>>4) Is it a good idea to touch him?

yes, but not right after he's fed--maybe not the first 8-12 hrs. so long as you're not feeding excessively, should be fine to handle him the following day.

peace
terry