Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i want to buy a bag of 100 pinkies from MiceDirect.com to save some money. the price isnt too bad, 37.28 with shipping, but i only have one 1 snake, a cali king snake and its only about 2 feet long. So would the mice stay good for that long? which would probably be about a year or less

If they are vacuum packed they will last at least 3 years. If they have been opened, then you need to use them within 4 to 6 months. After you open the vacuum pack, put the rest of them in a ziplock freezer bag and get as much air out as you can.

You'll probably use them in about 6 months. I would imagine that within 6 months you will need to switch it to fuzzies, then after another 3 months or so to hoppers. By one year, it should be eating large hoppers or rat pups.

Typical diet for baby kingsnake:

First feeding through 2 months - 1 pinkie every 3 or 4 days (appr. 20 pinkies used)

2 months through 4 months - 2 pinkies every 3 or 4 days (appr. 40 more pinkies used for a total of appr. 60)

4 months through 6 months - 3 pinkies every 3 or 4 days (appr. 60 more pinkies used for a total of appr. 120)

6 months through 9 months - 1 or 2 fuzzies or 1 or 2 rat pinkies every week

9 months through 1 year - 1 or 2 hoppers or 1 or 2 rat pups every week

by 14 or 16 months it should be feeding on small adult mice or larger rat pups.

The first year and a half is when they really grow fast, so you need to feed them plenty during that time. After that, you can cut down to one mouse or small rat a week.

why do you need to get them full grown so quick? they wouldnt find that much to eat in the wild would they? i mean, im not trying to be cynical, im being sincere, but is that natural for them or would it be just the same if i fed them only about 2 pinkies a week, which i dont, i probably feed it about 4, but then again i've had it almost a year, anyways thanx in advance

Snakes do the bulk of their growing in the first 18 months. The idea is to take advantage of that high growth rate and get some size and body weight on them. Then you can taper off the feeding and they will continue to grow without getting obese.

It really has nothing to do with what they would or wouldn't do in the wild. The fact is they aren't in the wild. They are in captivity. My opinion is that if I'm going to keep them in captivity, I'm going to keep them at optimum conditions, better than they would ever have in the wild.

My snakes are breeders. They get brumated every year and are not fed (most of them) for 4 months. They will lose some body weight during that time and during breeding, so I want them to start with good body mass and be able to maintain it.