| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Alyson19802 |
Posted - 04/04/2011 : 14:06:50
Hi all
picking up my 1st cornsnake on the 21st of this month after unexpectedly falling for his charms.
He is a fully grown 5 year old male who is extremley good natured
and the store we are getting him from has had him since a hatchling he really is super good natured..
I have a couple of questions really as I want to be 100% prepared for when he arrives ,I have purchased a viv and full set up my only prob is what do I take him home in I prob should know this already also should I go armed with a list of Q's and what should I be asking have the usual feeding/shedding ones but anything else I should know before I take him home All suggestions appreciated greatly as I am so excited its only taken me 4 years to convince the hubby x |
| 17 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Alyson19802 |
Posted - 11/04/2011 : 09:17:41
Thank you all for the advice I think Ill try a combination of things and downsize him to large mice and still feed every ten days as so, as I get him home Ill post pics and weight etc and keep you all updated on his progress
Thanks again |
| gmac |
Posted - 11/04/2011 : 00:20:55
quote:
Originally posted by Alyson19802
@GMAC so would 10 days between feed be about right then ??
If its any help he is approx 3.5ft long
photos would be handy to see the snake first, if its an adult i would be thinking about a longer period between feed than 10 days. If you keep going with the rats as that is what its used to possibly every 3 weeks, but you would need to keep an eye on its weight gain. Most adults on large mice are fed 10-14 days, rats being that bit more fatty you would require longer periods between feeds. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 11/04/2011 : 00:08:46
Thanks for the lol. I'm aware of the size range of rats its hardly rocket science. |
| candyazz |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 22:13:53
quote:
Originally posted by lotabob
I personally wouldn't feed rats to an adult cornsnake unless it was a monster sized one that may just be me but they do just fine on mice. As the snake is already showing signs of been overweight then I would switch to mice and work from there. It is true its overfeeding that has caused the fatty bits I didn't really make that clear but as a solution mice would in my opinion be a better option. There is nothing stopping you sticking to rats though, corns will eat allsorts, the important bit would be monitoring what goes in and the effect it has on weight and making small changes to get the balance right.
lol i feed quite a few of my corns on rats and i can assure you there is nothing wrong with it at all
rats come in lots of dif sizes
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| lotabob |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 21:59:00
I personally wouldn't feed rats to an adult cornsnake unless it was a monster sized one that may just be me but they do just fine on mice. As the snake is already showing signs of been overweight then I would switch to mice and work from there. It is true its overfeeding that has caused the fatty bits I didn't really make that clear but as a solution mice would in my opinion be a better option. There is nothing stopping you sticking to rats though, corns will eat allsorts, the important bit would be monitoring what goes in and the effect it has on weight and making small changes to get the balance right. |
| Alyson19802 |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 21:21:52
@GMAC so would 10 days between feed be about right then ??
If its any help he is approx 3.5ft long |
| gmac |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 21:19:18
quote:
Originally posted by lotabob
The fatty deposits are probably been caused by eating rats. I would switch to mice, they are better and plenty for even the biggest of corn snakes,
The fatty deposits are caused by overfeeding not the rats, rats and mice are both perfectly fine for corns, just with rats you give them a bigger break between meals |
| Alyson19802 |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 21:19:16
@Lotabob thank you so much I honestly thought it was a lot after doing some research , I think the jist of what I can gather the previous owner rather indulged them and the guy at the shop is trying to cut them down by lenghting the time between feeds
Ill try the above thanks again, how often should I be weighing him would you reccomned |
| Alyson19802 |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 21:13:38
LMAO thats a whole different ball game much more hassle than bringing a cute kitten home :0) |
| lotabob |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 21:11:37
Ahh, if you know the background then its OK. The fatty deposits are probably been caused by eating rats. I would switch to mice, they are better and plenty for even the biggest of corn snakes, regular weight checks will help you decide what needs done to aid weight loss, you can reduce the size of the prey or the length of time between feeds and even both but start with just switching to mice slightly smaller than the rats he is eating now and see what happens weightwise if he starts to lose weight then thats all you need to do, if not then you try the next thing and next thing until weight gain stops and then slowly you want the weight to be lost. |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 21:10:51
yeah she was almost 7ft of P'ed off boa by the time i got her home lol  |
| Alyson19802 |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 21:09:19
OMG he must have been huge LOl appreciate all the advice |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 21:07:29
hatchies are often sent home in live foods tubs or polystyrene tubs with lids
adult corns will often be in a snake bag made of cotton or woven (breathable) plastic
my last boa was brought home in a HUGE poly box it would make somebody a great incubator!! |
| Alyson19802 |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 21:04:51
I prob should have explained better to be honest he was one of their hatchlings and went to a home with the owners friend who had him for 5 years but then died and the guy then took on all his snakes sorry I should have explained it all a bit better
He does have some slightly fatty deposits on him, as this is new to me I would be very grateful if you can advise what I should do, The shop have said he is feeding on one rat every 10 days or so and is shedding well, do you think it would be a better idea to downsize his portions so to say
We are on holiday so couldn't take him home straight away |
| lotabob |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 19:59:33
quote:
Originally posted by Alyson19802
5 year old male ... the store we are getting him from has had him since a hatchling
I can't understand why a corn snake would have been there so long, is he one of their ex breeders or a recent rescue (or something similar) that they are passing off as one they have always had from hatchling. Shops will say anything for a sale, oh and I'm not saying any of the above is a bad thing just doesn't sound like the whole story.
There should be no need for a corn snake to be on rats, they very often end up overweight on a ratty diet. You buy bulk online but yor best bet for one snake is your local pet reptile store. |
| Alyson19802 |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 19:49:27
Getting really excited now only 11 more days or 10 sleeps after tonight !!!
Can anyone tell me where they buy their frozen meals from , mine is on Rats so would appreciate knowing the best and not the most expensive place to buy from
Many thanks
Alyson |
| Kehhlyr |
Posted - 04/04/2011 : 14:39:53
The rep shop should provide you with something suitable to take him home in.
If not then depending on the journey length, a small plastic tub with him secured in a pillowcase should be fine.
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