| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| misspiggy18 |
Posted - 22/05/2010 : 17:08:45
i know that young corns have to be feed a pinkie once every 5-14 days does this sound like the right timeline
but at what age and weight does the snake have to start eating the fuzzies and when they need to be fed.also when can they start to eat a fullo grown mouse |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kazerella |
Posted - 24/05/2010 : 11:00:17
quote:
Originally posted by Bio
And the fact that you cannot go into the pictures section of this site and identify the overweight corns speaks volumes to be honest.
Bio- you really need to pull your claws in a bit when replying to other members.
I may have turned a blind eye to this comment if i had not already seen another post where a Mod had to tell you to refrain from belittling other members and their posts. Unfortunately your warning level has had to be increased.
Please refer to the forum guidelines, which can be found here:
http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4941
We don't have many rules here, but basically if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. 
Amy: I am sorry for the conflicting info you are being given regarding the feeding of your corn.
Obviously the forum is all about people being able to share their opinions and help, but sometimes that can just cause confusion as it must have done in your case. I know that as a new snake owner I would have found it very hard to judge what my snake should be feeding on based on its digestion time and its activity level, especially as snakes activity levels differ so much and is also dependant on the time of day. It also takes time to be able to judge your snakes growth rate, when I am sure you are wanting a more reassuring way of being able to judge what you snake needs - rather than risk your snake based on guess made on experience you dont have yet.....the situation all new owners are in.
I would personally advise that you take on board what has been said by everyone, but use the suggested bump and feeding guide as a rough way to estimate where you snake should be food wise.
It is only with time that you will learn what is going to be best for it, and until then you need to rely on the support being offered. I am just sorry that support has become so conflicted.
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| n/a |
Posted - 23/05/2010 : 05:21:50
quote:
Originally posted by Kellog
I think the issue if for a newbie having some idea of what to do - they dont have the experience of their snake that you talk about....so what are they supposed to go on for advice if they cant go by the bump, or the width, or the guide? So how would you answer Amy's question?
For a start, my post was aimed at the guides rather than any individual posting them. I did not rip apart your post specifically because there was some truth to parts of it.
And as for how i would answer the OP's question, my opinion is within my original post.
I generally base my feeding sizes on digestion times, activity levels and growth rate. If your snake is done digesting its meal within a day of eating it is probably not being fed enough, if it takes more than 2 days it is probably being fed too much.
Again though, this is all down to the individual and more specifically setup. The warmer the temps the faster the snake will digest.
I personally keep my corns at 28 degrees and the above method, personalised for each snake works for me.
And the fact that you cannot go into the pictures section of this site and identify the overweight corns speaks volumes to be honest. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 23/05/2010 : 05:06:50
I totally agree with you Bio, which is why I followed LittleMick's thread and stressed the importance of this being a very rough guide and that it is more important to use common sense and knowledge of your snake as your guide. I actually used the example of forum members snakes that are feeding on prey that they wouldnt be if this guide was followed strictly and yet they are perfectly healthy and growing well and eating what they should be. Just as your snake is.
I know that there have been a few issues on the forum recently regarding overweight snakes but, if I remember correctly, these were either being fed rats or being fed too often. As for photos of adults that are overweight, I am not sure which ones you are referring to.
I think the issue if for a newbie having some idea of what to do - they dont have the experience of their snake that you talk about....so what are they supposed to go on for advice if they cant go by the bump, or the width, or the guide? So how would you answer Amy's question?
xxx
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| n/a |
Posted - 23/05/2010 : 04:52:20
I dub this thread 'how to power feed 101 - how to fatten up a snake and shorten its life expectancy'.
I understand there has to be some sort of information given to new snake owners in regards to prey size and frequency but this is not all that good advice. Do you really all believe a snake should feed on a mouse that is quarter or a fifth of its body weight just because it leaves a bump when a smaller mouse does not?
I actually do not like the bump guide. Mice can be the same size but vary massively in weights. As an example, i bought 50 small mice a few weeks ago, visually the mice are very similar in size yet the weights of those mice range from 9 - 18 grams. There is honestly very little size difference in the largest and smallest mice yet their weights are vastly different.
According to the weight guides above i have a snake here that should be on 18 gram mice, i fed her tonight on a 10 gram mouse and she is happily full and will digest it (at correct temps) for the next 2 days. She is growing fast, is active, not fat and is perfectly happy on the diet she is on right now. Knowledge of this snake and her behaviour will tell me when to move her up to a bigger mouse, not a guide.
So many of the photos in this sites photos section are of adult snakes that are overweight, it just seems like people are so used to seeing pictures of overweight corns that they do not realise it!
I seem to recall a good few topics over the past months (on this forum and others) with people asking if their snakes are fat or saying that their snakes need to go on a diet. Exactly what feeding guides do you think they followed?!
The thing about this topic though is that to understand how much and how often to feed your snakes takes experience... experience of the species of snake and any individual you keep. What is right for one snake is not right for another. As an example, there are two corn snakes of the same size... one is active all the time and the other is not. Would you feed those two snakes the same size mouse with the same frequency? I should hope not as the less active snake is going to become a little portly.
This is a reason i do not like this type of guide, it does not factor in any variables... it is not this cut and dry! |
| Kellog |
Posted - 23/05/2010 : 04:12:39
This is an easier guide to read than the one Mick has linked you to Amy (it gives you the snake and its weight first, rather than the prey item). But I must stress that this is very much a ROUGH guide and is only to be used to give you a basic idea of what you might do....but I know forum members whose snakes should supposedly be on a certain size cos of their weight.but arent big enough for them yet, so it must only be used with common sense and a knowledge of your snake.
Snake (4 – 15g) = 1 Pinkie (0.5 – 3g) - feed every 5 to 6 days
Snake (16 – 23g) = 2 pinkies (3 – 4g) - feed every 5 to 6 days
Snake (24 – 30g) = small fuzzy (3 – 6g) - feed every 6 to 7 days
Snake (30 – 50g) = fuzzy (7 – 9g) - feed every 6 to 7 days
Snake (51 – 90g) = fluff/hoppers (7 – 12g) - feed every 6 to 7 days
Snake (91-170g) = Small Adult/Weaned (13-18g) - feed every 7 days
Snake (170g+) = Large (19 to 25g) - feed every 7 to x days
Snake (170+) = X large (30g +) - feed every 10 to x days
As Mozacchio has said, the best guide is whether there is a bump after you have fed your snake, if there is no longer a bump then it is time to either increase their feed to a multiples or move onto the next size.
What is very important is that you never give your snake a prey item where its girth is 1.5 times wider than your snakes body girth. It doesnt actually have anything to do with the size of your snake's head ....as their jaw dislocates to accommodate what they are fed....but more to do with what can fit in their body.
You need to remember that snakes are opportunistic feeders...in the wild they will never know when or where they are getting their next meal and they are the same in captivity, so given the chance they will overfeed and it is up to us to make sure this doesnt happen, no matter how hungry they may look!
xxx
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| LittleMick |
Posted - 22/05/2010 : 22:01:59
This is a feeding guide, about seven posts into the topic
http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7003
Remember, each snake is an individaul though, so the bump method is prolly your best bet. Little or no bump, ready to upgrade.
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| Stumpy |
Posted - 22/05/2010 : 17:44:39
I have always moved from a single pinky to a double pinkie first then when the snake shows no sign of a bump and still looks for food shortly after then move to fuzzies.
My two babies are on 2pinkies or one fuzzy, alternate weeks,until al the pinkies are gone. |
| mozacchio |
Posted - 22/05/2010 : 17:29:59
Young corns are fed a pinkie every 5 days!
When you move up to fuzzies 2 pinkies, every 6-7 days..! 
You have to move him up when you don't see a bump after he eats the pinkie! |
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