Feeding Question

[edf]

Hello! First off, new poster here, and I just got myself a corn snake.

I have a few questions...

Well, I also have a ball python, so I am used to the usual with pythons, but I know corns are different, so I have a question/...

I just fed my corn snake a pinky. Everything went well- but he/she ate it so much different then Damien ( ball python ) does.

First, the corn ( no name yet, still working on it!) ate it tail first... everythign went down ok, but is that ok? For the python we have to make sure he eats rats head first... but I am not sure about the corn snakes. I thought snakes always ate them head first....

Another question about feeding... I know corns are not venomous snakes... but my corn snake didn't kill the pinky... just striked and then gobbled it up... no strangling it...

Since I am used to python feeding, I do not really know if this is normal for corn snakes. I didnt see a live pinky being a threat so I offered it live, should I have killed it first? And if corns are supposed to eat the pinky head first, what can I do to make sure the corn eats it the right way first? I know we could use tongs...but for a pinky it may be hard. I honestly never used tongs to feed the python...so tong feeding would be new...

Well, that is it for now. The snake ate it, and is doing fine right now in his/her home. I did not see a regurgitated pinky, and the snake is happily crawing around.

thankyous in advance for any answers you may have!
I'll get pictures up soon!

edf

[John Pilling]

Welcome to the forum.

For pinkies it doesn't really matter which way around a corn eats the pinkie, but for fuzzies or bigger head first is better. I would also swap over to frozen/thawed pinkies so you can acctually hol the tail and let the corn actually take it head first.

As to the constriction side of things, some corns will and some corns won't constrict their food, i know my female has only started constricting since she's laid her eggs and never did before hand. My Male corn has never (that i can remember) constricted. But saying that i have only ever fed f/t mice.

Get the pic's up soon.

[edf]

Thankyou for easing my worry! The corn snake is fine, i was mainly worried for the future feedings.
As for f/t... i'll have to give it a try, i didnt have sucsess with my python w/ f/t... and do you just let the mouse literly thaw or do you need to heat it up?

Even if I don't do f/t, once I get past pinkies, i'd do prekilled- does that have any issues that I am not aware of? Like I said, I am used to my ball python, who will not take f/t ( i could have done something wrong)

I'll have to read up more on frozen thawed. I could save some money if I could get my spoiled python on f/t as well. As of right now, I amnot going to change things, at least with the python, new cages comming soon, so once the snakes get settled in to their bigger homes and I do more reading on f/t, I'll attempt it. I just hope no one accedentually eats a frozen rat thinking its hamberger helper...LOL

Thanx a ton John!

[John Pilling]

Pre-killed will be fine if thats the easiest way for you. As to f/t, i just put mine on a try i use just for mice/rats and let them thaw out naturally, pinkies should be fine in 30-60 mins, just poke a finger under the rib cage to make sure theirs no ice crystals their, if not then it's ready to eat. Bigger the mouse/rat the longer it need tho, i give my large rats about 4 hours then check for ice crystals, again if theirs non i feed straight away.

[sandalicious]

ok if u are f/t it is best to put hot water in a bowl and set the pinkie/ fuzzie/mouse in the water i do my pinkie for 30 min. and then i take it out of the bag and feed it to Coral (my Corn snake)