After first getting a corn snake when should I attempt to feed him his first meal? The breeder stated he hadn’t ate in 5days when he shipped.
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Give him 5-7 days to settle in before handling, then feed him the day after. Congrats! 
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Thank you! I must say everyone in the community are super helpful and fast responders.
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You’re welcome. Post pics after he digests his first meal. That takes 48 hours, but I usually don’t handle until day 3 after feeding at the earliest.
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Do you feel its best to feed him in or out of the enclosure in a separate container? Currently in a 10g biodude bioactive setup with 2 hids/lots of cover.
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I prefer to feed outside of the enclosure. If you feed inside the enclosure, I’d put a large plate down to keep substrate off the mouse.
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Last question. As I stated the breeder said he hadn’t ate in 5 days. I got him at day six and today is day 7. I’m leaving on my annual fishing trip Weds morning and coming back Sunday. Should I….
- Try feeding him Tuesday evening which will be will be 4days with me and will 11 days without food since the breeder last fed him.
- Feed when I’m back Sunday the 19th, which will be 9 days with me or day 16 without food from the breeder. My wife refuses to try to feed when I’m gone.
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I see @caryl is replying but I would feed before you leave. Corns are a pretty hardy and forgiving snake so I don’t think you are going to have a problem with feeding……
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Welcome to the community, @pikemartin , and to the wonderful world of corn snake keeping!
I see in another thread that your snake is about 6 months old. There’s nothing wrong with waiting a week to feed him the first time. I usually advise 5 days. Snakes like being in dark, snug spaces, so the shipping container isn’t as stressful for them as it would be for something like a cat or dog, but the whole shipping process is still a stressor. They need time to process the stress hormones like cortisol. Their metabolism runs about 20% the speed of ours, so it is good to give them a few days.
I feed both in and out of the enclosure. I usually feed youngsters in deli cups. Like @deanaii says, if you feed in the enclosure, be sure he can’t ingest any substrate. Impactions are potentially quite serious. I use newspaper for feeding in the enclosure. The ones who have a tendency to drag their prey around get fed in a separate enclosure no matter how big they get, lol.
You might want to check with the breeder and see what the snake’s normal feeding routine was. Initially it’s a good idea to feed in the same way for the first couple of feedings in his new home.
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I am just seeing your last question. I agree with @caron. I would feed before you leave, assuming your wife will be willing to check and see that there was no regurge. (I assume she’ll tend to water while you’re gone.) There likely won’t be, but that is a pretty smelly mess. It would need to be cleaned.
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Ya my wife has no problem with the water.
I’ll go ahead and feed Tuesday before I leave even though that’ll only be day 4 acclimating. I have quite the setup for a 10g with lots of places to hide and deep substrate (Bio Dude Terra firma and leaf litter). I haven’t seen him since last night so I really hope I don’t have to search and dig him out Tuesday to feed.
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That ought to be fine. They’ve all got their own personality, and of course we’ve no way to know what the shipping experience was like for them. If he’s accustomed to handling, that will help. Either way, shouldn’t be an issue.
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Well good news. He came out around 10pm last and has been out since. Take a look at the photo. He’s been camping out all morning on the top tank ledge lol (4hrs).
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Glad your new baby is feeling confident, being out and exploring his new spaces. That’s very good! Most youngsters love to climb. I’ve got a few who really enjoy their ledges.
One caution. I do see what looks like a clip on the front center of the enclosure. Young colubrids can squeeze and flatten themselves almost unbelievably. Be sure that your baby is thwarted in any possibility of escape. More clips and/or weights would not be amiss.
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Thanks for watching out. I have the sills locking clips on all side of the tank. Think I still need to worry?
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Depends on how many you’ve got. Worry is a strong word and I’m admittedly paranoid about escapes, but that’s because I’ve had a few over the years. Me, I’d put three on the long sides and two on the short ones.
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Well as suggested I tried feeding him tonight and he didn’t take. Problem is I can’t catch him to put him in a separate container to feed so I tried the plate method for 1.5hrs. I took the pinky out and I guess I’ll try when I get back Sunday. I’m worried that he’s been without food for too long. Thoughts?
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Generally you’re going to want to give the snake more than an hour and a half, especially since he’s not established with you yet. Personally, I don’t advise trying to move him to feed if he’s flighty like that, the stress of trying to catch him alone could make him unwilling to eat. As for being without food for too long, do remember that corn snakes can go weeks or months without eating and be perfectly fine. Yes, that means even as youngsters. In any case, you don’t want to immediately offer food again after a refusal, so waiting until Sunday will be just fine.
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