I’m sorry that he did not eat for you. After this, just wait until your return to try again. Waiting will be more stressful to you than it will be to him. It’s very hard to internalize the idea that snakes can go so long between meals, but they can. I know I felt like I was going to starve my first corn when he was in “blue” and not getting fed, since I was used to mammals and birds. Snakes are different. Yours will be fine with waiting. It will give him some additional days to settle into his new home.
I agree. Chasing him isn’t conducive to him feeling safe and ready to eat. They are vulnerable when they’re eating and they know it. If they don’t feel secure, they’re not going to eat. Offer the next meal in his enclosure on something to prevent substrate ingestion.
Last night I put a pinkie on a plate while he was out. An hour later he still didn’t eat it so I decided to go to bed but leave the pinkie in there. Woke up this morning and it’s gone! Success!
As far as thawing out the pinkie I went about it this way. Put it in a ziploc > Placed in cold water for 2hrs > ran under hot water for 10sec > sat it on the plate in the cage. You guys suggest anything different?
I personally would skip the cold water. As long as the meal is smaller than a small rat (Which shouldn’t matter as it is a corn snake) then putting it straight into warm water is perfectly fine. What I do for small adult mice get one of those paper coffee cups and fill it with the warm water, let the mouse sit in it for 30 minutes then dump all the water out and refill it with more warm water and let it sit for another 15 minutes. For pinkies-hoppers all you should need is 30 minutes in the warm water. once you get to small-adult mice you should be good with the 30 minutes in the water and then replace the water and let it sit for 15 more minutes. I do like putting it in a dog bag or ziploc as I feed in the enclosure without anything under and that helps stop dirt from sticking.
I do the same with the hottest my tap can get, which isn’t so hot. I feed in a separate bin, and one thing I like about offering soggy mice to them is that I know they’re getting a little hydration boost with the meal.
With a single pinky, you can safely and easily thaw it straight from the freezer in warm or hot tap water. I use a 1-L cup. Just pop the mouse in for about 15-20 min. Check with a finger to see that the mouse is thawed. With small prey items like pinkies and fuzzies, it’s easy to feel when they’re warm through. (Our hot water heater is set for 120°F. Hotter than that and you run more risk of unpleasant results with thawing mice. More risk of human burns, too.)
Pinks are small so digestion doesn’t take as long. And I might get run out of here but tbh pinks do not take long to unthaw so I just put them in a baggie and lay them out to unthaw at room temp…… takes less than 20 minutes or so……
Generally they come out for a drink and a brief prowl after about 24 hours. They usually go back to their warm spot for another day or so. What’s the weight of your snake? I apologize if you’ve given it, but I didn’t see it when I looked back.
Unfortunately I haven’t taken him out yet because I don’t want to stress him out by chasing him. With that being said not sure on his weight but I can say he’s about as long as a 10g. Here’s a pic of him
He’s getting more brave! Just ate with the light on. When should I start feeding 2 pinks? I say this because he’s still moving around hunting after I fed him.
Weighing him would be the most accurate and easy way to figure out what size to feed him. But if a single pinkie isn’t leaving a lump, you should be fine to do doubles.
Hooray for brave babies! It’s normal for them to keep looking for more food for some time after a feeding. That doesn’t necessarily mean they need more, just that they’re programmed to eat more if they can. A successful “hunt” or meal seems to trigger that prey drive.
A good rule of thumb is that if the visible food bulge has mostly disappeared about 24 hours after feeding, it’s time for a bigger meal.
Haven’t seen him for 8days so I figured he was shedding. I bumped up the humidity to 65-70. This afternoon he shed! Measured it and he’s 19”. Thanks for all the help along the way everyone!
You weren’t kidding there. He ate 2 pinkies right away. Snatched them from the plate in the enclosure but took them in his hole to swallow them. Completely defeated the purpose of using the plate to prevent impaction lol
I’ve never used a plate and never had an issue with impaction. So long as you dry the pinkies off really well with a paper towel, they shouldn’t have too much sticking to them.
I have just given up with my rat snake. He sometimes will grab the mouse, dig a burrow into the ground, poke his head up after he is satisfied with his play time, and THEN finally stare at me and begin eating his mouse. I think they enjoy taunting us every now and then
