feeding questions

Corny hasn't shed in over 100 days. he weighs somewhere over 350g (i haven't weighed him in a month). i've recently started feeding him 2 large mice every 7 days. they leave a bit of a lump but he poops a few days later and is usually pacing after 4 days. once when he was being overly obnoxious in his enclosure, i caved and fed him a rat pup 3 days before his regular feeding day (i was out of mice; was planning on buying them on feeding day). he hesitated but happily took it.

a rat pup isn't going to be as nutritious as a large mouse, correct? not in terms of rat vs mouse, but a rat pup is a young animal; an adult mouse has all it's muscle, fat, bone density. etc. i've gone back to 2 large mice/7 days.

i never really read about people feeding rats to their Corns, and this old thread i found isn't exactly what i was looking for LOL. Corny took that rat pup no-problem and was still pacing before his regularly scheduled feeding day afterwards eating it. you guys know i've been really hesitant to grow him up too fast as he's spent years eating only pinkies. can i offer Corny a weaned rat? it just seems so darn big. i feel like i'm going to freak him out, or he's going to explode lol. but since he hasn't shed in over 3 months, his body is literally telling me he needs more to grow, right?

halp pls & ty. :)

EDIT: also his one year anniversary with me was back in march. :aww:

How big is what you want to offer in comparison to his girth?

Our three adult corns, in the 450 - 600 gram range, get a medium mouse once a week, with the occasional day-old rabbit kit instead of a mouse, and seem to be doing well on them. Their weights are slowly increasing, in line with growing their whole life, but they don’t seem to be getting fat. They typically shed every 60 days or so.

I get most of my rats and mice from Big Cheese, and going by their size/weight ranges, a rat pup is about the same as a medium adult mouse, and a weaned rat is about the same as a jumbo mouse. So if he’s been eating two large mice at a time, one weaned rat is probably about the same, or a bit less food.

I tend to switch from mice to rats once the snakes “outgrow” medium mice, as I figure jumbo mice (the next size up) are likely to be more fatty, and weaned rats should be fairly well-developed in terms of skeletal structure, etc. I originally got the rabbit kits to give my carpet pythons some variety, and then realized they were probably natural prey for corn snakes. The two we had at the time were on a fast, but took their first kits with enthusiasm (and proceeded to resume regular feeding), as did Aurora the first time I offered her a kit. I get the kits at Scott Smith’s, from Rat Pack Feeders (west side of the room, usually near the door in the west wall).


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I don’t know much about corn snakes. Until arriving on this forum, I’ve always read and been told you feed a snake prey items about the same size as your snakes girth at its widest point once a week or a day or 2 after it poops.

I’m guessing since ball pythons are more sedentary and also sometimes like to be hoarders and not poop that’s the reason for the differences in that feeding chart.

Back on topic, are corn snakes more active? I think you’d be fine offering him a prey item that’s as big around as his body. If it is too big for him, I don’t think he would even try to swallow it. That’s just my theory. I’m sure someone with more (or any) corn snake experience will have a better/ more definitive answer for you.


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Originally Posted by Phillydubs

How big is what you want to offer in comparison to his girth?

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they're about the same size, girth to mouse. the mouse definitely isn't bigger around than he is tho, but i feed two.

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Originally Posted by Prognathodon

Our three adult corns, in the 450 - 600 gram range, get a medium mouse once a week, with the occasional day-old rabbit kit instead of a mouse, and seem to be doing well on them. Their weights are slowly increasing, in line with growing their whole life, but they don’t seem to be getting fat. They typically shed every 60 days or so.

I get most of my rats and mice from Big Cheese, and going by their size/weight ranges, a rat pup is about the same as a medium adult mouse, and a weaned rat is about the same as a jumbo mouse. So if he’s been eating two large mice at a time, one weaned rat is probably about the same, or a bit less food.

I tend to switch from mice to rats once the snakes “outgrow” medium mice, as I figure jumbo mice (the next size up) are likely to be more fatty, and weaned rats should be fairly well-developed in terms of skeletal structure, etc. I originally got the rabbit kits to give my carpet pythons some variety, and then realized they were probably natural prey for corn snakes. The two we had at the time were on a fast, but took their first kits with enthusiasm (and proceeded to resume regular feeding), as did Aurora the first time I offered her a kit. I get the kits at Scott Smith’s, from Rat Pack Feeders (west side of the room, usually near the door in the west wall).

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thank you so much for the reply. this has put me at ease with offering a weaned rat. he's never seen food that big in his life! i'm just a worry wart, same as everyone. :P

how active are your Corns? does the pacing i describe sound normal to you, or do you think it's from hunger? compared to balls, this guy is a drag racer!!! hahaha. he's in a 20gal and i'm desperately looking for a 40gal to upgrade him.

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Originally Posted by Sgt7212

I don’t know much about corn snakes. Until arriving on this forum, I’ve always read and been told you feed a snake prey items about the same size as your snakes girth at its widest point once a week or a day or 2 after it poops.

I’m guessing since ball pythons are more sedentary and also sometimes like to be hoarders and not poop that’s the reason for the differences in that feeding chart.

Back on topic, are corn snakes more active? I think you’d be fine offering him a prey item that’s as big around as his body. If it is too big for him, I don’t think he would even try to swallow it. That’s just my theory. I’m sure someone with more (or any) corn snake experience will have a better/ more definitive answer for you.

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from my limited experience, yes they are way more active than beeps. they're also out throughout the day, which is pretty cool.

this guy was severely underfed for his first 3 or 4 years, so i've been really careful about upping his prey size for...reasons? i'm just a worry wart. :)

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

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a rat pup isn't going to be as nutritious as a large mouse, correct? not in terms of rat vs mouse, but a rat pup is a young animal; an adult mouse has all it's muscle, fat, bone density. etc. i've gone back to 2 large mice/7 days.

i never really read about people feeding rats to their Corns, ....

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Correct, a rat pup isn't going to be as nutritious as a large mouse. This assumes that the mouse is not obese.

For what it's worth, my first corn snake was a 6 month old baby that was starving. She had eaten maybe 4 pinky mice when I got her. When offered a pinky rat, she dived at it and never ate any other kind of rodent. At the age of three, she mated and produced a clutch of eggs that hatched normally. Mice are a more appropriate size for food, especially for hatchlings. But my corn snake did just as well on rats as other corn snakes do on mice.

Figment (my corn) is about 625G now. He was happily eating a 35-45G mouse weekly, but I have moved him to an every two week schedule of the same size mouse. If he starts losing weight, I will go to ten days or one week, then two weeks, etc.

I have heard mixed things about feeding rats to corns. Every once in a while, I am sure it is fine. However, corns eat mostly mice in the wild and their system is designed for that. I was told to keep them on mice, as they tend to get fat(er) on rats.

I go by the Munson Feeding Chart for Corns, and that only shows mice.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...hart_corns.jpg

you can feed both, either or, not a big deal IMO. I generally stick to mice but my adult corns will get the random weaned or rat pup from time to time.

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Originally Posted by dakski

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...hart_corns.jpg

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THANK YOU for the chart!!! i've been wanting to see something like this but i've never seen one recommended.

you shared a lot of great info, thank you! i think i just need to find bigger/better prey items, as the largest mice i can find closest to me aren't big enough (and feeding two is expensive!)

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

you can feed both, either or, not a big deal IMO. I generally stick to mice but my adult corns will get the random weaned or rat pup from time to time.

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thank you for the reply. i plan on letting him have a weaned this next feeding as a treat while i find bigger mice for him. :)

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

THANK YOU for the chart!!! i've been wanting to see something like this but i've never seen one recommended.

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I have never seen feeding charts until I came to this site. lol

Granted I've moved on from corns, none of mine ever got rats. They always maintained good body structure on mice. Even as adults they got 1 LG adult mouse weekly.

And Django, my King, also gets 1 LG adult weekly. He gets 2 every once in a while, maybe every 5th or 6th feeding. He has had a few small rats, but only because he's a garbage disposal and I had a refusal to use or it was going outside for a neighborhood cat or something. Figured Django should get first dibs. On that feeding schedule Django is still growing and was up to 775 grams when I weighed him last month.
Obviously Kings and corns are different species, but close cousins in the colubrid family.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

how active are your Corns? does the pacing i describe sound normal to you, or do you think it's from hunger? compared to balls, this guy is a drag racer!!! hahaha. he's in a 20gal and i'm desperately looking for a 40gal to upgrade him.

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I’ve got a 20-long sitting in storage, if Corny isn’t a climber.

Henry spends most of his time outside of hides, Tanis is often out, and Aurora hides most of the time. Except when I’m feeding (at which point Tanis and Henry are at their doors waiting/hoping), none of them pace that I’ve noticed, or only occasionally. The difference in behavior may be due to early socialization, we got them all as adults; Tanis and Henry from one breeder, and Aurora from another.

Tanis (normal) & Henry (anery):
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...afdd06036c.jpg

Aurora (caramel tessera):
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6628b82212.jpg

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Originally Posted by Sgt7212

I don’t know much about corn snakes. Until arriving on this forum, I’ve always read and been told you feed a snake prey items about the same size as your snakes girth at its widest point once a week or a day or 2 after it poops.

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That works for growing babies and juveniles, but can result in over-feeding adults. And way way over-feeding blood pythons. :)

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Back on topic, are corn snakes more active?

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Yes, more active, and will hang around out of their hides during the day. Not quite as busybody as our Mexican king snakes or my water python, though.




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If my corns aren't in blue or in a food coma they are normally pretty active depending on the time of day. If you walk into my snake room during the day most of them will pop their little heads out of their hides so see what you are doing.

I've heard a good rule to follow is 1.5 times the size of the corns head.

Most of the corns I have or take care of are fine with mice, though one of them is a big boy and he is on weaned rats.

Prognathodon - I like that tower you have. How are the pieces connected at the top?

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Originally Posted by Prognathodon

I’ve got a 20-long sitting in storage, if Corny isn’t a climber.

Henry spends most of his time outside of hides, Tanis is often out, and Aurora hides most of the time. Except when I’m feeding (at which point Tanis and Henry are at their doors waiting/hoping), none of them pace that I’ve noticed, or only occasionally. The difference in behavior may be due to early socialization, we got them all as adults; Tanis and Henry from one breeder, and Aurora from another.

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i appreciate that, but Corny is absolutely a climber. i bought him one of those reptile hammocks at Tinley and he's always zooming around up on it.

and thanks for all the info. it sounds like Corny might be active from hunger, so hopefully he settles down once i get bigger mice.

My corns are quite active. Sometimes hanging out in the hide but when awake, I almost always see them just out and about. Same with my king. Colubrids are much more active than boas and pythons.

just an update: Corny took his first weaned rat!!! i think the size and smell put him off, as i've never seen him hesitate to eat except with rats! he took a few defensive strikes and was bucking at the feeder with his body, so i started tease feeding him and that worked like a charm. it really didn't take him much longer to swallow than the mice, which was surprising!

i hope he feels nice and full. now to find bigger mice!!! ill likely update this thread if/when i do, but weaned rats will remain a special and rare treat. [emoji4]

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REPLIED. [emoji178]