California Kingsnake Feeding help

[Bogertophis]

sorry I completely forgot to not heat the pinkys, about 5 people on a different forums told me that their kings went crazy for pinkys that where slightly heated with a hairdryer. Ill make sure to Only thaw naturally and no heat. When I go to a pet store again ill pick up a live pinky, I have not held her at all, only when I was putting her in the deli which was probably really stressful for her. When I try feeding her live do I put her in the deli again or just leave the pinky in the tank on a "platter", not sure if its a good idea for the deli again since she hated it so much. And when she eats them consistently 7 times ill then do the 2 pinkies.

Yes, deli cups are NOT ideal...they are too cramped & a snake will still feel exposed...there's no privacy, which is WHY I suggested a paper bag.
(Future reference: Don't heat the f/t pinkies...just thaw in cool water & pinch-damage the nose to release more scent.)

DO try a live one next...that's likely what she's looking for. And you can do one of 2 ways, to make sure she focuses on it: (1) either put her in a closed paper bag with it (a couple pin-holes for air, secure the top closed & leave bag in her tank over-night or until you hear the pinkie squeak to tell you she's eating...then IF you hear that, DO NOT DISTURB for at least 60 minutes...plenty of time for her to get it swallowed, otherwise if you barge in, she'll panic & spit it out & may refuse to eat it. Got that?) If you want, crumple half a paper towel to put in the bag too, just for a little traction & sense of security...she should have no trouble hunting the pinkie.

OR (2) put the live pinkie in a small flat bottom bowl (about 5-6" wide) that's too heavy for the snake to tip over, and leave the bowl in her cage overnight. It can help to put the bowl under her cool-side hide (take the paper stuffing out to make room). Your snake will feel braver being under cover, and braver by being able to look down on the pinkie in the bowl for a while while she gets up the nerve to pounce. The bowl should be deep enough (2") so the pinkie cannot escape...you don't want to need to search the cage for it.

Thaw pinkies IN cool water for about 10 minutes at most...they thaw fast. DO NOT let them sit out to thaw...they spoil that way. King snakes aren't known for caring much, but maybe you've got one that does care, especially since she's probably only had live so far.

Good plan on feeding live about 7 times before trying f/t & 2 pinks at one sitting. You'll get this...OK?

[Cypris1]

When I did the deli cup I put a towel over it to make her hopefully feel more secure but I will go out and get paper bags, I will probably try the bowl one first as to not stress her from grabbing her. If I hear squeaks I make sure to leave for awile. When I had put the pinky into the deli I had pinched the nose Alot and I partly cut open the head (ew) but I think the thing that stressed her out alot was me opening the deli back up since I didnt know the deli did not fit into the little opening gate thing so I had to partly squeeze the deli to get it in the tank but also that fact that it was prob shaky going up the stairs in the deli.

Ok ill thaw the pinkies in cool water for around 10 mins, and have the plan of 7 live then the 2.

Also im trying not to get my hopes up but the pinky that I left in there this morning is gone, I thought it fell off the thing I put it on but when I came home and went to take it out it was not there and there was a snake hole. Im guessing its just under smth and I just cant see it but im having high hopes since these pinkys looked alot better than the other ones I had bought first, the first ones that I had bought where almost a greyish pink with no red at all (no red in belly), the new ones are pink with red and thats how ive seen them look for others so I think their better ones. Again, I doubt she ate it but im hoping.

by the way, can she smell me in the same room? Shes in my bedroom and I ovi sleep in there, could my smell be scaring her? I never go in my room unless im going to bed so theres no noise from me but can she smell me and get scared? Im thinking about grabbing a sleeping bag and sleeping outside my room.

[Bogertophis]

Don't worry about sleeping in the same room. I sure hope she took the pinky from this morning...it really does sound like those other pinkies were spoiled, plus being
thawed & overly warmed, yuck. Yes, try the "bowl" thing first- she'll find the live pinkie by scent just fine...UNLESS she actually ATE the f/t pink from this morning. IF
she did, don't switch to live, just keep her on f/t pinks...ok? So give the cage a thorough check before you get any live pinks. Yes, it's hard to do without stressing her
some, do the best you can...keeping my fingers crossed that she ate & can stay on f/t pinks. (I've been known to leave pinkies on a large jar lid or plastic top.)

[Cypris1]

Next time I see them I should thank the worker who admitted not to buy their mice.

The bowl way does seem like a much easier way than the bag since I ovi dont have to put her in smth.
If she did eat the pinky from yesterday ill make sure she stays on f/t and if she did that really will show that the other pinkys had gone bad.

I had left the pinky on the edge of her water bowl where I see her slither alot and hide under so maybe she liked it there better, thats If she ate it

[Bogertophis]

Next time I see them I should thank the worker who admitted not to buy their mice.

The bowl way does seem like a much easier way than the bag since I ovi dont have to put her in smth.
If she did eat the pinky from yesterday ill make sure she stays on f/t and if she did that really will show that the other pinkys had gone bad.

I had left the pinky on the edge of her water bowl where I see her slither alot and hide under so maybe she liked it there better, thats If she ate it

The bowl idea works better for live pinks, because they move around and also have more scent- you don't want them roaming off, or the snake to eat substrate along with the pinkie when they finally catch it. It does also help you know for sure they ate...you need to know that no matter if f/t or live. That's why it's a good idea to feed on a "plate" of some kind (for f/t)...like on a flat plastic food storage top...if the f/t is gone, you can be pretty sure they ate, since they don't normally drag it very far & then leave it. But you should make sure this time since your snake hasn't eaten in a while, & you also want to know about the quality of the food you have compared to what you got before. (Yes, do thank the worker, but make sure it's not in front of their boss or they might get fired.) You also really need to know what's working, if she did eat it this time, so look gently but LOOK.

BTW, the only time a frozen mouse might be grey is if they're from black mice, but pinkies should still be pink...it's only when they grow a few days (just before their hair starts to come in) that the large pinks/small fuzzies might look gray (& not be spoiled or too old).

[Cypris1]

The bowl idea works better for live pinks, because they move around and also have more scent- you don't want them roaming off, or the snake to eat substrate along with the pinkie when they finally catch it. It does also help you know for sure they ate...you need to know that no matter if f/t or live. That's why it's a good idea to feed on a "plate" of some kind (for f/t)...like on a flat plastic food storage top...if the f/t is gone, you can be pretty sure they ate, since they don't normally drag it very far & then leave it. But you should make sure this time since your snake hasn't eaten in a while, & you also want to know about the quality of the food you have compared to what you got before. (Yes, do thank the worker, but make sure it's not in front of their boss or they might get fired.) You also really need to know what's working, if she did eat it this time, so look gently but LOOK.

BTW, the only time a frozen mouse might be grey is if they're from black mice, but pinkies should still be pink...it's only when they grow a few days (just before their hair starts to come in) that the large pinks/small fuzzies might look gray (& not be spoiled or too old).

Ok so live in the bowl, and make sure they cant escape. When I was feeding her the first few times I used a Tupperware lid to put the pinky on. And ill make sure that theres no other workers when I see the worker again.

I kinda think she did eat that f/t pinky from yesterday but I might just be blind, I took a quick peak and saw nothing on the floor. And im pretty sure snakes have a lower metabolism after they eat and are hiding, thats whats shes dong, I only saw her come out once today then she went into a hide and has not come out yet and befor she possibly ate she was moving around fast but today she was moving slowly and that might be from eating. I still would need to check the other side of the water bowl to make sure the pinkys not there but if she was looking at me and I didnt know I did not want to scare her to much.

If she did eat how long should it take her to digest it? Many said 3-4 days but some said 1-2 days when I searched it up

[Cypris1]

Nvm it was on the other side of the water bowl.... ):

Live it is then, what day should I put the live pinky in and at what time?

[Bogertophis]

Rats! Too bad she didn't eat that pinky. Might wait a day or 2 at most...she really needs to eat. Feed at night, just before lights out, for best results.

Most snakes can digest a pinky real fast...a day or two, BUT that totally depends on the temperatures they have...warmer = faster digestion. They can't make their own
body heat, that's why we have to provide warmth in their tank. Anyway, you never want to feed snakes too quickly again after they eat...that's why they said wait at least
3-4 days after a pinky, & allow more time still when bigger (more mature) prey is fed.

Yes, a Tupperware lid is perfect to leave f/t prey on, & you could put that under the hide (just like the bowl with a live pinky). Good luck...

[Bogertophis]

Or if you know she's in a particular hide, you can leave the pinkie (live in bowl or f/t on "plate") just outside the doorway of the hide, where she'll likely feel safe
enough after lights out to reach out & grab it to eat inside her hide. Getting a shy snake to feed is mostly a matter of empathy...learning to think like a snake, lol.
Once she gets a taste of eating, she'll like how she feels, more energetic, & she'll be craving food again quickly. She needs to get beyond this slump of refusing to eat.

[Cypris1]

Rats! Too bad she didn't eat that pinky. Might wait a day or 2 at most...she really needs to eat. Feed at night, just before lights out, for best results.

Most snakes can digest a pinky real fast...a day or two, BUT that totally depends on the temperatures they have...warmer = faster digestion. They can't make their own
body heat, that's why we have to provide warmth in their tank. Anyway, you never want to feed snakes too quickly again after they eat...that's why they said wait at least
3-4 days after a pinky, & allow more time still when bigger (more mature) prey is fed.

Yes, a Tupperware lid is perfect to leave f/t prey on, & you could put that under the hide (just like the bowl with a live pinky). Good luck...

2 days? seems a bit short but ok. Ok ill feed her at night just before lights out. Also where should I get the live pinky from?


Ok warmer=faster digestion. And 3-4 days between each feeding.


Also I screenshoted some pics from my cam that show her and the enclosure, not sure if the video will work but it shows her climbing the cord from the thermostat. Im not sure if shes under weight or not (the water is low in theses pic cause I was waiting for her to go into a hide so I dont scare her) but ill let you see since I cant tell. The white blobs are paper towels that she climbs under and over.

https://r4---sn-hp57knz6.googlevideo...FSRPB5yf3G6Q==