Too big for pinkies, too small for fuzzies. More pinkies?

[Arachnaeoccult]

Petco doesn't sell a size larger than pinkies. Instead they go right up to fuzzies which were much too big for my corn snake (judging by measurement she may be 6 months old give or take). I could see if PetSMART has a size higher than pinkies. Otherwise I'll have to buy a month supply of pinkies and feed them to her back to back (she'll eat back to back, as I've tried this with thawed lizards). I went through the hassle of catching the lizards myself with a butterfly net.
I'm certain she'll take pinkies because she attempted to take the fuzzy which was too big for her. Another is that I heard pinkies are actually full of nutrition for the snake which won't be provided by these lizards.

http://s2.postimg.org/u8o5euoy1/12404355_1531349127178298_208955283_n.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
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[Nightflight99]

The single biggest reason not to feed lizards is the potential exposure to parasites and pesticides. I would call the local privately-owned pet stores to see if any of them have peach fuzzies, which sounds like it would be about the size the snake needs. Alternatively, there are plenty of frozen rodent vendors that will ship you any size you'd like, but you may have to purchase them in larger quantities to make it economically sensible.

Also, feeding two large pinkies per feeding will do the trick just as well. Peach fuzzies are obviously more nutritious than pinkies, but there is more than one way to skin a cat.

[eminart]

Are sure the size you tried was a fuzzy? That snake should be able to eat a fuzzy with no problem. And fuzzies are the next size up from pinkies. I mean, you can get "peach" fuzzies, but there really isn't that much difference.

[Arachnaeoccult]

I'll call and ask about peach fuzzies.

http://s17.postimg.org/h0xmso14v/989564_1668066320137617_1331371317_o.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/5btn4pa63/full/)
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This was a fuzzy that was too big for her. Unless she put it down and abandoned it for other reasons.


Freezing and than pouring near-boiling water over the lizard in a baggy should do away with most those parasites.

[EL Ziggy]

That fuzzy doesn't look too big imo. Did anything startle her? It looks like she latched on pretty good. Was your feeder completely thawed and served hot enough? I use a blow dryer and serve mine at about 100F. What are your temps like inside the enclosure?

[SSSSnakes]

She can eat a fuzzy with no problem. Don't baby her.

[Arachnaeoccult]

Its possible that she was really anxious because I just took her from the wild. I also didn't put the water at sub-boiling, nor did I put it in a plastic baggy so the mouse was pretty wet.


I'll try another along with the pinkies I plan to buy. Theres 1 lizard in the freezer that can be used for scenting.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Yeah I agree, that looks a good size for her. Baby corns take rather large meals in proportion to their girth.

What she's eating looks like a peach fuzzy, actually.

Pouring boiling-hot water will cook your snake's food, do not pour boiling-hot water (or even nearly boiling) over your snake's food. Freezing it is plenty good enough to get rid of parasites.

[Humble308]

I find that rat snakes tend to be deceiving in girth. My gray rat is perhaps half the girth of your corn and he pounds down large pinks in seconds with not much to show for it once it's swallowed. Throw a fuzzy in there and turn of the lights and leave it alone. All the best!

[Arachnaeoccult]

Its hotter inside the room with no AC turned on through the day, and HUMID moreso than it is outside. This is like summer for her during winter. I think I startled her because it was her first day and I wanted to watch.

Speaking of 'babying her' I had to sort of cradle her and hold the thawed lizard close to her face to get her to snatch it the first time. The next 2 times were easier.

[SerpentineDream]

I agree that fuzzies should be no problem at that stage. However there are different sizes of pinkies (small, medium and large) so if you are really unsure you could either feed 2 smaller pinkies or a large one. Lizards are not ideal.

You want the mice warm but not hot, and very clean. Domesticated mice aren't as fastidious as wild mice and depending on the conditions they were raised in they might not smell great to your snake. Snakes will also reject mice that smell like decomp so make sure your mice are fresh with no signs of discoloration. Washing the mice will help remove cage stink. Never feed wild mice because they often have parasites and you never know what they've eaten, such as poison.

I tackle thawing and cleaning at the same time by filling an insulated mug with hot (not boiling) water. I drop the mouse in--no bag--and let it sit for 20 or 30 minutes. Then I remove it with tongs, rinse it under hot running water to get off any residue and gently dry it with paper towels. It's OK if it's still slightly damp. FYI do not put a mouse in the microwave. Ever. They will explode.

Your snake may very well prefer to be left alone or at least given space to eat. I tried taking my first corn out to feed, putting her in a tub, offering the mice with tongs and she wouldn't eat. I tried making the mouse wiggle, tease feeding, etc. But when I simply left the mouse in her cage to discover, it worked. She waited until I left the room, and when I came back the mouse had vanished. All she wanted was space and privacy.

With regard to temperature, the room should be between 80 and 85 degrees, with 82 to 83 being optimal. If it's too cold or too hot that could be your problem. Do you have a thermometer / hygrometer in there to keep tabs on heat and humidity levels?

[Arachnaeoccult]

I understand the possible need for privacy. I just thought the mouse would cool down in the process.

I want to buy her a thermostat for her tank. The humidity in here is likely in the mid to high eighties.

[EL Ziggy]

What are you using as a heat source? You'll want to get a thermostat ASAP. I think it's one of the most vital pieces of equipment when keeping snakes. A hygrometer and temp gun would be helpful too.

[SerpentineDream]

It's OK if the mouse cools off.

You want to shoot for humidity levels between 40 and 60%. It sounds really swampy in there.

Here's an excellent care sheet that will give you the skinny on corn snakes. https://cornsnake.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=143&lang=en

[Arachnaeoccult]

I'm using an under-the-tank heater however out of both hides she picks her cool side. My apartment is inherently muggy, I don't even notice it anymore but people who come in say its really humid. I should get a thermostat, for my house even... Its currently night time and cooling down.


I want to say its on the cool side of the 80s.

[EL Ziggy]

All heat sources should be regulated by a thermostat. It makss a world of difference when it comes to controlling your temps vs. just monitoring them. Some of those heat mats can get over 140F. Hydrofarm makes a reliable inexpensive unit. Vivarium Electronics and Herpstat both make nicer higher end options. I keep my warm sides at 84-88 for my colubrids. The cool side should be in the mid 70s but can drop to the high 60s during winter nights.

Amazon.com : Jump Start MTPRTC, Digital ETL-Certified Heat Mat Thermostat for Seed Germination, Reptiles and Brewing : Plant Germination Heating Mats : Patio, Lawn & Garden (http://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-ETL-Certified-Thermostat-Germination-Reptiles/dp/B000NZZG3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451266775&sr=8-1&keywords=Hydrofarm+thermostat)

Thermostats (http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermostats)

http://www.amazon.com/Herpstat-2/dp/B006IMK3QU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_199_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=21b%2BflgTMkL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1PZWGGA6HDABSE9JEA91

[Arachnaeoccult]

I have a zoo med. I've noticed it get hot on the bare glass but not burning, I make sure its nicely covered in a moderately warmed up patch of newspaper.

The ACs been running, she has yet to move to the other side of the tank. She likes her coconut hut on the cool side somehow.

Are zoomeds somehow bad?


To be honest I'm not so sure about that temperature I felt before, it certainly wasn't burning but I don't know how much snakes can tolerate

[Arachnaeoccult]

I need a thermostat explained thoroughly because I don't understand, it regulates the temperature of the heat pad, but than how? How does it control the heat pad, a separate product plugged into the wall?

[SerpentineDream]

I use the Jump Start for my corns and it's easy. You plug your heat mat into the Jump Start, then plug the Jump Start into the wall. Put the probe at ground level where your heat mat is (on top of the bedding, not under it) where you expect your snake to go for warmth, such as a warm hide. Set the target temperature. Done. It will display the current temperature and a light that tells you when it's heating.

I set mine for 84F. I want it to be around 82F, but it can drop as low as 80 and be OK. I don't ever want it higher than 85F. Because the Jump Start is an on/off thermostat as opposed to the more expensive Herpstat proportional, it doesn't keep a precise, consistent temperature. It keeps it within about 2 degrees of where you want it. So when it detects that temps have dropped below 82F it kicks on. It takes a while to heat up so it often drops to 81F before I see it rise again. That's OK. When it gets to 84F it cuts off. Since overheating is worse than underheating that's good. The temp starts dropping again until it hits 81.9F, and the cycle begins anew.

I would prefer to keep my corns at a constant 82.5F all the time, but it takes a proportional thermostat which constantly monitors temperature and controls power flow (as opposed to simply shutting on and off like the Jump Start) to do that and right now it's not in the budget. I am fine with keeping temps within a safe and comfortable range.

ETA: Zoo Med's quality has slipped a lot over the years IMO, but it's not terrible. I have Zoo Med heat mats under my critter cages right now.

[reptiledude987]

I set up my t-stat a little differently than serpentinedream. However at the end of the day it accomplishes the same thing. Everything said about connecting the mat to the t-stat is right on the money. What I do differently is the placment of the temp probe. I place mine right on the heat mat itself. I find that gives me less of the temp fluctations that were mentioned. However by doing it this way it takes a little more work on the inital setup. I will set the temp of the t-stat a bit higher than the snake needs as theres a buffer betwene the heat source and where the snake is. then using my temp gun I check the temps inside the enclosure to ensure theyre in the ideal range. I like doing it this way because it prevents me from having the probe wires inside the enclosure. At the end of the day either way works just fine. Its all personal preference. The one thing I strongly recommend is to get a temp gun to be able to spot check temps on warm and cool ends as some digital and analog thermometers sometimes fail.

[EL Ziggy]

As others have said, plug your heat mat into the thermostat and the thermostat into an outlet. I also place my probe between the heat mat and the enclosure like reptile dude. I have to set the thermostat a little higher to get the desired temps inside the enclosure. I used to place the probe underneath the substrate that my warm hide was sitting on but I was getting more temperature fluctuations because the snakes would consistently move them.
As far as Zoomed heaters I've noticed they get really hot especially if unregulated. I've switched to Ultratherm uth's for all my enclosures. Even in the event of a thermostat malfunction I don't think they'd get hot enough to burn your snake.

Ultratherm Heat Pads (http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads)