Two pinkies a week?

Nutella · 04-19-17, 12:38 AM

My little corn snake is probably a little over a foot long. She still looks small, with her dainty head and all. But tonight looking at her after she ate her weekly pinkie, you barely see a bump. So I'm wondering if maybe I should give her pinkies twice a week now? Until I've finished off the supply. Then try her with a fuzzy?

dannybgoode · 04-19-17, 03:01 AM

Pinkie's are nutritionally poor and feeding multiple prey items harder on the digestive system of a snake.

Given the price of pinks personally I'd just bin them and move on to fuzzies.

As an aside I generally but prey in 10's as its unlikely they'll be ready to move up before 10 are used and if they aren't I buy another 10 and work that way but if they are then I buy 10 of the next size. Limits waste.

Having so many different snakes of different ages and sizes that all grow at different rates etc makes it a little complicated to keep track of.

**Andy_G** · 04-19-17, 06:09 AM

Doubling up on the pinkies until you're out is fine.

Nutella · 04-19-17, 03:53 PM

The only trouble with switching to fuzzies right away (other than my worry that maybe she's not quite ready) is that I'd have to drive an hour away to buy them, as I'm in a very rural location. So I think until I'm next in town I'll just double up. I have ten pinkies left so that gives me five weeks to get fuzzies.

Should I stagger them, one on Tuesday one on Saturday, that sort of thing? Or give them both at once?

Scubadiver59 · 04-19-17, 04:03 PM

I give my second pinkie after they've gotten the first started down the pipe. My King, the voracious feeder that she is, will take the second one almost immediately. And when I don't see them out, and I leave multiples out for them to find on their own, they eat them all the same night.

If I don't feed immediately, I may not see them for several days while they sit in the hot hide.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nutella

The only trouble with switching to fuzzies right away (other than my worry that maybe she's not quite ready) is that I'd have to drive an hour away to buy them, as I'm in a very rural location. So I think until I'm next in town I'll just double up. I have ten pinkies left so that gives me five weeks to get fuzzies.

Should I stagger them, one on Tuesday one on Saturday, that sort of thing? Or give them both at once?

regi375 · 04-19-17, 05:00 PM

I also feed a second after they've eaten the first. She'll be fine with the double feedings as long as her temps are correct.

Nutella · 04-19-17, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by regi375

I also feed a second after they've eaten the first. She'll be fine with the double feedings as long as her temps are correct.

The hottest part of her enclosure is in the 88 degree range, but most of it is in the 70s. She has several hides and seems to like the one in the 88 area the best. Is that good?

Macropodus · 04-20-17, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

... feeding multiple prey items harder on the digestive system of a snake...

Really? Why?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nutella

... have to drive an hour away to buy them...

That makes breeding your own feeders especially advantageous for you. Most people who breed their own feeders do so to save money. Some do so to save time. You would save both.

TRD · 04-20-17, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macropodus

Really? Why?

Eating 1 pizza,
Eating another right after it.

More food is of course harder, doesn't mean it's necessarily bad. Though giving 1 good size food item is generally assumed better than giving 2 smaller ones, but that can be difficult with small snakes since 1 size bigger may be way too much to handle for the little guy (size wise).

PS. Don't worry about the fuzzies and the hour drive, just buy enough of them for 3 months time in a single drive, and store them in your freezer. Won't take much place anyway. It's also better to see what you will buy because there can be a lot of size differences between fuzzies, and you don't want to end up with something you can't use.

If snake is too small still, then just keep on pinkies until those go down easily and 2 pinkies starts to be too little for him.

regi375 · 04-20-17, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nutella

The hottest part of her enclosure is in the 88 degree range, but most of it is in the 70s. She has several hides and seems to like the one in the 88 area the best. Is that good?

Yeah, that's a good temp gradient.

she'd have no problem with it.

Nutella · 04-21-17, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macropodus

That makes breeding your own feeders especially advantageous for you. Most people who breed their own feeders do so to save money. Some do so to save time. You would save both.

My husband has given me a hard NO on that idea. :/

We plan on moving in the next six months, though, so with luck it won't be an issue anymore.