Feeding a Corn Snake

corn snake food

If you are wondering whether or not your corn snake is receiving enough food, then read this article for helpful information. This article covers feeding a corn snake and the common causes of food rejection. It also discusses the feeding chart for corn snakes. Once your snake has recovered, you can resume feeding. But remember: don’t use live mice in its food. You should also avoid putting other types of food, such as crickets, in its bowl.

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Contents

Rodents of appropriate size

When choosing a food for a snake, remember that there are specific feeding requirements. Corn snakes are smaller than mice. For optimal nutrition, choose a feeder the size of the snake’s mid-body. Don’t feed a live mouse to a snake, as this can cause stress and regurgitation. Instead, opt for a smaller feeder, and increase the interval between feedings. You can also offer your snake bird chicks, but be aware that it won’t eat the whole thing. Frozen snakes and frogs are a better choice, but their size makes them harder to find.

If you’ve found a mouse that suits your snake’s size, you can thaw it in the refrigerator and place it in front of its face. You can also hold the mouse in your hand or move it into the snake’s path with the help of tweezers. If your snake flicks its tongue when it finds its prey, it’s time to move on to a different prey.

Don’t use live mice in corn snake food

To make your corn snake happy, you need to know that their favorite foods are mice. Other suitable foods for corn snakes are quails, rats, and birds. When buying prey, make sure it’s completely defrosted and the snake is about the same size as the prey. When preparing food for your snake, handle it gently and wait about 10 to 15 minutes before giving it a bite. Remember that snakes are not venomous but may bite under stress or when they smell the food.

Mice must be the same size as the snake’s body, or slightly larger. Large snakes may need smaller rodents. Alternatively, feed small rats or weaner mice to large snakes. Be sure to avoid feeding live mice to corn snakes. Live rodents contain dangerous bacteria and should not be fed to snakes. If you’re unsure of the size of your snake’s belly, check the size of the mice and their body mass.

Common causes of food rejection in corn snakes

If your corn snake is refusing to eat, you may have to make some adjustments in your feeding routine. Changing prey is important because snakes are highly sensitive to changes in air pressure, and changing their diet could cause them to lose their appetites. To make things easier for your snake, you can use a large bowl for soaking and cooling prey before feeding it. Also, snakes will need at least 1.5 times their body length of food to feel satisfied. If you find that your snake is refusing food, you can try again in five to seven days or so.

When feeding a baby corn snake, keep in mind that it will need some time to adjust to its new environment. It is generally okay to handle it a few times after it hatches, but you shouldn’t handle it two days before or after it feeds. If you’re feeding a baby corn snake, try not to handle it for at least one day before or after the first feeding. Overhandling can also make the snake reject its food.

Feeding chart for corn snakes

It is essential to provide a healthy diet for your corn snake. This snake is extremely fast-metabolic, so providing it with too much food can lead to health problems. Also, feeding it too often can condition it to reject prey in the future. To avoid this, offer it with a different kind of prey on different days of the week. Corns drink often, so it’s important to provide them with clean water at all times.

The recommended prey size for a corn snake is 1.5 times its midsection. Mice, rats, and other rodents are perfect choices for their diets. A fresh mouse will do well, or defrost a dead one and hold it by the tail. A mouse that’s too large for your snake will cause regurgitation and stress. If you don’t want to use mice, you can try using weaner rats.