Do corn snakes eat mice alive or dead?
Corn snakes primarily eat rodents. Even if you are feeding your snake dead rodents, you may want to give your snake the feeling that it is catching its own food. When it comes to mealtime, defrost the (dead) mouse and let it warm to room temperature.
Do corn snakes need mice?
Most corn snakes in captivity will readily eat frozen/thawed mice. Baby corn snake food usually consists of extra-small pinky mice while most adult corn snakes will eat extra-large mice.
How often do corn snake need to be fed live mice?
Adult corn snakes need to eat one correctly-sized mouse every 7-10 days. Read more on the corn snake’s diet on our guide to corn snakes.
How big of a mouse should I feed my corn snake?
When deciding on what mice or rat size to feed your corn it’s a good rule to go with a feeder that is roughly the size, in width, of the snakes mid-body section. Slightly bigger won’t be an issue, but too big and it can lead to issues such as regurgitation and stress. Either way, it’s not good.
Can a corn snake eat a live mouse?
That all being said, ultimately you must respect your snake’s feeding preferences. If it refuses to eat frozen/thawed, give it live and supervise the interaction carefully. The live rodent should not be left in your corn snake’s enclosure for more than 1 hour. Keeping your pet healthy and fed should always be your top priority. Mice or rats?
How big of a mouse do you need to feed a snake?
So knowing about what size mice to feed a corn snake is essential. Corn snakes are fed any feeder mice as long as they fit within the golden rule of snake feeding: the size of the mouse should be no more than 1.5 times the size of the snake’s girth (or body width) at mid-length. Feeding more than this could result in choking or regurgitation.
How often do you feed a baby corn snake?
Read more on how to feed a corn snake. Corn snakes only need to eat every 7-10 days as adults and 5-7 days as babies. They’ll usually only eat one mouse for each meal. The general rule of thumb for prey size is this: the prey should be no more than 1.5 times the size of the snake’s girth at mid-length.
Can you keep mice in the freezer for a snake?
Frozen rodents are easier to store. Rather than make a trip to the pet store to pick up a live mouse or rat every week or every other week, depending on the age of your snake, you can keep a supply of frozen rodents in your freezer at all times. Snake hungry?
That all being said, ultimately you must respect your snake’s feeding preferences. If it refuses to eat frozen/thawed, give it live and supervise the interaction carefully. The live rodent should not be left in your corn snake’s enclosure for more than 1 hour. Keeping your pet healthy and fed should always be your top priority. Mice or rats?
So knowing about what size mice to feed a corn snake is essential. Corn snakes are fed any feeder mice as long as they fit within the golden rule of snake feeding: the size of the mouse should be no more than 1.5 times the size of the snake’s girth (or body width) at mid-length. Feeding more than this could result in choking or regurgitation.
Is it OK to feed a snake frozen corn?
Frozen/Thawed or Live? The generally accepted practice for corn snake food is to use captive bred prey items that have been humanely euthanized and frozen rather than live. This is because live feeders will use teeth and claws to fight for their life against the snake — sometimes causing injury.
What should I do if I Feed my snake a live rodent?
If you intend to feed your snake a live rodent, be sure that it is well-fed (this will help reduce the chances of the rodent viewing your snake as potential food) and clean off any substrate, urine or feces on its fur. If you are feeding your snake a live rodent, you can simply open the enclosure and place the rodent inside.
