How much and what should a 4 year old 2 1/2 foot gopher snake eat?
Really? hmmm idk how to tell he seems fine and the pet store person said he still is going to grow but idk should i be worried because since i just got him 2 months ago i have been feeding properly and i feel bad about him now. should i take hime to the vet?
Will a ball python eat a dead mouse?
Of course. Most owners actually feed frozen/thawed or prekilled prey anyway. It might be more humane for the rodent, but it's also much safer for your snake - there's no risk of injury, rodents, even just mice, can tear jaws, gouge out eyes, and deliver deep bites that bring about life threatening infection. I've seen ball pythons get chewed open to their spine from live rodents and also have their tail chewed clean off. Feeding frozen/thawed also helps lower parasite risk. Plus they store easier than live. You can buy hundreds and store them for months quietly and cleanly. If you get a ball python like you're considering, be sure to get one that is NOT feeding live.
Why don't snakes eat dead food?
They do![Udon enjoying the new plants I got for her]This is Udon. Below is a photo of her eating, so please don't go further if you dont want to see a dead mouse![Udon eating a frozen-thawed mouse]This mouse was one I bought frozen from a pet shop, then defrosted and fed to her. It was most certainly dead.Snakes do in fact eat carrion*, as well as animals that they kill themselves. Eating an animal alive would result in it damaging the snake, and eating an animal that is rotting could make the snake sick, but animals that are reasonably fresh are fair game. To get Udon to eat a dead mouse, I simply give her the illusion it is alive by warming it up and moving it around to get her to strike and constrict it. This seems good enough for her, not that she is particularly fussy - the (incredibly reputable) reptile store I purchased her from said that she had eaten the day they got her from the breeder, which is pretty damn unusual.*Edited to say that snakes do, in fact, eat carrion, which I assumed they didn't. Thanks Donna Fernstrom!
Can I feed my snake a pinkie that has been thawing all night?
You're not going to like to hear this, but those mice have gone bad. I wouldn't feed a snake a pinkie that's been out at room temp all night. Freezing and re-freezing doesn't actually kill bacteria, and since those mice are dead (and decaying) they're going to just get more and more bacteria on them which can be very dangerous to your snake. And I hate to say it, but re-freezing those mice has another draw back. Freezing expands the liquids in cells, so after a re-freeze and re-thaw your mice are going to be all mushy. In short those mice are probably bad, and I wouldn't recommend feeding them to your snake (I doubt that your snake will even go after the pinkie). I hope this helps.
My kingsnake wont eat?!?
My roommate and I got a Kingsnake two weeks ago. I have had two cornsnakes and a ball python in the past so I do have some experience with snakes. However this kingsnake will not eat. We tried giving him frozen pinkies which we thawed and he did not eat. Three times we tried this all of which he rejected. So we tried crickets which he also rejected. And we are now trying fish with dont seem to be going well either. Unfortunately finding live pinky mice is quite a hassel in NYC so I am not sure what I should do. Please help, I'm getting worried that he is not eating.
What do baby black snakes eat?
I don't know exactly what a "black snake" is. Many snakes are black, but there's black rat snakes (eat rodents & baby birds & bird eggs), ribbon snakes (babies are black with stripes from head to tail - eat grubs, worms, feeder fish, etc.), garter snakes (same as ribbon snakes), etc. You really need to know what kind of snake you are dealing with. If it is a black rat snake, you'll need to feed it pinkie mice - which are newborn mice, without hair, and very small. If you could post a picture of the snake, I should be able to identify it for you. Not many baby snakes eat crickets.
Would baby Gila monsters be safe to feed a baby yellow rat snake like I have? I'm grasping at straws with that question because I'm so frustrated that there's no food source, and I know I'd have to have a permit?
For baby Gila monsters, your best bet is to buy a bag of frozen pinkie mice, from Rodent Pro or any of the other rodent distributors for a few dollars. Then just feed the Gila thawed rodents every week or so.No reptile must eat live food, and no reptile should be fed live food where they are trapped in a cage with a mammal for any period of time, even if being supervised.All zoos feed all snakes, dead food, PERIOD. If a snake isn’t eating something that is dead, something else is wrong, not the food itself.
Do you feed your pet snakes with live or dead prey and why?
Mine are currently eating frozen-thawed, because I now have only a few, and it��s convenient and much less expensive. Frozen-thawed is safer for the animals. Some animals will not accept frozen-thawed, so they are offered pre-killed or live prey - whatever they will eat. It’s also convenient when you have a large collection and are breeding your own rodents to feed live prey - but wisest to pre-kill anything older than hopper so it can’t harm the animals (assuming the snake will accept pre-killed). Logically, pre-killed or live prey is more nutritious than frozen thawed, as we know that freezing damages some vitamins. However, there has never been any evidence to suggest that snakes fed purely on frozen-thawed ever developed any sort of deficiencies as a result of this, so it’s a minor difference.So, basically - feed your snake what it will eat, first of all. If you don’t mind the expense or breed your own feeders, then feed your snake pre-killed food as an ideal. If you can’t bring yourself to kill the animals yourself, can’t raise them yourself, want less fuss and expense, etc etc - then go with frozen-thawed. (if you buy a live animal, kill it, and then your snake doesn’t eat it, then what? You can just freeze it, if your snake accepts frozen/thawed). As a last resort, only if your snake absolutely refuses to have anything to do with pre-killed, even when you walk it around the cage with tongs, or you simply can’t bring yourself to kill the animal yourself AND your snake absolutely will not touch frozen/thawed - only then, feed live. And sit down in a chair and watch every second, because a rodent can injure a snake in no time. Snakes don’t kill rodents in self-defense, you see. They try to flee, but in a cage, they’re trapped with the rodent - and rodents can be very aggressive, and have very formidable teeth. Never, ever, EVER leave a live rodent in alone with a snake. Not to go answer the phone, not for anything - don’t leave them alone together. Be ready to intervene and use tongs to get the rodent out of there if the snake is not hungry, and the rodent attacks it.
I want to get a pet snake, but I want a small one.?
Are there any spices of snakes that don't get very large? I've wanted a pet snake for a while now and have kept lizards in the past, so I know how to take care of reptiles and how to feed live food, but I've never had a snake before. I want one that is not poisonous. I have little experience with snakes and don't exactly know what breed to get. To give you an idea, I don't want a snake that's going to get more than 2 and a half feet long. What is a good snake for a beginner? I also have some other questions that hopefully someone can answer: Do pet stores often remove their snakes fangs? Where can I go to get a live snake other than a big chain pet store (i.e. petco, petsmart. I don't like how they treat their animals)? How big of a tank/terrarium do I need for a small snake? Are snakes social? Do they like to be around other snakes, or does this depend on breed? I've heard that male snakes tend to be smaller than female snakes, is this true? How do you tell if a snake is male or female? How much can you handle or pick up snakes (again does this depend on breed?) How often do you have to feed a snake, and are frozen pink mice the only thing you can give them? Live food or frozen food?