Help With My Snow Corn Snake Please !!?

Question

He`s A hatchlinq & i feed him yesterday ;; you`re only uspposed to feed them pinkies once a week but my friend who has had snakes & reptiles all his life said it`s ok to feed him twice a week ;; so he ate yesterday ;; but i`m wonderinq do snakes like frozen pinkies or live ones better [ i feed him live ones ] & why does he keep openin his mouth ;; is he stretchin his jaw or yawnin ?? i`m really confused ;; is he hunqry aqain ?? someone HELPPP !!

& Should i leave him alone for a couple days after he eats or is it ok to take him out & hold him ;; my friend told me to leave him alone for about 2 or 3 days after eatinq ;;

Also is it bad to use rocks & branches from outside in their tanks ?

THANKS & I WILL BE VOTING BEST ANSWER SO ANSWER GOOD PEOPLEE !!

Answer 1

http://www.reptileforums.com/care_sheets/snakes/cornsnake.htm
Distribution:Most of United States
Habitat:Hardwood forests
Size:Four feet average
Lifespan:12 - 15years average with some making it well past 20years
Number of eggs:5-30
Introduction

This is an ideal first snake, as it generally has a good disposition. This snake is also very capable of withstanding a large temperature range so it is very hardy making it an excellent first snake.

Care of your snake

Temperature should be 80-85 F (27-30 C) during the day at the hot end of the vivarium, with a 5-10 F drop at night. It is best to have two thermometers, one at each end of the vivarium so you know the temperature at the hot and cold ends.

Your vivarium (tank) can be heated by many methods but the key thing to remember is that your heat source should be well guarded so that the snake can't get too close and burn itself. All sources of heat should be thermostatically controlled which can cost be cheap or expensive. This will be your most expensive piece of equipment, barring the vivarium itself. There are two main sources of heating commonly used for reptiles. The first are heatmats, cables and tape which are placed in or ideally under the vivarium, if it is made of plastic or glass,I recomend an under the cage heater as to not burn your reptile. This type of heating only heats the area they actually cover. This doesn't help the rest of your vivarium, so is best used in areas which don't get too cold. The second are bulbs and ceramic heaters. These warm the snake more naturally by raising the air temperature. We keep our corn snakes using both methods and find the snakes are doing equally well, so it comes down to personal choice.

Furnishing your vivarium

As a substrate you can use anything from newspaper to wood chipping, but you must not use anything with cedar chipping or wood in it as these are dangerous for reptiles. Don't use sand or saw dust as there can be problems with your snake ingesting these which can mean a trip to the vet or worse. Your snake will need somthing to hide under. This can be any thing from an old box, to a flower pot or a piece of cork. It will also need a water bowl big enough for it to fit in. This should be cleaned every two to three days or if soiled.

Feeding

Cornsnakes should be eating mice or rats. Young corn snakes should be fed every four to five days, decreasing to every seven to fourteen days for adults. The food it eats should be as thick as the snake at its thickest part so if your snake is thumb thickness so should the food be. If you keep more than one corn snake in the same vivarium you must feed them separately as they may fight or even eat each other.Frozen/thawed, live, or pre-killed? Everyone has their own way and their own opinion on what state the prey item should be when it is offered to the snake. Personally, I agree with a lot of other keepers: frozen rodents that are thawed before being fed to the snake is a better method. It is much easier and more cost effective, you can purchase a bunch of rats or mice, store them in the freezer and then you won't have to leave every week or so to feed your snake. Most importantly, it is safer for the snake; the frozen mouse isn't going to chew on your juvenile corn in defense. Try for yourself and see what method works for y
Information provided by:
http://www.reptilehouse.net

Other enclosure necessities: It is important that you provide your corn snake with a place to hide, whether its cork-bark, a half-log or even a cardboard box, because it likes places to hide when it's stressed out or even to go to sleep. It's a better idea to have two, one on the warm side of the cage and the other on the cool side. You can also add plastic plants and wooden branches. Not only will it add to the enclosure's display, but will provide the snake with climbing and hiding spots. The branches will also help your snake shed when it comes time for it.

You should also place a large water dish in the cage; a dog's dish is a good size. It will add to the overall humidity, which will help with the snake's day-to-day survival but will also help the snake when it sheds. In addition, it provides the snake with the water it needs to survive. Misting the cage occasionally, about 3 times a week will add to overall humidity as well. You should mist the cage once a day when your snake is getting ready to shed which is pretty easy to tell. You will notice that when a snake is getting ready to shed, its eyes will become bluish and cloudy.

I would suggest against using outside material unless it is bleached first. If you bleach it make sure it is COMPLETELY dry before placing it the cage, bleach will dissapate when it is dry.

The best rule of thumb is not to handle your snake until the mouse is noticibly gone from his abdomen, if it is not handling could result in stress and regurgitation.

I tried to find information on the gaping but did not see anything, consult your vet (preferably a reptile specialist). You can find many answers just by typing cornsnake +care sheet in the yahoo search tab.

Make sure you have a lid that is on very securly they are escae artists.

Answer 2

I would say that they would like live pinkies better(even though I wouldn't own a snake now(I have owned several in the past)They sense heat. If they are frozen then I'm not sure if he would be able to sense it or not. And yes snakes do yawn and stretch their jaws. I would be careful getting sticks and rocks from outside(they could have parisites or bacteria on them) So if you do get them from outside I would clean them with hot soapy water first before putting them in the tank. Also I would wait a couple of days before handling him....if he gets stressed in any way he could regurgitate(Ithink that's how you spell it) his meal. Just think if you are stuffed...do you feel like moving around ar anything? And yes it would be okay to feed him twice a week since you are only giving him pinkies(that is a small meal) If it were a larger meal I would say only once a week. Well, depending on how many pinkies at a time? Just 1 .....then twice a week....if 2 then only once a week. How big is this snake? That plays a big factor too..if he is bigger then he will need more at a time.

Answer 3

Snakes prefer live kills. It's ok to feed him more than once a week. The more you can get your snake to eat the better. The reason why he keeps opening his mouth, I believe, is because it is just stretching its jaw musles. You should leave him alone for at least a day to two days after it eats so that its food can digest completly. Yes, because you never know what is in the branches or on the rocks. You don't want your snake to get ticks, because then you'll have to spend alot of money getting then removed. Your snake can also get sick and if you don't take it to a vet right away your snake will die. Do you have 'zoo meds reptilsafe water conditioner'? Its for your snakes water and it will aid in helpin your snake shed and will also give it calcium plus take out anything that can get your snake sick from in the water.

Answer 4

Usually once a week should do it, but I can't see his size or feel his spine, so that's all I can say. If you feed frozen pinkies, they need to be warmed to almost live temp. Usually placing in a hot water bath will be enough. We recommend feeding dead rodents because they are less likely to inflict injury upon the reptile. they do yawn, but I can't answer that that is what he is doing without seeing it. Any branches from out of doors should be cleansed with a 10% bleach solution and allowed to air dry to prevent bringing in mites and fleas or infectious disease. Not a bad idea to follow your friends advice and let him sit for a day or 2 post feeding. Finally, take my advice and find a good vet know that is comfortable seeing snakes. They can give you a lot of information and it's better to know now who you can get help from instead of panicking during an emergency.

- a veterinarian

Answer 5

Your corn snake is just stretching, not yawning. He can eat either fresh or frozen pinkies, see which one he prefers.
The more you feed him, the faster he will grow, once a week is fine.
Do not pick him up for a few days after he has eatten, he will regurgitate his food.
As for the twigs etc... from outside, they could have poisons on them. Better to buy from the pet store. Even then, wash them very well before putting them in his cage.
Congratulation on your new pet!

Answer 6

your friend is right but i normaly wait 8 hours then handel them after eating when he opens his mouth he is resetting his jaw sounds like he is a happy well taken care of snake the more he eats the faster he will grow mine was eating 3 at a time i prefer live food for mine too but as your snake gits big enough to eat mice and rats thier is a chance the mouse/rat could hurt the snake that is the advantage of frozen and it is easier to keep around but it is hard to get a snake to eat frozen once you give him live but it can be done

Answer 7

Frosted flake... the snow corn snake. lolz.