Milk snake?

Question

In the past Ive posted questions regarding how I should feed this creature. luckily for both myself and this animal that I am scared to death of my husband has returned home. He has also stopped feeding it pinky mice {as his supply is FINALLY gone} and has attempted to feed it Small Frozen mice {yes he defrosts them and brings them to room temp}. These mice have hair are not to thick and "sally" should eat them however she wont. Is there a reason why? Yet when he places a pinky mouse in the feeder box at the same time as the small mouse {w hair} she'll consume the hairless pinky why is that? Isnt a mouse a mouse? The snake is full grown at 35" in length.

I know copperhead is out there so I'll be waitin on his witty response. Ty

He does not place it in water to thaw it, its thawed in the baggy it comes in so there is no wet fur. And it better NOT be use to me chasing it around the cage w thongs its gonna be a cold day in hell before I ever do that again. Braining..uh thats kinda gross if he choses to do it that way he better do it far enough away from me so I cant see it. And these are the reasons I stick with dogs and birds!

Answer 1

What a reputation I have to live up to! (lol).

Has "Sally" ever eaten adult mice? She evidently is hungry if she's eating the pinkies. Snakes have problems digesting the fur, so maybe she's decided she prefers them "bald".

Before I would try braining the mouse, try these suggestions:
1) Serve the mouse warmer than room temp - they should feel warm, but not hot, to the touch.

2) When you thaw the mouse, do you put directly into water or put it in a bag (ziploc type) first? For some reason, snakes seem to be turned off by wet fur.

3) When was the last feeding? I'm sure "Sally's" feeding schedule was thrown off a bit while her owner was away, plus she's been getting occassional pinkies - she may just not be hungry right now.

4) Is she nearing a shed? Some snakes go off theur feeding for a little while before & after.

5) Has her tank temperature changed at all? If your weather is cold, your house may be a little colder and she can notice this even with her in-tank heating. And does she usually have a winter fasting period? Some snakes just don't eat as well this time of year. If your husband has had her a while, he'd be the best judge of this.

(And now for the witty part)

6) Shave the mice & see if she just doesn't like the fur.

7) She may have gotten to the point where she prefers that YOU feed her!

Hope you got a good dinner out of your snake-sitting! Good to hear from you again!

Answer 2

I have a couple suggestions to add onto copperhead's. I have 4 nelsons milksnakes, and have found them to be a little finicky. Here are some things that I do:

1. You say you went from pinkies to mice. Have you tried fuzzies? 3 out of the 4 milks I own will only eat fuzzy mice.

2. Try putting a few pinks in a container with a mouse and leave them in the freezer overnight. Try to feed the following day.

3. Put the mouse and snake in a brown paper bag inside the cage overnight. ( This prevents escape--I learned the hard way!)

Like I said, these can be finicky once they find something they like. I put the fuzzies on a little plastic dish and leave it, and mine eat. Try the above steps with mice and fuzzies, and one of these steps should work. They did for me!

Good luck!

Answer 3

this is going to sound disgusting, but it does work. "Brain" the mouse. after it is thawed, cut it's head open so that the brain is exposed. Yes I said it was disgust, but that releases an order that will drive the snake nuts with hunger. Once you do this once or twice, he'll get used to it and start taking the nice with the braining process. Oh, and do hold them with tongs in front of him and you may have to move it around a little. Once he gets in a routine, all you should need to do is place it in front of him and he'll take it.

Answer 4

Try taking a pair of forceps and jiggling the mouse, make it look alive. That should work I would think. (Sometimes they're just daft and won't take what they're not used to though.) Good luck.