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I've had him for 3 years, and I bought him as a hatchling, and right now he is 2'7" and about the width of a pen, maybe a marker in his most thickest spot. I know someone else with an older one, and hers just seemed to grow faster. I dunno, but any help/insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

2007-09-03 15:59:18 · 7 answers · asked by chieca_rs 2 in Pets Reptiles

7 answers

Snakes grow at different rates, but yours sounds small. How much and how often are you feeding. I only feed adults every 2 weeks, but up until they are almost at breeding age they are fed every week to 10 days. Your 3 year old should be feeding on large adult mice at this age. My 3 year olds are all over 4 ft. and 600 grams or more. I do have one female who is much smaller than the others. She's only 330 grams and just over 3 ft. She has some other issues though with her ribs, and I don't know if that is reflected in her growth rate. She was also very small for her age when I got her, but I don't know how often the breeder was feeding her before I got her. A friend picked her up for me and I bought her off him. Make sure you're feeding a good quality frozen/thawed rodent at least once a week, and perhaps get some pro-biotics (nutribac is a good one) to dust the mouse once a week. Your snake may just be a slow grower. As long as it's healthy otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it. If you're planning on breeding though, size will matter, although it's not as critical as for the female who will have to carry eggs.

2007-09-03 22:51:39 · answer #1 · answered by gallianomom2001 7 · 0 1

20 gallon will living house your snake for something of this is existence. that could desire to be your next purchase. At 3 hundred and sixty 5 days mine become a pair of million a million/2 ft long. standard corns do not advance over 4 ft. The corns from Jasper County SC. Can arise to 6ft. greater then possibly yours would be in the two-4 ft variety.

2016-11-14 03:09:39 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

There could be several reasons for this snake's small size. It might have intestinal parasites, the temp. in it's enclosure could be a bit too cool, it could be stressed from too much handling, it might not feel secure or there might be too much activity around it's cage that disturbs it. Also, it just might be a small snake. I had a pair of female garters that I got a day after they were born & have been together for over 5 yrs., eaten exactly the same food, are kept in the same temperature ranges, have the same types of hiding spots & one is almost 5ft. & the other is barely 3ft. Sometimes we just don't ever know. Just keep caring for it the way you have & be happy that it seems healthy in all other aspects.

2007-09-04 12:33:05 · answer #3 · answered by Toe Cutter 5 · 0 0

Okay, so you have had him for three years.You got him through the most vulnerable times (hatchling to yearling) without him passing away, which obviously shows you are a responsible keeper. If he is malnourished, ill, or dehydrated, the skin will appear wrinkled and the spine will be potruding, but it sounds to me like you have a healthy snake.

Corn snakes are a species of rat snake, (red rat snake) and rat snakes (with the exception of power fed specimens) are fairly slim until they get over 3', and your snake sounds to be about the right thickness in proportion to his length. After that they begin to fill out. I can't see any reason that your snake is ill, so I will state something that is commonly overlooked by keepers. Most snakes grow at rates directly related to the size of their enclosure. How big is your enclosure? I'm guessing this is what might be causing the slow growth, (that is, if you consider it to be slow growth), as different specimens grow at different rates.

I once saw a seven year old indigo snake that was just under two feet. He was kept in a ten gallon tank all his life, showed all signs of maturity. The saddle pattern that is prominent in juvenile indigos had faded to pure black with a red chin. Now before I get all the thumbs down for stating that a corn snake is a rat snake (happens every time I mention it).

Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta (Black Rat Snake) aka. "Pilot Black Snake"
Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata (Yellow Rat Snake) aka. "Chicken Snake"
Elaphe guttata guttata (Red Rat Snake) aka. "Corn Snake"
Elaphe obsoleta spiloides (Gray Rat Snake) aka. "Oak Snake"

All of these snakes can and do interbreed both in the wild and in captivity. Creating sub-species or hybrids.

I personally think your snake is about the right size for a three year old in captivity. If in doubt, get a bigger enclosure. I have kept hundreds of rat snakes in my life. Most of my specimens I raised from hatchlings were between 4' and 5' at four to six years of age, and they all filled out after 3' to 3' 6". I kept journals for each specimen, and I wrote down everything; tempurature regulation, feedings, sheddings, behavior, and so on. I even pasted pictures in the journals.

If your snake shows no signs of illness, I would pretty much say that the cage might be a little too small, but I still think he is the right length and width for his age.

2007-09-04 21:23:35 · answer #4 · answered by ? 6 · 2 0

If there back bone looks like a pyramid then you should def. feed them more... what kind of snake is it?? i have a ball python 3 years of age who will eat between 2 - 3 rats per sitting every week an half to 2 weeks...

2007-09-04 02:42:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

He sounds very thin. A lot depends on your set up and what and how often he is fed. Please check out the forums at the website--there are many experts and corn snake book authors on it who are friendly and willing to offer advice.

http://cornsnakes.com/forums/

2007-09-03 16:08:29 · answer #6 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 1 2

make sure its getting enough to eat.

2007-09-03 16:07:33 · answer #7 · answered by Dawnmarie K 3 · 0 0

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