Snake food

Anksy

Anksy

Anksy

Soldato
Joined
29 Mar 2007
Posts
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well i have a corn snake have done for a while now, i feed him dead mice, just last week we moved him up to the bigger sized mice.

you get them frozen so you have to defrost them before feeding, before i got these big ones i used to put the mice into hot water for couple of minutes and it would defrost them fine.

With these bigger ones for some reason when i put them in hot water (without much detail) they open up :eek: and they stink and yes as i said without much detail, stuff goes everywhere.

im not sure if i can just leave them out to fore out, because it would take a good 30-60 minutes, and it would attarct things and infections/bugs ect is a no go. (i could very easily be wrong with that)

How else could i defrost ? Any snake owners here tell me how they defrost or feed.

Thanks
 
normaly i just pull then out 24-36 hours before, but i do have to pop some of them in warm water (NOT HOT) as to just warm them through a little, got a couple of picky eaters.

when i used mice i just slapped em under the hot tap and ran it and let it warm up over the mouse and after a while just leave it sat out to defrost. if they are splitting in the water id be a bit worried, only had mine split after a boa got over excited and made one explode :D

just out of intrest where you getting them from ?? a online place or a shop. if its a shop go in and ask them about why they split if its happend more than once, if its an online place hit there forum (if its the place i think it is) and ask there.
 
GAC said:
normaly i just pull then out 24-36 hours before, but i do have to pop some of them in warm water (NOT HOT) as to just warm them through a little, got a couple of picky eaters.

when i used mice i just slapped em under the hot tap and ran it and let it warm up over the mouse and after a while just leave it sat out to defrost. if they are splitting in the water id be a bit worried, only had mine split after a boa got over excited and made one explode :D

just out of intrest where you getting them from ?? a online place or a shop. if its a shop go in and ask them about why they split if its happend more than once, if its an online place hit there forum (if its the place i think it is) and ask there.
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at my local shop it is, ill give them a ring
 
My snakes dont seem to like mice that have been in water, they do go a bit soggy.

I normally just wrap them well in tissue and let them thaw naturaly, only takes a few hours so if i put em out before work, then warm on radiator when I get back.

Dunno about the popping thing tho, as I dont really use water.
 
I thaw mine in kitchen roll and a plastic bag. Had my corn nearly 11 years now. Although she won't eat black mice, I get some weird looks asking for white mice only please!

Aero
 
I used to roll a mouse/rat up in a sheet of kitchen towel, then put it in one of those plastic boxes that currys are delivered in. Then leave it somewhere warm, like a sunny windowsill or in the airing cupboard, for a couple of hours.

Seemed to work well, and not much in the way of nasty smells.
 
You can leave them out until they are defrosted, but you will need to warm it up with a hairdryer or something so the snake will strike for it. They generally wont eat cold food.

When you say you are putting it in warm water, do you mean literally that or are you putting the mice in a food bag? I always defrost mine in hot water with them in a food bag, never had that problem though.
 
Our kingsnake is on the medium mice, we just leave them out for 5 hours or so, no warming or anything. He's started showing off and eating them sideways now so I might get the bigger mice for him next time.
 
Pop mine in a plastic food/freezer bag, in a mug of hot water. Takes about 15minutes or so to thaw. None of ours seem to mind if they burst a little :)
 
Aero said:
I thaw mine in kitchen roll and a plastic bag. Had my corn nearly 11 years now. Although she won't eat black mice, I get some weird looks asking for white mice only please!

Aero
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LOL when I moved, I had to get mice from a different shop, and I got asked if they descriminate, I was like WTF? its a snake! I now some snakes are fussy but ive never had it put quite like that before lol!
 
Aero said:
I thaw mine in kitchen roll and a plastic bag. Had my corn nearly 11 years now. Although she won't eat black mice, I get some weird looks asking for white mice only please!

Aero
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Wierd huh? My Python only eats white rats... its almost as if she can't see black ones. Weird!

Regarding the thawing, I just stick em in a plastic bag then put them in some hot water for 15-50 minutes depending on the size of the rodent. Never had any 'split' thankfully!
 
why is feeding them live mice illegal??? And how comes its dangerous?

Takeaway box would be my technique if i had a snake...
 
Voltar said:
why is feeding them live mice illegal??? And how comes its dangerous?

Takeaway box would be my technique if i had a snake...
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Illegal because it's cruelty to the mice, being strangled to death and then eaten while unconscious isn't nice.

Dangerous because if the snake refuses the food, then the mouse can bite the snake, sometimes resulting in death of the snake.

However, in some states in the US it is legal.
 
Also a live mouse/rat can put up a hell of a fight if the snake misses is first strike, domestic snake, although they look fast, are used to eating stuff that dosent fight back and so can be a bit slow.

Also theres a risk of disease from live food.

There is really no reason to feed live mice, and lots of reasons in fvour of dead ones.
 
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