Feeding Your King Snake - How to Do it Right

Snakes are a lot simpler to keep well fed because unlike cats and dogs, they don't need feeding each day. In reality often one feed per week is sufficient to keep them healthy. In natural habitats, these creatures eat a wide selection of fresh prey. Everything from rodents, to other snakes, are on the lookout when a wild king snake is looking. However in captivity, feeding your king snake is a little different.

As babies and young reptiles, feeding your king snake may consist of tin pinkies (baby mice) that have been humanely discharged from life as we all know it, and frozen. These can be purchased from pet food providers, and the pet store, or from breeders.

In some examples you will find the baby snake doesn't appear interested in the food you are supplying, and one thing you should generally confirm of is that your smell is nowhere on the food. Ensure that you wash your hands before putting the food into the enclosure. Remember that if you have 2 or more kings and you have them housed together, they'll usually eat one another, so avoid this by housing them in separate enclosures.

To start the feeding process, try these pinkies and see how they're going. Typically the snake will adore them, and you'll have no problems. If on the other hand you do get some issues you can try what is sometimes known as braining the pinky. As discussed earlier this doesn't mean murdering them as they're already dead and frozen. Braining involves the unfreezing of the baby mice and cutting open the skull to disclose the brain. This releases that beefy smell and should attract the snake to the food source.

Always ensure that the dimensions of the prey doesn't surpass the final width of the snake (excluding its head). Juvenile snakes will have to be fed at least two times a week, versus adults that only require that weekly feed if the prey is suitably big.

With an adult pet, feeding your king snake should follow the same kind of pattern, with the prey being larger than the widest part of the snake's body. If you find that he's eating 2 pinkies, he might be prepared for a touch bigger meal, and at this time you can try the following stage of the mouse process, the fuzzy or a touch fuzzy. These are one or two days older than the pinky, and are sometimes bigger.

Gauge your snake's intake of food, and step it up when you are feeling he's prepared. With general belief being that over feeding may cause some issues in later life, it is always better to leave them barely hungry than to pump them full of food.

For specific details on the perfect feeding situation for your pet, and to learn other items of interest when it comes to feeding your king snake, check with your exotic pet provider or the vet.

Tom Hinojos is a king and milk snake expert. Discover The ULTIMATE Guide For King And Milk Snakes Care And Learn The Secrets About Proper King And Milk Snakes Care & Breeding!
Learn more information about Feeding Your King Snake, visit http://www.kingmilksnakecare.com.