Common Snake Feeding Mistakes

If you are new to owning or raising a pet snake, there is a lot to learn about proper care and feeding. In an effort to help you get up to speed quickly, I'm providing you a short list of some of the most common feeding mistakes and how to avoid them. Some of them seem like common sense, while others are only learned from trial and error or through advice from snake experts.

If you are using frozen feeders to feed your snake, most of the common errors come during the preparation phase of your pet's meal. You need to be able to properly separate and warm the rodents that you will be using. A good reptile food supplier will flash freeze the feeders so that they are easily separated and removed from the container. If you are getting your food in a large frozen block of mice where you have to chip away to get you mice out...find a new supplier. It makes for unnecessary work and cause damage to the feeder, and makes a mess.

Once you have your snake's meal separated out, you need to properly warm them before they are ready to eat. Never try and feed your snake a rodent that isn't thawed all the way through, it is not good for them. The best way is to warm them up in a pot of warm water on the stove. Allow them to warm for several minutes on low temperature until completely thawed. It's not a good idea to boil them, you are trying to thaw them out...not cook them! And do not use the Microwave! Not only is it a bad way to thaw them, but it can go horribly wrong, and you will have one unpleasant mess to clean up. The word 'yuck' is an understatement in this case.

Once you have mastered getting your feeders thawed out, the next place new snake owners often make a mistake in the method that they use to actually feed the snake. Presentation is everything in human food, so too for our reptile friends. You can use your tongs to wave the rodent near the snake so that it can get the scent. If it doesn't take it straight from your tongs don't give up and take it away. You can place it in the opposite end of the feeding enclosure. It may take your snake a bit before it is ready to feed, or it may prefer to 'hunt' its food as opposed to taking it straight from the tongs.

Those are some of the more common mistakes that most new snake owners make when trying to feed their snakes. With a little experience these things will get much easier.

Want to learn more about feeding your snake frozen mice or finding the best suppliers of snake food? Then head on over to snakefoodking.com and use our resources.

What to Do When Your Pet Snake Won't Eat

Every owner of a pet snake has to deal with their animal refusing food at one point or another. It is simply something that we all deal with. In this article I'm going to explain a few time tested methods of getting snake's to eat. I don't claim to have come up with them (they are well known by breeders and hobbyist alike), but I can vouch for their effectiveness.

Before we get into the details it is important to realize that snake's aren't mammals. They are reptiles and this means that they have a completely different metabolism at work. A snake is able to go a long time without food. Several months isn't entirely unheard of for a healthy pet snake. Certain species of snakes are more prone to going on a fast (ball pythons) for example which are infamous for going "off feed" during the fall and winter months. It is important to keep an eye on a snake that isn't eating to make sure they maintain their weight and are generally healthy. If you find that your snake is losing a significant amount of weight it is important to get it eating again.

New snakes that won't eat

A new snake home needs time to settle down. A common practice is to put it in a cage and leave it alone for 5 to 7 days. At the end of that time offer the snake some food; if it eats leave it alone for about three days before you begin to handle it. If it doesn't eat leave it alone for another 5 to 7 days and then try again.

Most people don't know this and wouldn't do it if they did. For most people the best approach is to minimize the trauma the snake experiences. Being picked up and draped around someone's neck is a traumatic experience for a snake. Not to mention the people wanting to poke and prod at it.

A great way I've found to ensure a new snake will eat is to not offer it any food for 2 weeks. This gives them time to settle in, get used to me and others and get over the trauma of being moved to a new place. I've never had this method fail with a normal healthy snake that is kept in the right conditions.

An established snake that won't eat

If you have a snake that has been eating regularly but suddenly stopped you'll want to take some steps to help determine why.

Is the temperature and humidity correct?
Even as little as three degree variance in temperatures and humidity can cause a snake to stop eating. It is important to keep these as stable as possible. If you're not sure what are the appropriate ranges search the internet for "snake species care sheets" and you'll find the answer.
Is it fall, or winter?
Like I said above some snakes will just stop eating in the fall and winter. As long as they are maintaining their weight and are generally healthy they will be fine.
Have you made any significant changes to their caging?
Adding new stuff (or removing stuff) to a snake's cage can be traumatic for them. If you've done so in the past couple of weeks let them get used to it before expecting them to eat.
Did you move the snake's cage to another part of the house?
Many snake's will start out in one part of the house, and because people want to display them will be moved to another part of the house. For instance people will often get a special cage setup so they can keep their snake's in the living room. The snake then has to deal with all kinds of odors, lights and noise it wasn't dealing with when it was kept in the upstairs closet.
Did you switch the snake's diet?
To a snake not all rodents are the same. A sudden change in diet while seemingly insignificant to you can cause a snake to stop eating. If you are going to switch your snake to another type of food (for example from mice to rats) have a few "servings" of the old food available if the snake refuses the new food. If you just toss something completely new in with the snake and expect it to eat you may end up waiting a long time.
Is your snake sick?
Like any other living creature when a snake doesn't feel well it usually won't eat. Because of their nature it can be hard to tell if a snake is sick, but if you suspect it is get it to a qualified vet as soon as possible. Let them determine if the snake is sick or not.
Tricks to get a snake to eat

Sometimes you just have to convince a snake to eat. The following are some methods that are known to work.

"Braining"
Not for the faint of heart but splitting open the animals skull and exposing the brain will often get a snake to feed. This should ONLY be done on a pre-killed animal, not one that is alive. First and foremost it is unnecessary cruelty and second of all it's a good way to get yourself bit!
The deli-cup method
This method is for neonate and babies. Place the snake in a small container (about the size of a deli cup) and then drop a pinky in with it and put it in it's cage. You'll often come back to a full snake and an empty cup.
Pre scenting the room
A few hours before you plan to feed the snake put the prey item in the same room. Since I feed frozen/thawed I let the rats and mice defrost in the same room as the snake's are in. It generally takes 3 or 4 hours and by the time they are thawed out the snake's are going crazy from the scent.
Coat it in chicken broth
Sometimes dipping the food into chicken broth will entice a snake to eat. I've personally never had reason to try this one, but many people say it works great so figured I should include it.

There are other more drastic measures that you can use to get a snake to eat. For example there's something called "assist feeding" where you get the snake started and let nature take over. There is also force feeding which is when you make the snake swallow the food all the way. Methods like those while effective are also extremely traumatic for your snake. It is best to leave those to experts instead of trying to do it yourself.

Ultimately as a good steward of your pet you need to determine if the snake needs medical attention because it isn't eating. Thanks for reading and I hope you found this article educational and useful. If you have any questions please stop by my website and fill out a form. Your question will be answered as soon as we can!

Brook Durant is a long time snake "connoisseur" who has owned and interacted with them for most of his life. You can find more information (or get in touch with us) at http://pet-snakes.com

Is a Snake a Good Idea For a Pet?

People often think of snakes as icky, slimy creatures.  However after the first touch of a real live snake, this false notion is broken in just an instant.  There are a lot of false impressions of what a snake might be like, and it often keeps people from becoming snake owners, even if they think they are quite beautiful creatures.

Snakes are a beautiful and fascinating species, and many people around the world enjoy having them as pets.  They are interesting to watch, and if tame are enjoyable to hold and watch as they curl up around your arm.  Now I must admit, this is not the same as having your warm, cuddly, and hairy friend such as a dog or a cat curl up next to you.  However they each have their own charm and no one says you can't enjoy having both as part of your family.

Pet snakes are great to look at, and they have the benefit of being a fairly easy pet to care and feed.  The initial set up of the snake cage can be a bit of a chore or as I like to think of it as a labor of love.  Once you design and build your snakes enclosure all you have to do is routine maintenance.  Since you don't take your snake outside to go to the bathroom, you need to make sure you keep the cage clean and free from its mess.  It is a small space where your pet snake has to live, eat, and do his business, so keeping it nice and clean for him will improve the living conditions and health of your snake.

Some people have some issues when it comes to feeding their snake for the first time.  Snakes are not vegetarians, and their chose meal is often mice or rodents of some form or another.  That may mean having to feed your snake live mice at some point.  This can be disconcerting for some at first, watching the way nature takes its course.  However, some people often find it easier if they feed their snakes frozen mice.  It takes a bit of the shock factor out of it.  Plus it is also less expensive to use frozen rodents in the long run.

If you can get over the initial obstacles, having a pet snake is a wonderful addition to your family.  There are a wide variety of snake breeds to choose from, and after doing a little research online, you should be able to narrow your choices down to a few different selections.  Make sure you find the right snake for your home and the space that you have available.  Once you get your first pet snake, the next thing you know you'll soon be looking for the next.

Irene Waftler is an avid pet snake enthusiast. Owning snakes for most of her life, she likes to share the tips and lessons she has learned over the years. If you are interested in sources to buy frozen mice or finding suppliers of cheap frozen pinkie mice, she recommends you check out these sites.

Why You Should Never Feed A Snake Live Food

When it comes to feeding your snake, you need to stick to pre-killed food.

There are a lot of reasons that people prefer to give their snakes live food. One of the most common is they feel that a snake in its natural habitat would eat live food so in captivity they should be given live food as well. I used to agree with them. However, it only took one incident for me to change my mind.

I was feeding my Brazilian rainbow boa like I usually did. I removed the driftwood from her cage but left the plants inside because she preferred to hide in them before she attacked. I put a medium sized rat in the cage as usual. As usual, she attacked quickly. However, she made a fatal error. She managed to get herself bit, and that caused her to puncture her lung. She died a few minutes later.

The main reason you need to stick to pre-killed food is for safety reasons. Yes, 99% of the time your snake will take care of the live food quickly and efficiently. However, it only takes one incident to kill your snake. Feeding your snake live food is simply an unnecessary risk.

There are other benefits to giving your snake pre-killed food. It's more readily available in pet stores. The pre-killed animals are killed humanely and didn't suffer. That's not likely to be the case when putting live prey in with your snake.

If you're worried about your snake not accepting pre-killed food, you're likely unnecessarily worrying. Almost every snake will accept pre-killed food. It may take a few tries to get your snake accustomed to pre-killed food if it had been on a live prey diet previously, but almost every snake can be taught to eat pre-killed food.

The process of feeding your snake pre-killed food is really quite simple:

1) Thaw out your rodent in warm water for 30 minutes. Snakes won't eat it if it's frozen, so make sure it's warm.

2) Dry it off.

3) Put the rodent in the cage.

4) If the snake appears uninterested, grab a pair of tongs and move the rodent around to make it appear alive.

Snakes make great pets and can be companions for years. Why risk unnecessary injury or even death by feeding your snake live prey?

Gary Ruplinger is the owner of BoaTips.com - a comprehensive snake resource site. If you're interested in learning more about pet snakes then be sure to stop by his website. You'll find all the basics to caring for a pet snake, a great snake newsletter, and specific advice on how to care for 20 of the most popular pet snakes. If you have any questions during your visit, make sure you visit the snake forum and participate in discussions about this great yet misunderstood pet.

How to Care For a Pet Snake

Caring for a snake pet is a tough job indeed. These amazing and dangerous reptiles are prone to many mood swings and flexible temperaments that could cause severe harm to the owner. You will need to have proper training and dedication into making a snake happy and contented. Here are some tips.

1) Get the tame ones

Studies have shown that captive bred snakes are more likely to be better pets than their wild counterparts. This is because these creatures are already 'softened up' by the snake breeders and is more used to human presence, unlike wild-bred ones. This type of snakes is more aggressive and easily feels threatened when approached by a human. This increases the risk of harm inflicted on the owner.

2) Conditions

A healthy snake is a cold-blooded one. Surrounding temperatures, which differ for different snakes, need to be kept constant to allow the snakes to maintain their blood temperature. They can also wriggle through any gaps and holes, if there is any. So, your best bet is a sealed, breathable and temperature-controlled case.

3) Proper research

Find out everything you need about your scaly friend and about caring for snakes. Sometimes, something as mundane as feeding a snake can be quite complicated. Some snakes will only take live prey and ignore pre-killed ones. Others can only feed on certain types of rodents. It is also advisable to feed newborn snakes small portions of pre-killed prey. They can be quite hesitant in killing moving targets and may be injured in the process.

You also have to be able to 'read' the snake. Knowing your snake's pattern of behavior may come in handy when he's sick. That way, you can quickly treat it before its condition deteriorates.

Snakes care, no matter what you choose as your pet, has never been easy or for the faint hearted. For pet snakes, your responsibility doesn't end when you have chosen the species. You should be familiar with the correct care and feeding of snakes, the behavioral characteristic, and have the commitment to keep snakes as pets.

It is absolutely essential that anyone new to caring for snakes or thinking about buying a pet snake, gets as much information as possible about how to be a responsible owner and keep you snake healthy. A good snake care book will provide all the information you need, including how to breed snakes, and will be a helpful resource for you for the entire lifetime of your snake.

The Ultimate Guide to Pet Snakes is from front to finish an easy to follow guide on every possible thing you would need to know on owning, breeding and caring for healthy snakes as pets. You can learn more about our pet snake book here: www.squidoo.com/pet-snakes-book.

Guide to Caring For an Exotic Pet Snake For Beginner

Having exotic snakes as pets is becoming common nowadays. This is primarily because many people who have been taking care of one assert that snakes are attractive and can be quite tame, contrary to popular belief.

In spite of this, snakes remain to be not for everyone as care of snakes is quite complex. Just like in the case of having other types of exotic animals, commitment is very essential. Thus, prior to acquiring one, it is best to have the right information about them such as behavioral characteristics, dietary and habitat requirements, and other pertinent details. Only after which should you decide if you really are capable of having one.

There are several snakes species may be considered as pets but the most common are garter snakes and pythons. For first-time owners that are inexperience with snakes, corn snakes, king snakes, and ball pythons are, in fact, most suitable as these are gentle and meeting their diet and environmental needs is not as difficult as for some other species. These snakes are relatively small. Ball pythons tend to difficult to feed, because sometimes they stop eating for months at a time. If you are interesting in acquiring a ball python, make sure it is captive breed, and used to feed with killed prey.

On the other hand, if you are a beginner, don't think about acquiring Burmese pythons, red-tailed boas, tree boas or pythons, water snakes and other wild caught snakes as pets, as they can really be dangerous especially when not handled properly. If you choose Burmese pythons and red-tailed boas, you may require assistance for handling and feeding, due to their size and strength. Tree boas and pythons tend to have very strict temperature and humidity requirements, and water snakes have very specific care requirements too. Wild caught snakes tend to be nervous, prone to illness, and difficult to feed in captivity.

The appropriate diet and living area vary with different species. Generally, though, in creating an artificial environment for them, take note of security as they tend to get out of any enclosure. Check for gaps and the strength of the habitat itself.

Otherwise, you shall be putting others in danger as well as incurring liabilities. Also, check if there is enough space for them to move around. The size of the space must correspond well to the size of your pet.

As all snakes are carnivorous, rodents like mice and rats are the best food for them. It is recommended to give them pre-killed ones so as to protect them from possible injuries caused by their prey when alive. This especially happens when the prey is given to them while they are not yet hungry and unwilling to attack. On your part, it would likewise be more convenient to have these killed rodents in a freezer than keep another habitat just for them. Snakes like anacondas and reticulated pythons aren't recommended as pets, as these snakes are huge, have poor temperaments and potentially dangerous.

Snakes care, no matter what you choose as your pet, has indeed never been easy. For pet snakes, your responsibility doesn't end when you have chosen the species. You should be familiar with appropriate care and feeding, the behavioral characteristic, and the commitment to keep the pet. It is actually just the beginning of a long-term complex relationship.

Avicenna has written various articles about exotic pets [http://www.1st-exoticpet.com/] related topics, including Pet snake [http://www.1st-exoticpet.com/exotic-pet-snake/index.php], turtles and more

Feeding Pet Snake - Live Prey Or Pre Killed Prey

Some people consider having an exotic pet as a companion in the home. For example a pet snake, Snakes are relatively easy to care for, but special handling and maintenance is necessary for your safety as well as theirs. A proper care must be enforce to make sure such incidents don't happen.

Aside from making the home similar to the habitat of the snakes, the most important thing is giving the right food. Should you feed your pet snake pre killed prey or live prey?

For your pet snake, feeding pre killed prey is recommended. A live prey can inflict some serious wounds on a snake in self defense. Also if your pet snake unable to quickly kill a live prey item, because hesitates or is not hungry, the snake is the one who might end up injured. Even a small mouse can cause injury to a snake.

Feeding killed prey also let you to buy frozen prey items and keep them in the freezer. It will be easier for you as you have the proper sized prey on hand at all times. Buying the live prey every time your pet snake needs to eat or raising the prey by your own will be more expensive and wasting the time. Many pet stores sell frozen prey or fresh killed prey which you can then freeze for later.

If your snake is eating live prey, you need to start out by offering fresh killed prey at first. Frozen prey need to be completely thawed and warmed slightly before feeding. Defrost it in cold water, not at room temperature. Don't hold prey with your fingers, dangling and wiggling the prey with tongs to entice the snake to take the prey.If your snake still unwilling to eat, you can try dipping the prey in chicken broth, or puncturing the skull of the prey to expose brain.

The size of the prey

A snake should be fed a size of prey that is about the same size around snake's body at the widest point. Meaning that as your snake grows; you need to adjust the size of prey fed to the snake to accommodate the snake's increasing size.To find the right size of prey on the pet stores, simply use a piece of string to take the measurement around your pet snake at the widest part of its body then take the string cut to the pet store. So you can do a quick check of the circumference of the prey available to find the best match. It doesn't have to be an exact measurement. Little bit smaller or slightly larger prey is fine too and a bit of variety never hurts.

A snake have unique jaws that allow them to swallow the prey that is larger than their head, but your pet snake may have difficulties to digesting overly large prey, resulting in regurgitation. This is considered to be a waste of money since your pet snake will just spit it out after.

Avicenna has written various articles about exotic pets [http://www.1st-exoticpet.com/] related topics, including Pet snake [http://www.1st-exoticpet.com/exotic-pet-snake/index.php], turtle, and more

The Best Ways to Care for & Feed Your Pet Gopher Snake

Learn All About Feeding & Caring for Your Pet Gopher Snake

The Gopher Snakes Home

Gopher snakes do not need an elaborate place to live. Probably the main consideration is to make sure the enclosure can be well secured. If you don't secure it the snake can push if up enough to get out. All it needs is for an opening that its head can fit through and they are gone. This snake is a good escape artist so make sure you don't have to search the house for it as all members of the family may not like snakes as much as your do.

If you often take your snake out to handle it or let it exercise you can keep it an enclosure as small as 10 gallons. If you keep it enclosed most of the time you will need at least a 20 gallon tank or enclosure for it to be happy. There have been reports of a gopher snake getting up to 8 feet long so make sure you have a large enough enclosure for the future. The length of the enclosure needs to be at least two thirds the length of the snake to give them room to stretch out.

Substrate Needs

Gopher snakes do not need special substrates. As long as it can provide warmth and comfort to the snake then it is good to go. However, there are some important things to note in their substrate needs. Shavings such as aspen are good substrate but don't use cedar as it could cause problems with their breathing. Potting soil is good as it is easy to clean up after them. Sand or gravel is not recommended because it is not a good absorber. The use of these will just promote growth of bacteria. Shredded paper is fine as long as it doesn't have ink on it. A product call Repti-turf is very good as well as indoor/outdoor carpet and Astro-Turf.

Right Temperature for a Gopher Snake

Like most snakes your pet snake needs to have the proper heating in their enclosure. A good way to do this is with a heating pad under half of the enclosure. This way they will have a warm area and a cooler one. The warm area should be kept at seventy five to eighty five degrees Fahrenheit. This is a necessity since it is needed in digesting their food. At night time, the temperature may drop so the temperature must be regulated.

Feeding the Gopher Snake

Gopher snakes are very easy to feed as they will eat frozen and thawed mice or rats and they only need to be fed about every 10 days. The good thing about this is that you can keep a good supply of food in your freezer. Although in the wild these snakes prey on live creatures don't feed them live ones in captivity. They could at times turn on the snake and could bite it causing injury.

Water is a must for Gopher snakes

Your pet gopher snake requires clean fresh water at all times. The container must be big enough for him to get its body into as they occasionally like to bath. Snakes often defecate in their water, in which case it should be immediately cleaned and disinfected.

Handling Your Pet Snake

When you handle your pet snake you must be delicate but at the same time unyielding. A baby gopher snake can be picked up with one hand, but an adult snake needs to be picked up with both hands. They won't coil around your arm like a python but will try to take off. To control it just gently turn it head in the direction you want it to go

At some time in having a pet gopher snake you will probably get bit. There are 2 types of snake bites associated with your pet. The strike is one where they are not happy with you. They don't hang on. While this does hurt the bite is not poisonous and only needs to be disinfected. The other kind is the feeding bite and is a little more serious. The reason being is that it's trying to eat whatever part of you that it has its teeth in. The more you try to get away the more it holds on. A little bit of grain (not rubbing) alcohol in its mouth will make it let go almost immediately. Listerine will also work. Be sure not to get it into its nose. Biting is rare so don't let this deter you from getting a gopher snake for a pet.

The Gopher Snake As A Pet

While Corn Snakes and Ball Pythons are probably more popular as pets you should consider a gopher snake. They probably have the best overall temperament of this type of snake. They are very similar to the Corn Snake in their housing and feeding needs. They are easy to feed as they will eat frozen mice and need to be fed only every 10 days or so. They don't mind being handled and will only bite when provoked or hungry. Even strangers will be able to handle a trained pet snake. Before you determine what type of snake to get as a pet read up on the Gopher Snake and you just might decide this is the pet snake for you.

If you are a pet owner or thinking about becoming one you should go to the website at Natural Pets Health to get more information on natural pets health foods, products & cures. You will also find general information such as the pros & cons of owning along with the caring for & feeding of all types of pets from dogs to snakes to fish to exotics.

Exotic Pet Corn Snake Care Sheet - Feeding Corn Snake

Corn snakes, like all other snakes, are carnivorous. Meaning they feed only on the flesh of other animals. Corn snakes feed small rodents and sometimes lizards, although they have been known to take small birds from time to time. A pet corn snake owner, obviously, will have an easier time supplying his or her exotic pets with mice than anything else.

An active corn snake will eat every 10 days or so. It is recommended to feed your corn snake pre killed prey, especially if the snake has not been raised on live prey. A live prey may also turn on and attack a lazy snake that isn't feeling too hungry and possibly causing severe harm to your pet corn snake.

When to feed a corn snake and how much

Hatchlings are started out with pinkie mice for feedings and as the snake grows, gradually increase the size of the prey by offering fuzzies, crews, then small adult mice or rat pinkies.

A young hatchling will eat a pinkie mice every three days or so. Gradually, as hatchling gets bigger; feed it every four, five or six days. Around the time it is getting out to six days, it will be swallowing down a pinkie in next to no time, so try it with another one just as the tail of the first one disappears. If it takes two pinkies ok, continue with this for two or three more feedings and then offer it one fuzzy instead of the two pinkies. It might look too large for you, but if the snake can swallow it without difficulty, it is not too big. If you feed too much at one feeding session, or feed a prey item that is too big, your snake won't swallow it and will spit it out after trying. A general rule for food size is that up to 11D2 the snake's body girth is acceptable.

After a several more weeks of one fuzzy, repeat the process you did with pinkies. When your corn snake swallows a fuzzy easily, then try to feed it with two. And after a few feedings with two fuzzies, try it with small adult mice. A full grown Corn snake can eat a medium to large mouse.

How to feed a corn snake

Frozen prey need to be completely thawed and warmed slightly before feeding. After thawing, place the prey on a small plastic dish and place the dish in the cage and leave the snake to it. If the snake won't eat it after few hours, then remove it and throw it away.

Some snakes like their prey "jiggled" in front of them. To do this, pick the prey up by the tail with tongs (no sharp, pointy ends), and hold the prey in front of the snake for the snake to strike at.

Pet snakes that have refused to feed more than 2 times can be enticed into feeding by having the prey item slightly warmed, either by a heat lamp or soaked in warm water a few minutes before feeding. Don't put it in a microwave, as they can explode. Another trick to try is "braining", where you pierce the head of the prey with a knife point and liquid from the head exposed with forceps or tweezers. The smell of the liquid will entice your exotic pet corn snake to feed.

Avicenna has written various articles about exotic pets [http://www.1st-exoticpet.com/] related topics, including Pet snake [http://www.1st-exoticpet.com/exotic-pet-snake/index.php], turtle and more.

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.