[Snakes r grreat]

I've had my cornsnake now since the middle of July. He shed 10 days after i got him, and i started off feeding him 1 small mouse every 7 days. He is 82cm long and currently 202g.

He shed for the second time 3 weeks ago this weekend, and since then i have fed him 2 mice every 7 days. After his last shed i put him in his 3 foot viv. I increased his feeding as he seemed a little skinny when i got him as he was a rescue, and he always seemed to want more after the first mouse.

I looked at him today, and he is now getting ready to shed again already. His eyes have gone cloudy, and his skin is very dull.

My questions are- am i feeding him the right amount. (Although i am thinking about 2 mice on one feed and 1 on the next from now on). Also, is this common for them to shed so often, or is it down to the amount of food he has had recently?

All suggestions welcome.

 

[mark67123]

Mine sometimes surprise me with an unexpectedly quick shed - as long as he seems ok in himself then I wouldn't worry. It may just be that he's now going through a growth spurt due to the increase in food if he was underweight when you got him.

Just double check the viv to make sure there are no mites, etc. One of mine had two sheds in a month immeditely after a load of ants had got into the viv. Probably not the case with yours, but worth a check.

Are you feeding adult mice, or smaller ones?
He sounds a bit small for adult mice but if that's what he's taking I'd say go ahead and reduce it a bit.
If it's mice of an equivalent thickness (or thereabouts) to his body then carry on with two per week as it sounds like (from the current length/weight) he could still do with putting a bit of weight on, and if he is having a growth spurt the extra won't hurt him. I could be wrong, it's hard to say without a pic.

 

[Snakes r grreat]

Thanks Mark. I checked his viv earlier and cant see any mites. He is his normal self still. He eats small mice that are no thicker than the widest point of his body. But your right, he does still seem a little skinny to me, so i will probably carry on with 2 a week. Just got some digital scales the other day, so i can keep a closer eye on his weight.

 

[mark67123]

Yep, in that case carry on with the two per week.
Great that you're monitoring his weight - something more people should do.
Once he gets nearer to 300g and 3ft (90cm) in length then he should be better proportioned and you could maybe reduce the food a bit then

 

[Snakes r grreat]

Cheers Mark. Will carry on as before then, and see when his next shed is after this one. Although it took 4 attempts to weigh him! lol My Royal wasn't having any of it either. :roll:

 

[mark67123]

I put mine in an old pillowcase to weigh them - just put them in, twist the top around a couple of times and put it on the scales - but remember to subtract the weight of the pillowcase!

 

[cornmorphs]

to be honest that sounds quite heavy for a short snake... although i'm sure he will stretch into his belly :lol:

 

[mark67123]

Well I've got a 3 yr old (so I'm told) male corn that's pretty much the same length as this one - maybe an inch or so longer, and he was 191g at the weekend and looking a little bit on the slim side.

Suppose it depends on the individual snake - if this one is naturally slim then he may be a bit heavy - need some pics really!

 

[cornmorphs]

a 3 yo should be a lot heavier than that really.

 

[mark67123]

For his length I'd like to see another 50g or more on him - his body is very high-sided, like a tall loaf of bread shape. No exposed backbone at all, but his shape (cross section) is more like that of a beauty snake.
Got him from Basildon the other week and know nothing of his history.