How to Feed Corn Snakes (Full Feeding Guide)

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Learning to take care of corn snakes shouldn’t be too tough. Even if this is your first experience caring for pet snakes you won’t have a hard time.

Of course, you need to learn how to feed these snakes the right way. Feeding snakes is an important aspect of keeping them healthy.

You want to feed them often enough without going overboard. You also need to understand what to feed them.

Below, you’ll learn how to approach feeding these pet snakes. Once you’ve read everything, you’ll be much more confident about caring for them.

What Do Wild Corn Snakes Eat?

Wild corn snakes eat a lot of different things to survive. As you might expect, they primarily eat small rodents.

Small rodents will be easy prey for corn snakes in the wild. It’s common for them to feed on mice, rats, squirrels, and other types of common rodents that are small enough for them to eat.

They will also eat other small mammals if they can find and hunt them in the area. Pretty much anything that can wind up as a meal for the corn snake will be fair game.

It’s also true that wild corn snakes eat birds. You’ll find corn snakes hunting small birds as well as their eggs.

These snakes will eat lizards, frogs, and even other snakes sometimes. A smaller snake might be consumed by a corn snake when the opportunity arises.

What Do Pet Corn Snakes Eat?

The most common food that you’ll feed pet corn snakes will be mice. It’s normal for people to buy feeder mice to give to their pet snakes.

You can buy live mice if you want to, but most people simply give their corn snakes dead mice. Generally, you’ll buy frozen pinky mice and then thaw them out before giving them to the snake.

Corn snakes are constrictors so they squeeze their prey a bit before striking and consuming it. Some enthusiasts say that corn snakes enjoy killing their prey.

So you might want to give the corn snake live mice from time to time. Note that this isn’t completely necessary and many people just stick to giving corn snakes frozen mice.

Aside from feeding the snake frozen mice, you can also feed them quail eggs from time to time. These eggs can be purchased as a rare treat for your corn snake, but they shouldn’t be given too often.

Wild snakes only get to eat eggs occasionally and it’s best for them to be given eggs only as special snacks when they’re pets. You’ll mostly be feeding the corn snakes mice and they’ll do perfectly well eating mice.

Give the Snake Fresh Water

Another thing to keep in mind is that the snake should always have access to fresh and clean water. You want to make sure that your snake’s habitat has some type of water source.

The snake will need to drink water more than it’ll need to eat. You won’t be feeding the corn snake super often, but constant access to water is imperative.

Make sure that the snake has clean drinking water. You’ll want to change the drinking water out every so often.

Snakes can technically go without water for quite some time, but there’s no reason to withhold water from your pet snake. You’ll likely never see the snake drink, but they need water all the same.

Corn snakes will use water for many things. They need it for bathing and they must soak in water so they can remain healthy.

Give your corn snake a large water bowl that it can utilize. Change the water out every so often and your corn snake will do just fine.

Can You Overfeed a Corn Snake?

It is indeed possible to overfeed a corn snake. Feeding your corn snake too often can lead to serious health complications.

Corn snakes need some time to be able to digest their food properly. When you feed a snake too much it can cause health issues.

The snake might need to regurgitate the food and this can cause it serious stress. So you want to avoid feeding the snake more than it can digest.

Also, feeding the snake too much has the potential to make it overweight. An overweight snake will be unhealthy and it might have a tough time.

Make sure that you only feed corn snakes as often as you’re supposed to. Feed corn snakes mice that are the right size to avoid complications as well.

How Much Do You Feed Them?

You’re only supposed to feed your corn snake one mouse at a time. Feeding the corn snake more than this will be problematic.

Choosing the right mouse for your corn snake is about knowing the size of your snake. You shouldn’t feed the corn snake mice that will be too big for them to eat easily.

Generally, you should measure the midsection of the snake. The diameter of the snake will determine how big the prey can be.

The mouse that you feed the snake needs to be less than double the size of the diameter of the thickest section of the snake. So long as you keep this in mind it should be simple to purchase appropriately-sized mice.

Some corn snakes might need pinky mice while others might need large mice. It depends entirely on the size of the snake.

How Often Should You Feed Them?

Snakes don’t need to eat too often. They can go for a while without food, but you’re generally going to feed a pet corn snake once every fourteen days.

It’s fine to feed adult corn snakes every seven to fourteen days. Juvenile corn snakes should be fed every seven to ten days while baby corn snakes (hatchlings) need to be fed every five to seven days.

So how often you feed the snake will differ slightly based on the age of the snake. Either way, you’ll want to feed the snake mice that are the appropriate size.

An adult corn snake will eat one to two prey animals every fourteen days. So long as you stick to a schedule, you won’t have a hard time keeping the snake healthy.

Corn snakes are very simple to feed and you won’t have a hard time getting used to the feeding process. This is a beginner-friendly type of snake, after all.

Stick to a Consistent Schedule

Sticking to a consistent schedule will make things as easy as possible when taking care of these snakes. You should have an easy time feeding the snakes every week or two.

You might need to feed younger snakes slightly more often, but it won’t be tough to handle. Simply buy the feeder mice that you need from a local pet store.

Thaw frozen mice out and give them to your snake when necessary. Don’t forget to choose mice that are the right size for your snake.

You don’t want to give corn snakes mice that are too small. They’ll be left a bit hungry if you give them undersized mice to eat.

Sticking to a schedule helps you to keep track of how often you’re feeding the snakes. You should have no trouble keeping things straight and your corn snakes will thrive under your care.

Final Thoughts

Knowing more about how to feed these snakes will help you out immensely. Feeding corn snakes won’t be tough, but you do have to approach things the right way.

Make sure that you feed your corn snakes the right type of feeder mice. They need to be the right size for your corn snake so that things will go okay.

Only feed your corn snake as often as you’re supposed to. Don’t feed the snake too often because it can make the snake overweight and this will lead to health issues.

You can feed the corn snake special treats like quail eggs sometimes. This needs to be a rare occurrence, though.

Now you know what to do to keep your corn snakes fed properly. If you’re new to caring for snakes, don’t let any of this information intimidate you.

Feeding corn snakes is as simple as can be. These snakes are easy to take care of and they’re also rather docile.

You should have a smooth experience with corn snakes if you choose to get some. There’s a reason why they’re considered to be the most beginner-friendly snakes.

Don’t hesitate to buy corn snakes if you wish to get started. It’ll be easy enough to get what you need and start enjoying these pets.

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