When keeping a snake, feeding the right size of prey item is essential for a healthy animal. The first rule of thumb is when selecting a prey item, that it is no bigger than 1.5 times the width of the snake. Due to the elasticity of a snakes skin, it can devour prey larger than itself. Furthermore they can open their mouths 150 degrees to fit their meal in their mouth.
Obviously baby snakes will require a much smaller prey item than an adult, so whenever they grow, their prey will need increased in size. The most important thing to consider is the diameter of the snake in relation to their food. If it is too small they won't get the nutrition that they need and therefore will be hungry. If the item is too large, the snake will regurgitate and this can be harmful to the snake by leading to dehydration. It is better to feed the snake something too small rather than too large.
The day after feeding the snake, have a quick check to see if there is a bulge in the animal's stomach and if there is, then this is a good sign as they have not regurgitated and the meal is substantial. Note: do not handle a snake when it is digesting a meal. This usually lasts 24 hours but can sometimes be longer.
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| Corn snake feeding chart |
I strongly suggest that researching your animal is vital to ensure that your providing the correct feed. I have found the following websites useful when researching snakes, in regards to feeding. Due to there being a variety of sub-species, I have listed a few useful links below. Hope this helps. If anyone finds any more useful sites for snake feeding, feel free to comment below.
I personally find it helpful to keep charts for my animals and each week on feeding day, I record my animals' weight and the date that they ate. This allows me to see my snakes' growth rate.
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