pinkies

[Cazador]

There are two ways that bones form. One was is that cartilage is deposited. Then it calcifies into bones. The second way is for bone to be formed directly. Newborn mice (pinkies) have a higher proportion of cartilage (less calcium) compared to older mice. Their bones are becoming calcified, but are not completely calcified. This is why you hear about pinkies being low in calcium and older mice being better. The young mice (or even adults for that matter) may be deficient in vitamins and minerals. Lack of these is what causes scurvy, for example, when people only eat a diet of meat. Maybe the pinkies/hoppers have an adequate vitamin load in their guts (depending upon what THEY ate), and maybe they don't. This is why I always try to promote the use of vitamin supplementation in a snake's diet.

The vitamin D that comes in calcium powder helps to assimilate the calcium (deposit it into the snake's muscles and bones). As far as protein goes, any meat source contains all 20 of the amino acids necessary to produce proteins, which are necessary to grow. Hope this helps.
Rick

[sschind]

They do grow fast and healthy but the key is as they grow you increase the size of the food item. As a pinkie becomes a fuzzy it contains more calcium as the bones are calcified. Try feeding your snake a steady diet of nothing but pinkies even as it grows and you may see different results.

The wbsite was not saying that pinkies are bad food, they were simply saying that in order to provide greater nutritional value you should increase the size of the food item accordingly as soon as possible.

[ssssnakeluvr]

I do move them up to larger ones as they grow. My florida blue eats full grown mice! Would take a lot of pinkies to fill her up!!!!!!!

[abcat1993]

How long does a pinky last after you thaw it. You can't refreeze it can you?

[sschind]

If you don't leave them out too long you can refreeze them but when you thaw them again they get real slimy. I will leave mine in with the snakes overnight but usually not more than 8 hours. I wouldn't refreeze if they were out more than an hour.

[ssssnakeluvr]

Same here, if they have been out more than an hour or 2 I toss them. I have refrozen pinkies without a problem many times, but usually they have only been thawed for less than an hour.

[abcat1993]

How often should I feed a pinky to my snake? (sorry if this was already covered in another post but I searched without finding anything)

[ssssnakeluvr]

depends on the size of the snake....smaller ones will be fine on a pinkie or 2 a week. larger snakes need larger meals. I generally feed twice a week.

[abcat1993]

How long before and after feeding should I not hold my snake?

[Cazador]

It may be good to get several opinions on this one, but I'm not at all hesitant to hold my garters soon after feeding them. I think the guideline to wait a day or two mainly applies to larger snakes that might have the bones of their prey at odd angles in their stomach. I never make an effort to wait at all.