Got a question about feeding...

[Tarzier]

Heyo people, I've been browsing this forum for awhile now, as I recently got a Grater Snake(It was sold to me as an Indonesian, but I don't really know). Its my first snake, and could be more or less considered my first reptile. Anyway, I'm in the process of transferring him to Pinkies as he was being fed Red Minnows(Bought him from PetCo, which I know isn't a smart idea but, once again, my first snake). Up til now I've been going back to PetCo to buy a Minnow or two to scent the pinkies, the problem is that PetCo is about a 40minute drive for me, and also happens to be the closest pet store, so I've been thinking about getting frozen fish fillets to do the scenting instead.

I read that little notice at the top of the Forum about the possible dangers of pre-packaged fillets, so my question is; would the chemicals still be dangerous if I just rub the fillet on the Pinkie and not actually feed them to him? I don't think so, but you guys know quite a bit more about these kind of things than I do.

I know it might sound like a fairly stupid idea to buy the fillets just to scent the Pinkies, but I drive a truck that gets 13 mpg, so that 40min drive costs quite a bit, and I think it'll be cheaper to just do the Fillets.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any answers I get.

[guidofatherof5]

Just scenting with the fillet shouldn't be a problem.
Cut the fillet into small pieces(1 inch squares) and freeze those in plastic bags. When you thaw it out use a little warm water. Let it thaw and put a pinky in the bag. The scent will cover the pinky and you won't have fish scent all over your fingers.
This will allow you to get the most use out of the fillet and save money. If you do find yourself are Petco purchase some pre-frozen Silversides. You can separate those out and feed them thawed and whole to the snake.

[guidofatherof5]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcZAMiUUJ5M

[Tarzier]

Thanks for the video, I just posted some pics in my Thread in the Newcomers Forum, and he looks alot like that. That the stripes start as four, and taper down to two ,and then one. As she said about the worms, he has been a fairly picky eater. It may end up that I'll just have to use the silversides and use supplements, cause I've wasted more pinkies than I'd like. Sometimes he goes for them when they're scented, other times he won't. Sometimes he'll inspect, but not eat, other times he'll eat, and other times he just outright ignores them.

[d_virginiana]

If you go to the petco anyway you can also buy silversides. They're frozen and they're a safe fish. Plus they smell like nobody's business, so they're great for scenting :rolleyes:

[Tarzier]

I was planning on picking some up either tomorrow or the day after. It's good to know they have a strong smell though.

[Tarzier]

Picked up a pack of Silversides today, they're quite a bit bigger than I was expecting. Thawed a few out once I got home to feed Salazar, which is my snake's name if you didn't guess(Not sure if it's a guy or girl at the moment, but for now I'm sticking with a guy name), and he gobbled them up. Actually, the first one he went after was too big(I didn't realize this beforehand) and he had to spit that one out, but the other two went down great. The snails on the other hand, he just outright ignored, but no biggie there. I'll probably get him used to the Silvers before trying with pinkies again.

By the way, with how big these are compared to the fish he was eating before(Rosies), will two be fine for a few days? I'm not completely sure how to tell if he's full or not because I'm pretty sure he'd keep trying to eat if he was when it comes to fish.

[guidofatherof5]

Don't wait for the snake to signal he's full. That won't happen. If you see a nice bulge then you've done well.
I bet if you rubbed a pinky with that silver side you'd have one less pinky in a matter of seconds.

[Tarzier]

I hope so, I'll try next time. This time, I just wanted him to eat, it's been like 2 or 3 weeks.

[guidofatherof5]

I hope so, I'll try next time. This time, I just wanted him to eat, it's been like 2 or 3 weeks.

Very understandable.