Help! I fed cold gourmet rodents to corn snake.?

Question

I'm babysitting a corn snake. Tonight we were to feed the snake. I followed the owners instructions which were to thaw the gourmet rodents out in the fridge the night before. I did that; however, I took them directly from the fridge and placed them in the cage. My children noted that they remembered the rodents were pink the last time they saw the owners feed the snake (ours were looking partially blue...although they were soft...they were in the fridge 24 hrs). I didn't think much of it but then after the snake consumed them I started worrying that perhaps they were supposed to be room temp. So I read the package and sure enough now I am in a total panic and think maybe the snake will die. I fed the snake at 10pm and now I have it up in a warm room and I'm trying to crank the heat to help it digest. Please someone give me some good advice...should I bring him to the vet tomorrow? Are there signs of poor digestion? Can I help him digest the food by holding him in my warm hands or something?

Answer 1

Sorry, but I'm laughing at the words gourmet and rodent in the same sentence.

Answer 2

At this point, I don't know how well the snake is going to take to being handled, and I'd hate for you to get bit, but handling it VERY GENTLY (do not squeeze where the food is) see if you can get the snake into a bowl of slightly warm (this is a reptile, do NOT cook it... the water should just barely feel warm to your touch) bowl of water with a lid, and increase its heat to help warm the frozen feeder.  Use a margarine bowl or something cheap cause you'll need to punch holes from the inside to the outside in the lid, for air.

If the snake regurgitates the mouse, it's going to be rough on the snake, and you will not want to refeed it.  Just wait till the next normal feeding to give the stomach time to recover.

Do you not have a heat pad for this snake you're pet sitting?  The snake requires heat to digest.  Just placing it in a warm room isn't going to provide the warmth it needs.  Is there not a UTH heat pad stuck to the bottom of that tank?  If so, plug it in and allow it to heat while you are soaking the snake.

Let the snake soak about 1/2 hr. (do not drown it, the water should barely cover it's body, and don't allow it get cold... you can put a heating pad under 1/4-1/3 of the bottome of the bowl if necessary).  Once soaked, dry with a towel, again be gentle, and return it to its tank to rest and digest.

I would recommend, since this is not your reptile, that you call the owners to ask them if they would like the animal to see a vet tomorrow.

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, and good luck.

Answer 3

If there was an issue, he would have regurgitated by now. However, next time, throw the rodents in a bit of hot water for a few minutes, not boiling, but hot tap, and never microwave.

Just put him back in his cage and leave him alone for 24 hours. He will be fine.

Answer 4

I can't say 100%, but I'm pretty sure the worse that will happen is the snake will regurgitate the mouse, I'm really not sure there is anything a vet could do.  I'm pretty sure the snake won't die though.