16 young albino corn snake

Question
we read that chicken brest was ok for corn snakes. since feeding the snake it has hid in a paper towel roll next to the warming rock(have not gotten the pad yet) for about 6 days. last shed about one month. my daughter just took him out and found it to be very pale. I did not look at the eye's. the snake went straight to hiding when returned to it's cage.It's my daughters snake she has had it since dec. 07. can you help her.            Thank you

Answer
Hey Gary

I haven't found much to suggest that feeding chicken breast is OK. Biologically speaking, it cannot be complete and healthy for a snake. They need the entire body of a mouse in order to grow and be happy.

Check out the snake and see if it has started going into a shed cycle. Younger corns will shed every month or so. Make sure the humidity is high enough to make for a good shed. I expect a snake to hide when we put it back in for awhile. My own python out of habit automatically curls up in her hide log when I put her back in, and she is a very friendly snake. If he was sitting out in the middle of the cage, I probably would be more worried about that. It's a new snake and will take awhile before it readily stays in your presence.

Also, with the rock, make sure he isn't hugging it. Get a heating pad ASAP. Or see if you can get a 50w heating lamp for one end of the cage. If a snake doesn't have enough heat and hugs the rock, they can end up constipated which isn't fun for anyone.

If you guys are skittish about feeding mice, then it might be a good idea to take a trip to the closest reptile shop and talk with their reptile specialist. Keep in mind not everyone feeds frozen, but they should be able to help you figure out the best way to go about it. I don't know how old your daughter is, but I usually find that kids that are into the reptiles to be good listeners and follow well by example.