pinhead syndrome

[chief]

hey i just heard of a disease that maccies can get and was wondering if im feeding mine right i currently feed my 6 month maccie a fuzzie a week and it is about 45cm is this too much cos i seen a few days ago that a person had the same age maccie and was feeding it a pinky a week.

[cyclamen]

if it can take a fuzzy then its fine mate.
pinhead syndrome is when people power feed there snakes. and they get huge and fat and big but they have a tiny tiny little head.
not just maccies, all species

[Snow1369]

every snake can get pinhead syndrome, i'd say your feeding just fine.

[chief]

oh ok kool jus wonder in y mine can eat the same food as my frends diamond its about a year old n about 70 cm should he be feedin it more

[paulw6676]

I feed my 7 month old children's a hopper mouse a week and it seems to be fine. Heres a pic of him.

[GSXR_Boy]

Originally Posted by chief

oh ok kool jus wonder in y mine can eat the same food as my frends diamond its about a year old n about 70 cm should he be feedin it more

Yes.

[dragon_tail]

there is also the oposite effect, i guess you could call it 'bulk head' ( i quite like the look of this)
its acheived by feeding the snake only once every three to four weeks (depending on age and size), and feeding it much larger prey items, like in your case larger fuzzies, or possibly larger hoppers..... i feed my larger end of the scale juvis- 1 medium to large fuzzy rat every 3.5 weeks, and they have ripper heads, and plenty of muscular condition, youd never call my snakes skinny!

[nickamon]

My mac is the same size as yours, and I've recently started feeding her a hopper mouse every ten days. She was on fuzzies before this, and I upped the prey size when the fuzzies were obviously too small a meal for her. The rule of thumb I use is, if the mouse doesn't make much of a bulge in your snake's belly, it's time to move up to the next size.

[-Peter]

Originally Posted by dragon_tail

there is also the oposite effect, i guess you could call it 'bulk head' ( i quite like the look of this)
its acheived by feeding the snake only once every three to four weeks (depending on age and size), and feeding it much larger prey items, like in your case larger fuzzies, or possibly larger hoppers..... i feed my larger end of the scale juvis- 1 medium to large fuzzy rat every 3.5 weeks, and they have ripper heads, and plenty of muscular condition, youd never call my snakes skinny!

Its a natural phenomena in wild pythons, it generally comes with age.

[Ramsayi]

Would love to see some pics of pinhead looking snakes and also of bulk head ones.

[hugsta]

What ever happened to just feeding your snakes. Now if you feed too much you get pin heads or, if you don't feed them anough you get bulk heads. So if you feed them the right amount you must get normal heads.......

[Ramsayi]

Originally Posted by hugsta

What ever happened to just feeding your snakes. Now if you feed too much you get pin heads or, if you don't feed them anough you get bulk heads. So if you feed them the right amount you must get normal heads.......

Thats why I asked to see pics.Seems pinhead syndrome is alive and well as evidenced by the replies.Throw in bulk head syndrome,where does it end!!

Just remember pics or it didnt happen!!!

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day guys,

I have always been a bit of a skeptic when it comes to anything, which leads to me researching different ideas and theories that I come across.

The facts are there is NO proof that feeding less or more results in a change in shape to a snakes head, either larger or smaller. And just to throw a spanner in the works, there is also NO proof that "Diamond Python Syndrome" exists...

Cheers

Jonno

[mysnakesau]

Originally Posted by Jonno from ERD

G'day guys,

...there is NO proof that feeding less or more results in a change in shape to a snakes head, either larger or smaller.... Cheers

Jonno

I, too, have been told by someone who's had snakes for many years that there is no such thing as pinhead syndrome. I was always under the belief that pinhead was caused because the snakes body grows but its head didn't due to over feeding, but since then i've been told Pinhead syndrome is a myth - at least from diet related anyway.

[-Peter]

bad news for your Jonno, there is plenty of proof that "Diamond Python Syndrome" exists. Its a lable for unexplained deaths in captive diamonds. What it actually is is another matter of course.