feeding gravid snakes

[phantom]

just a question i dont know the answer too,and carnt find any post on .
do you keep feeding a gravid snake or not?

[herptrader]

If you offer them food and they eat then there is no problem.

Most of the time however they will refuse food.

I always try and feed them a big meal as soon as the eggs have been laid.

[phantom]

thanks for that info herptrader was'nt sure where to feed her or not.

[dugadugabowbow]

I've had gravid females feed right up until the day before they laid eggs, no problems came from it.
Most of the time i don't bother as females should be in good enough condition before breeding, if they are they can easily go the entire gestation period with out feeding and no side effects.....this is what they are made to do.
I do feed them pretty heavily after laying to replace the lost weight.

[Nephrurus]

I feed a small meal once they've laid, then a larger one a few days later. THe snake uses up a surprising amount of energy (called the Specific Dynamic Action or SDA) digesting the food. If the snake is in too poor a condition it will use up all its energy attempting to digest the food before they get any energy out of it, killing the snake. A smaller meal requires less energy to digest, making it safer. If your interested there has been quite a bit of research done on the SDA in burmese pythons by Steve Secor. Also SDA in Water Skinks done at Sydney Uni by Mike Thompson.
-H