Pooping - Feeding

[swingonthespiral]

Back on topic Lesa you seem to be doing the right thing and its nice to see such concern about taking care of your new baby, if all new keepers showed the same concern it would be great

As boa stated some snakies just aren't as regular as clockwork (my zenn can hold onto poops for months at at time but my hydro is a regular 6 day pooper :lol).

Just keep doing what you are doing, read some differing opinions and make your own decision.... and dont forget to post updates

[Tsubakai]

Lesa, in answer to your question, the way you have been feeding it sounds ok. Personally I don't subscribe to the poo-feeding belief. By way of comparison, my spotted (would be about the same size as your Childreni) gets a pink rat at most every 7 days and sometimes its been 14, 18 or 21+ days between feeds. She's growing well, in good condition, displaying quite normal behaviour and is the most placid of all my snakes. At the moment its been 12 days since her last feed and she has spent the last two nights in ambush position on her fake vine which is quite cute to watch.

There is lots of opinions on feeding hatchies so its up to you to read all the opinions and decide on a routine that suits you.

[vitticep]

Jamming a hatchling with food every 4 days is for the sole purpose of greed, to grow your snake quicker for breeding purposes.
It has nothing to do with the health of the animal, or can someone justify the benefits to feeding every 4 days?

[ponybug]

hi ash, some stuff just a different thread..........

i feed my hatchys when i feed them, sometimes every 5 days, sometimes i leave it 2 weeks, i find that mixing the time and amounts is best for me,
i have always been told you can't over feed a hatchling, and so far i've never seen any proof that you can, it's easy to say you can, it's easy to say you can't, in the end it's up to the person feeding them,

i just think certain breeders think their way is the only way, they need to get over themselves and realize there are lots of right ways, just not theirs.............

[boa]

It's just a personal thing really, it is perfectly fine to feed every 10 days if you like or every 5 days. I would happily read any scientific literature that backs up the theory that feeding every 5 days halves an animals lifespan, of course the quantity of food is as important as the regularity.
When a well respected reptile vet to advise feeding every 5 days I know who I would be listening to.

[ponybug]

thats it ash,

the thing that i don't like is how when somebody asks a question, they get a couple answers, but then it seems to be the same group that start slinging mud at the other members answers because they are different to theirs, i feel sorry for the new members who really want to learn all the different ways to care for their reptiles,

in my opinion lesa just keep doing what your happy doing, read through the replys and sort out what you want to use...................

[vitticep]

Trueblue has stated reasons detrimental to overfeeding hatchlings (organ development etc),
what are the reasons beneficial to feeding an animal before it deficates? (apart from a 'personal thing') Any 'scientific literature' to back up what you are saying??

[boa]

Quite right, 7 or 8 days is just fine don't worry about the snake pooing first as that is just the method used by some but really isn't necessary.

[dickyknee]

Originally Posted by vitticep

Trueblue has stated reasons detrimental to overfeeding hatchlings (organ development etc),
what are the reasons beneficial to feeding an animal before it deficates? (apart from a 'personal thing') Any 'scientific literature' to back up what you are saying??

Why do we have to have scientific evidence to back up comments .....

[ponybug]

Originally Posted by vitticep

Trueblue has stated reasons detrimental to overfeeding hatchlings (organ development etc),
what are the reasons beneficial to feeding an animal before it deficates? (apart from a 'personal thing') Any 'scientific literature' to back up what you are saying??

where is trueblues scientific literature to back his statement up???????????

i'll state mine just like he does,

i feed mine extra as hatchlings to build them up for their first winter and in case they get any little problems, a hatchy with more meat on him will survive longer if ill then a half starved under sized hatchling.........................

[Colin]

Personally I like to vary feeding different animals at different times. If a young snake is a little behind the others, I might single him out for a few feeds every 5 days (but appropriate sized to a bit smaller than normal items) and others that are doing fine leave for 7-10 days.

In the wild snakes are opportunistic feeders and sometimes gorge themselves when food is available and then starve a bit when its not plentiful. So personally I try to mix it up a bit and not just generally feed across the board at certain times. I look at each snake individually and see how its progressing. Some get a bit extra on occassions others get to wait a bit extra.

[Tsubakai]

So from what I've read above, everyone seems to agree that what Lesa was doing (feeding every 7-8 days) sounds fine. Does everyone agree on that point?

What I think has started the ongoing debate is boa's comment about it being virtually impossible to overfeed young snakes. To clarify things a bit, maybe boa could explain that a little more clearly - ie. what does he class as 'young snakes'. It could be quite dangerous if someone new reads that comment then thinks "I can feed them as much as they want - boa said it wouldn't do any harm" Ask pugsly (see thread titled RIP Milo) if its impossible to overfeed (sorry to keep bringing this up pugsly but I think your story is a good lesson for people)

[boa]

Yes I think what Lesa is doing is just fine, 7 or 8 days is perfectly acceptable.
I think it is fair enough to ask me to clarify what I said, by young snake I mean up to 18 months of age. As I have stated I DEFINITELY don't recommend this regime for older or adult snakes.
From what I remember that snake of Pugsly's was a young adult ?
I repect everyones opinion on this subject.
Colin, I agree with what you said as well. If you were to look at my feeding cards for all my animals you would see no set pattern for any of them. Some snakes are hunting again after a few days and others maybe a week so yes each individual is very different.

[mrsshep77]

That's right Ash every snake is as individual as us humans! I have 2 maccies both the same age and both have VERY different feeding patterns. Our male is on the hunt again after 24-48hrs (all illnesses have now been cleared) and no visible sign of the feed item in his gut at all, whereas our female is happy and content for well on a week before she starts looking for a meal! It's really nice when they all want to be fed the same night but it hardly happens as they are getting older.
7-10days is definately a good base to start from, however during summer they will probably eat more depending on the snake and during winter they slow down alot more. Feeding isn't an exact science as each snake is different to the next but just take the advice offered and use what suits your snake.
Good luck with it all Leesa and there is no need to worry as long as he's happy & healthy.

Cheers,
Mell

p.s. It would be good for a change if some of the breeders could agree that there is more than one way to do things wether it be feeding, breeding or whatever! You guys have found what works for you so why not just SHARE your methods and explain why you use them and how they work for you, rather than blasting each other with "my way is the right way"!!!!!

[Colin]

Originally Posted by boa

Colin, I agree with what you said as well. If you were to look at my feeding cards for all my animals you would see no set pattern for any of them. Some snakes are hunting again after a few days and others maybe a week so yes each individual is very different.

yep I find each individual is different and (imo) needs to be assessed individually as far as feeding, growth rate etc. Its probably harder for a new keeper with only one or two snakes, but when you have 10,20,30 or more.. the individual differences become more noticable.

There was a similar thread a few weeks ago where someone (can't remeber their name) was doing a study on growth rates, body weight and feeding etc

I try to feed (animals between a few months and 18 months old) enough so that they shed approximately every 6-8 weeks, which seems (imo) about ideal. If they are shedding every 4-6 weeks then the frequency of feeding should be slowed a bit, and if they are shedding 8-10 weeks then feeding size (and/or) frequency should be increased. Again I stress all individuals are different, but the 6-8 week shed seems to work on most (imo)

I should add I usually only feed (quality) mice to animals under 12 months of age as the mice seem to not put as much bulk on them as feeding rats, but still keeps them growing well. I usually switch them over to rats when there about 12 months old, but suppose thats my personal preference.

But overfeeding is not a good thing either. I think hatchies should be taken more carefully and a bit slower as their systems are developing, but once they are a few months old and going ok, they get a few extra rations here and there to put on some condition.

I think it all depends on the individual snakes and the size and type of food item fed in relation to the frequency of feeds