Super Growth Theory

[Noskcajam]

Meh, the heads catch up to the body in a year or two

The snakes in question are approx 3 and 1.5 years old.

The older one is the power feed snake and the under developed head is easily noticed.

[Fuscus]

Ahhh, mutton bird oil.
http://www.aussiepythons.com/index.p...ghlight=mutton

and

http://www.aussiepythons.com/index.p...ghlight=mutton
don't think Bob likes it. I'm going to steer clear of this method.

[Sdaji]

Sdaji wrote:
...I've done bredli to 2m within 12 months on non modified rats...


and I was worried about my 1.2 meter yearlings being too big. Where there any side effects?

Nah, except that the male is not as horny as I'd like! Jokes aside, I don't think there's any reason to think the rapid growth caused the bedroom problems. They're hale and hearty animals. The water python was particularly impressive, she was very small out of the egg, but without pushing her she grew like mad. If I'd pushed her I think she could have been 8' by 12 months pretty easily. (Fingers crossed, she's currently gravid with her first clutch )

[bigguy]

I hate the term "power feeding". Its just feeding.

You hear comments all the time from Australian keepers stating how the Americans are way ahead of us in breeding. The answers simple. They simply "feed" their animals, not starve them like most Australians do. Only an idiot would beleive a snake would only eat a meal once a week or fortnight in the bush. They will eat EVERY chance they get.

If you reproduce a good season in the bush by feeding your juvenile snakes a few times a week, you will get superior growth rates. There is nothing sinister or unnatural about this. Its natural. The snakes can only grow as fast as nature intended.

Yes, you may find the snakes head is a little smaller, but this also happens in the bush after a good season. Remember the snakes skull is its largest bones, so it takes a little longer for these to catch up. But they do within a year or so.

I get most of my juveniles to breeding size within an average of 18 months just by feeding every few days. I dont slice open the stomach, I just feed whole rodents. Is it unhealthy for the snakes as everyone says it is. Must be, thats why I breed more then anyone in Australia.

[Sdaji]

The snakes in question are approx 3 and 1.5 years old.

The older one is the power feed snake and the under developed head is easily noticed.

It isn't always the way. I've seen "powerfed" snakes with larger heads than equal sized snakes which are older and grew slower. Like most rules, head size has exceptions. My large female carpet has a much larger head than my male, which is against the rule.

My bredli don't have particularly small heads and my rapidly grown water python (now close to 3 years old) has a proportionately largish head.

I largely agree with bigguy, feeding fairly generously isn't being cruel to the snake, it's giving the snake the best opportunity to be healthy (as long as you don't go completely overboard). Although I disagree with wild snakes eating all that much in the wild, since it is clear that even weekly fed captive snakes far outgrow their wild counterparts. Reduced activity and parasites may account for some of it, but not all.
Anyway, can't argue with your results aye bigguy? Feed away everyone!

[Fuscus]

Originally Posted by Sdaji

..Nah..

OK, I'll go and stuff a half dozen mice down their throats.


I was going to do it anyway.

[Sdaji]

Why would you want to grow a snake so fast?

Like me, you might be a sick, twisted individual, on the edge of snapping due to the torment dished out by the cruel world in which you live... *slaps self in face*

Oh, I mean, it's interesting to see how fast they can grow and probably good for them.

[Springherp]

Why would you want to grow a snake so fast?

Moclobe, breeders mainly do it to get their animals to breeding size quicker.

[Sdaji]

OK, I'll go and stuff a half dozen mice down their throats.

How much do you normally feed them?

[Fuscus]

about 6 mice between the two.


They are due to move up to larger prey but RR hasn't got many rats at the moment

[Sdaji]

They are due to move up to larger prey but RR hasn't got many rats at the moment

Try buffalo pinkies

[peterescue]

The rats digestive juices would not be of any consequence. As its not feeding the rats stomache wouldnt be pumping in the usual digestive juices.

[BuggieSmuggler]

If possible I don't bother feeding hatchlings mice at all ( for morelia ). If they're big enough I get them straight onto pinkie mice & defrosted ones asap. It saves the trouble of converting an older snake later & I've found the growth rates much better.

I read somewhere about wild Bredli that were much bigger because there had been a big rabbit season. Like Bob says in the wild snakes are opportunistic & that's the norm for lots of species.

[Fuscus]

An OZ geo had an article on Water pythons. It said that animals born in a good season grow fast while animals in a bad season grow slow. You guys have proberly already worked out that part. But it goes on to say that the animals that grow slow never recover, they can't process food at the same rate at the better feed animals.

[ether]

An OZ geo had an article on Water pythons

I read that article.....very interesting!