Food to big ???

[kybaryal]

Hi Guys, I have just fed my 18 month stimsons a fuzzy rat and she struck straight away, but she was having trouble getting her mouth around the back part of the head so she has spat it back out .. Do I try her again later on a smaller fuzzy or can I reheat the same one or should I leave her for a few days ??

[Scleropages]

How big is the 18 month stimmy?

[Grogshla]

What size food was your snake eating before this feed?
How big is your snake?
I would leave it for a few days and feed a smaller size

[Jande]

Fuzzy rats should not be a problem for her at that age if she's of average size. How often are you feeding her? Is she warm enough to able to eat and digest comfortably?

[kybaryal]

I have only had her a few weeks. She is 60cm long and about 2 cm at her widest and she is 78 gms. this is her 1st proper feed with me. Just didnt know what to do after she spat it out....

She is definatley warm enough.

[Gruni]

My Mac is 18mths and just over 1m eating large full grown mice comfortably. When she was that size she was on weener mice every 7-10 days.

By the way, if you only just not long bought it, did the previous owner not show you what size feeds it was having before?

[kybaryal]

He had fed her 3 times, about once every 3 weeks. he was feeding her hairy mice !!?? but only about 10gms, when i fed her just after I got her I gave her fuzzy mice which she ate very easily but didnt have a lump in her belly or anything. It was too small, I Jumped on here and asked a few questions and most people had said she should be eating about 20gms. So that s why I got them.. I am very new to all this so sorry if I sound stupid !!

[Gruni]

You don't sound stupid because you have asked a valid question. I am a little confused by your account of the previous owner if the snake is 18mths old? "He had fed her 3 times, about once every 3 weeks." Are you the third owner this snake has had?

But basically I would have graduated up one size mouse so from a fuzzy to a weener and gone with that for a few feeds and then move up to half grown/subadult. The belly bump is a good guide to start with, then look at how much bigger the food source is rather than just it's weight. Mine was only on weeners for about 5 feeds and then was ready for the subadults for a few months.

If it spat it out then it is probably too big. Keep your leftovers in the freezer for the time being and get hold of something a bit smaller for now, even if you feed it two in a sitting. I'm fairly new to all this too but it has worked well with Skittles, I haven't needed to offer two items to her at all, and my mate with years of experience was very impressed when he saw her yesterday.

[kybaryal]

Yes I am the 3rd owner, He only bought her on the 1st june. (From memory he said he bought about 10 of them ) He had about 100 or so snakes some where breeders and some were just for sale. Ok Will go out and get weeners tomorrow and see how we go

[wokka]

The problem is likely to be that you have changed from mice to rats rather than the size of the food item. You could feed a 10 gram hopper mouse and follow it straight after with a 10 gram velvet rat. Whilst the snake is food aroused it will be more likely to take a rat

[Wrightpython]

I sold a guy 15 stimsonis and 10 childreni on the 29 th may and exported them to qld. They were around the size you are talking about and were around 6 months old. I was feeding them nearly weaned mice and the occasional week old pinkie rats every three days fuzzie rats are just to big at that size. I would rather feed two nearly weaned mice than a fuzzie rat.

[kybaryal]

Just thought Id update, fed her again today on a slighlty smaller fuzzy rat, and she smashed it. Had it down in about 15 mins.

[Gruni]

Excellent news. Well done.

[Silhou]

If it pukes its usually too big.. The foods gotta be the size of the thickest part of the snake, simple.

[Fuscus]

If it pukes its usually too big.. The foods gotta be the size of the thickest part of the snake, simple.

yeh?