Feeding my BHP

[Jojomystery]

Hi guys. I have a juvenile BHP that is currently being fed 1x adult mouse once a week. Now I have read that BHP can be prone to fatty liver disease and therefore should not be fed the likes of jumbo rats. Dose that apply for adult mice as well? Am I better off moving him onto pup rats of a similar size?
I appreciate any advice

 

[Lockie_1]

I'm not real sure man I'd say as long as you had pleanty of heat he will grow I think it may be more of a problem for adults being fed large fatty rats. My big guy gets a rabbit once every three weeks and seems to be doing great!

 

[slide]

Regardless, I try and get them onto rats as soon as they are big enough to take them.
Adult mice will contain more fat than a young rat of equivalent size. The younger, growing rodents will put their energy into growth rather than storing the energy as fat.
When on rats try to keep under 200g. At that point its time to feed multiple rats or move to something like rabbits.

Long story short- change to rats, have a healthier bhp thats grows quicker.
Ps. How big is the bhp and how old exacly?

 

[andynic07]

How old is your BHP? I have two BHP's from this year and I feed them both 130gram rats. They were born 29/12/12 and weigh 650 grams and 730 grams.

 

[slide]

Thats why I was asking. Sounds like a small feed for a juvie.

 

[andynic07]

Thats why I was asking. Sounds like a small feed for a juvie.

Yeah mine was on adult mice from just under 3 months old.

 

[Jojomystery]

How old is your BHP? I have two BHP's from this year and I feed them both 130gram rats. They were born 29/12/12 and weigh 650 grams and 730 grams.

Wow ok now I'm concerned. Born 20/11/12 just weighed him and he's only just over 300gm :S So how should I go about getting his weight up safely? Is it possible that he could just be a slower grower or have I just stuffed up

 

[nintendont]

They were born 29/12/12 and weigh 650 grams and 730 grams.

Is that date wrong? Or are you "power-feeding?"
730g for a 6mth old snake seems excessive to me...admittedly I dont keep Aspidites and for all I know they could be a really heavy bodied snake...but compared to my carpets of similar ages, my eyebrow is raised somewhat.

 

[andynic07]

Wow ok now I'm concerned. Born 20/11/12 just weighed him and he's only just over 300gm :S So how should I go about getting his weight up safely? Is it possible that he could just be a slower grower or have I just stuffed up

These are my first and only BHP's so I do not really know what the normal is but I have been feeding mine the same way that I have used for my other snakes. That is once a week for the first year , once a fortnight for the second and once a month from then on and usually feed between 15-20% of their body weight. I also do not cool for the first year but do after that.

Is that date wrong? Or are you "power-feeding?"
730g for a 6mth old snake seems excessive to me...admittedly I dont keep Aspidites and for all I know they could be a really heavy bodied snake...but compared to my carpets of similar ages, my eyebrow is raised somewhat.

As you see above that is my feeding schedule and I would not consider that power feeding but like I said , I am no expert just offering up my experience with my snakes. I have had a non feeder diamond cross coastal that at that age was feeding on 1 hopper mouse a week but it is a different species and small for it's age. I also have a woma python and that was feeding on 70 gram rats at the same age so I really do not know if mine are large or normal but to me do not look fat.

Edit. This is a thread from a 18 month old BHP that is 7 foot.
[h=1]New Ursula pics[/h]

 

[slide]

The weights of the bhps that i got from Neil Sonnemann a while back are as follows.
Male
hatched 24/11/10
Received 11/1/11
Weight after poo 252g 13/1/11
So by under 2 months old was 250g
On fuzzy rats by 27/1/11
Hopper rats by the time he weighed 370g

Female
Hatched 16/11/10
Received 27/4/11 weight 368g(4months old)

Hope that sheds some light. I have more records but too tired to go into it now.

 

[slide]

How old is your BHP? I have two BHP's from this year and I feed them both 130gram rats. They were born 29/12/12 and weigh 650 grams and 730 grams.

Sounds about right. Bhps grow like weeds!

 

[slide]

Wow ok now I'm concerned. Born 20/11/12 just weighed him and he's only just over 300gm :S So how should I go about getting his weight up safely? Is it possible that he could just be a slower grower or have I just stuffed up

You havent stuffed up.
You would have stuffed up if you were feeding adult rats at this stage.
Also some dont get feeding as quick as others initially so will be a bit behind on their weight before you get them.

Probably try it on a fuzzy rat just to get him started on rats. Might pay to feed a mouse followed by a fuzzy rat in the same feed till you run out of mice, then bump it up to weekly feeds of weaner rats once its fine with rats (bhps are piggys so it shouldnt have trouble changing to rats) weaner rats should be about a good size for it at that weight.

Then just add heat and water and watch him grow like the weed that he is!
Pm me if you have any issues or any more questions.

Good luck.
Aaron

 

[Darlyn]

Change to rats as said above, agree with slide

 

[Jojomystery]

You havent stuffed up.
You would have stuffed up if you were feeding adult rats at this stage.
Also some dont get feeding as quick as others initially so will be a bit behind on their weight before you get them.

Probably try it on a fuzzy rat just to get him started on rats. Might pay to feed a mouse followed by a fuzzy rat in the same feed till you run out of mice, then bump it up to weekly feeds of weaner rats once its fine with rats (bhps are piggys so it shouldnt have trouble changing to rats) weaner rats should be about a good size for it at that weight.

Then just add heat and water and watch him grow like the weed that he is!
Pm me if you have any issues or any more questions.

Good luck.
Aaron

Thank you for that. I was told that they had trouble getting him feeding before I got him so that would account for something. I know he'll take a rat as I fed him one before when I couldn't get mice so will definitely move him onto them.
thanks again to everyone for your replies