feed size

[Robpiersen]

hey guys i have a 15 month old coastal carpet very healthy and happy growing well i recently upgraded feed size from weaners to hoppers only to discover the hoppers were mostly smaller then the weaners i was already feeding have i been told the wrong size change or is it just because they are named by age not by size ? i made the mistake of buying 10 hoppers now dont know if they are too small thanks

 

[Chris1]

it helps to take some small scales in and weigh the food if youre unsure of sizes and buying from petshops.

i expect that your snake would be able to take much larger food items being a 15 month old coastal, weigh the snake, and get food that weighs 10-15 % of its body weight, and go from there,...

 

[Bart70]

it helps to take some small scales in and weigh the food if youre unsure of sizes and buying from petshops.

i expect that your snake would be able to take much larger food items being a 15 month old coastal, weigh the snake, and get food that weighs 10-15 % of its body weight, and go from there,...

What Chris1 said.....

Everyone's interpretation of a 'small, 'medium', 'large' etc rat varies more than Melbourne weather!

Best way to feed is to know what your snake should get in terms of volume by weighing it.....Then provide the volume of food to suit based on 10-20% of bodyweight (10 as a maintenance, 20 to build weight - 10-15& is a good balance) each week. On the odd occasion when I have been forced to purchase food I take my digital scales along and pick out the ones that suit me. I cannot reliably buy based on a suppliers labelling - unless it is labelled by weight....There is just too much difference.

Fyi....My 14 month old Jungle and Diamond are eating 90-100 gram rats which are way bigger than weaners.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Just feed them off in multiples and then get larger ones. A 15 month-old coastal should be on large weaner to half-grown rats.

Jamie

 

[86JAP]

Hoppers are the size under Weaners.

As above 10-20% is a good weekly feeding guide.

 

[Bart70]

As a sidenote...I was at a local petshop today looking for a poultry drinker and thought I would have a glance at the rodent freezer.....

I noticed a commercially packaged packet of 3 Xtra-Large rats that would not have been any more than 90-100g/each (I kid you not...). Well under what I would consider to be a 'extra large rat' - I would consider them to be 'Medium' rat at absolute best. They were priced at $45 for the pack of 3 making them $15 each.

No wonder people get confused (and overcharged) when trying to feed their animals based on a description of a 'Small/Medium/Large/X-Large' rat.

(These commercial rats were not supplied by the well known sponsor of this site...Who I know from experience is reasonable in his descriptions and provides average weights of his descriptions. The same weight rats from him sell for around $4-5 each by comparison when bought in a 3-pack).

 

[Robpiersen]

Thanks guys I thought something was amiss when the hopper left a smaller stomach bump then the weaner. So I guess I'll weigh my snake. Now not to waste a whole food packet would feeding 2 hoppers be safe and or healthy just until their gone then move up size or should I just chuck them I don't have any other reptiles to feed them too

 

[PappaSmurf]

Yep, feeding 2 at a time will be fine. Just give him the 1st one then once it's down offer the second one. We are doing the same with our 4yr old Bredli, giving her 2 mediums at a feed & she usually smashes the second one in half the time of the 1st one.
We also weighed all 4 of ours today with some surprising results. A couple were heavier than expected & the others lighter buit still withinn range of the food items they receive.

 

[Bart70]

Thanks guys I thought something was amiss when the hopper left a smaller stomach bump then the weaner. So I guess I'll weigh my snake. Now not to waste a whole food packet would feeding 2 hoppers be safe and or healthy just until their gone then move up size or should I just chuck them I don't have any other reptiles to feed them too

Should not be a problem at all.....I have 2 yearling snakes at the moment that need a particular volume based on their weight, but my quail at that weight are extremely broad across the breast and a struggle for them to get down, so I feed 2 smaller ones to make up the volume. No need to waste the ones you have...use them to make up the required feed volume until they are gone - its all snake food!

 

[wokka]

By feeding two smaller items you will increase the rate of digestion as there is more surface area for the gastric juices to work on. As an experiment I power fed some Olives achieving 5 kilos at about 14 months which is generally considered about the minimum breeding weight for olives. Although the animals mated the first year they were unsuccessful in producing eggs, however they did breed sucessfully in their second season. To achieve the best growth i fed multiple 100 gram rats to refusal which was normally 2 or three every 5 days. The animals are now 4 years old with no apparent ill effects. The downside of feeding so often is that there is continual excrement being produced so now i prefer to feed large food items less often. Say a 1.5 kilo rabbit every month which i figure gives the animals digestive tract a rest between feeds.

 

[Bart70]

Good info Wokka....Makes logical sense.

 

[Robpiersen]

Cheers guys great to know it won't have to waste anything