So, is there a BMI guideline for snakes. for example a jungle python should be so many grams per cm? or grams per year of age? I feed about every ten days, weekly for girls that are being bred (coming into winter). Hatchies i feed every five days or so. Should we feed breeding girls more to get them ready? or give them the same as the boys.
There are no guidelines - just as there are no reliable or "expected" growth rates for snakes - they grow into their food, and if you feed them heaps, they will grow fast. I'm sure Scott Borden would shudder at your feeding regime of weekly to 10 days for adult snakes - it's way more than they need to maintain good health, and as he says, you are probably jeopardising their longevity. Most pythons will thrive on a meal every 3-6 weeks, the longer interval for mature adults, but they won't grow as fast. It may take them double the time to reach whatever we regard as a reasonable size. But rapid growth seems to be the most important and well established norm for keepers these days, even some with a lot of experience. I see quite a few pythons locally, some on our property, and some are "regulars." They are all in pretty good, lean condition most of the time. Compared to the great fat slugs of snakes I see in some collections, there is no comparison. But I bet I know which ones will live longer lives - the wild ones also have a 6 month break from all the ramped-up metabolic rates we force on our captive animals with exposure to constant heat and food. It simply can't be good for them in the long term. Wild pythons will often lie in an ambush spot for weeks before a meal comes along, and if it doesn't, they simply move to another spot and wait.
I feed my pythons very erratically, maybe a week or two between feeds, then I might miss feeding them for 4-5 weeks, despite them indicating their hunger. The GTPs especially, as a lazy species, are fed less, and generally not until they start moving around their enclosure looking for an ambush spot. If they just hang their head off the perch where they normally sit and wait for me to put food into their mouth, it's not enough, or they would NEVER move. Sure we can grow them quick, get a few clutches from them in the first 10 years... but then what?
Having said that, I am always tempted to feed them more because it's a satisfying thing for ME to do... but in the longer term it is not good for the snake. The exception may be that we feed our hatchies a lot to get them out of the fragile stage as soon as possible, and I wouldn't have a clue if this has any long-term ill effects as the snake progresses through adult life.
An interesting read with regard to feeding, captive vs wild, is "Green Tree Pythons, Natural History and Captive Maintenance" by Justin Julander and Terry Phillip. I absolutely agree with the conclusions both authors reach with regard to feeding our snakes, and it applies not just to GTPs.
Jamie
