Skaarfing ?

[zulu]

re Skaarfing ?

LMAO at this thread,dont think Bitey would know Shane Scarf from a bar of soap,never heard of the term in relation to shane,you put scarfs in trees to fell them in the direction you want them to go. More Beer! Popcorn! Peanuts! Pizzas!

 

[MrBredli]

OUCH! I think he would beg to differ!

Yeah you're probably right. I'm sure he gives them the best of care in every other aspect of their husbandry. I don't mean to attack him, and i don't have anything against him personally, but the topic is skarffing after all. Besides, i'm sure he has a thick skin, he'd have to seeing as he is a power feeder.

 

[hazzard]

That's what i'm saying Hazz. Because there hasn't been any actual studies, all we have to go on are different single reports coming in from all over the place. It doesn't make it conclusive, but it has to count for something. There's enough reports out there to make you guys do the study you're currently doing, and that should also be enough to make most people say, "hang on this, might not be the best thing for me to be doing to my snakes."

And if the results say that it does no obvious harm to skaarf hatchlings then what will people say?

The problem is people will do what they want regardless of what science says. It's like taking drugs when the police say not to!

 

[MrBredli]

Well it would shut me up for starters.

But i don't think the results will suggest that. Will you be slicing and dicing all the hatchies at the end of the study, and at what time will the study be complete? I'd like to see it follow through into adulthood to see the affect on clutch sizes and long term effects on adults after breeding, but beggars can't be choosers.

 

[hazzard]

Well it would shut me up for starters.

But i don't think the results will suggest that. Will you be slicing and dicing all the hatchies at the end of the study, and at what time will the study be complete? I'd like to see it follow through into adulthood to see the affect on clutch sizes and long term effects on adults after breeding, but beggars can't be choosers.

That's exactly what the study will do! We won't be cutting them but using bloodwork, CT scans and ultrasound same as in humans! 3 years at this stage but may go longer!

 

[bitey]

LMAO at this thread,dont think Bitey would know Shane Scarf from a bar of soap,never heard of the term in relation to shane,you put scarfs in trees to fell them in the direction you want them to go. More Beer! Popcorn! Peanuts! Pizzas!

No , I knew nothing of or about Shane Scarf
I came across "skaarfing" in a search and posted the question.
With 100+ replys only very few people have actually answed my original question :cry:

 

[MrBredli]

I don't know, it would have to be a pretty spectacular report to shut me up. Maybe if it has lots of pretty pictures and a nice cover though...

 

[Serpentes_15]

Now i finally know what my mates are talking about when we have a drink. "skaarf up" = "smash cans" = "get hammered".

 

[hugsta]

Of course you could have, and then people would have bowed before you and they would say geez that hugsta is amazing, how on earth did he breed his snakes at 18 months. He must be a genius like Shane Scarff.

The point i'm trying to make (although not very clearly it would seem) is that if i had've pumped the 3 snakes for the 6 months prior to cooling, i could have ended up with 3 clutches of eggs valued at $5-7k. I won't do it because the snakes' long term health comes first with me. It doesn't with people like Shane.

Geez MrBredli, no need to get personal. Nowhere have I stated that I am as good as Shane Scarf, but obviously you think he is a fool to feed as he does. He is well regarded as a breeder and when you are as good as he is, then maybe you should pass comment on him and his feeding. Me, I am not in it to impress anyone. I breed my animals because I enjoy them and love seeing little heads come out of eggs each year. The looks on kids faces when they recieve their first reptile, being able to offer the best advice I can and learning from many of the more experienced breeders out there, I don't care if people think I am genius or not, it is irrelevant to what I do.

Now, back to the topic.......

Actually, I have never bred any pythons at 18 months, most have been 2 1/2 and some 3 1/2 as I didn't think they were up to size. So, to me, it is not about the money either. It is about having you snakes in healthy condition. As Hazzard and I have said, there is no scientific evidence that says it is good or bad. You can't go on the fact that a few people may have had a few snakes die. There are too many underlying possibilities that could have caused death. Have any of these people had there snakes autopsied by a reptile vet and carried out any necisary test to determine cause of death. I think not. Most, IF they admit to loosing an animal, will blame on one thing or another. But the true cause of death needs to be determined by a vet, not someone that thinks they are. There was a person on here that blamed overfeeding and being fat caused the death of a bredli. I showed that picture to a vet and there was nothing obvious in the photo that would have caused it to die. The simple fact was someone who didn't know what they were looking for was given advice from someone else eho didn't know what they were looking for and therefore the snake died from being too fat. When it didn't. Some of the probelms you have mentioned can also be caused by other means, not just overfeeding, so does that mean overfeeding is bad because syptoms are similar, no. But they may add to the cause, but until true research is done, I will, along with many other people, keep feeding my snakes a good meal each week.

 

[serenaphoenix]

theres probably a stack of people on here that fit that profile Daz :lol:

It amazes me when I see a post about some poor python that is 9-12 months old and still being fed a pinky mouse per meal once a fortnight No wonder they end up eating the Breeders Choice.

Or biting the owner... maybe that's why mine love me and i've not yet been bitten.... i FEED my snakes..

 

[hugsta]

You are probably right serenaphoenix, I believe a well fed animal is much more calmer than one that thinks it next feed is its last, they probably get highly defensive thinking there is a shortage of food.

 

[zulu]

re Skaarfing ?

No , I knew nothing of or about Shane Scarf
I came across "skaarfing" in a search and posted the question.
With 100+ replys only very few people have actually answed my original question :cry:

I ve just googled for the silly word biey and the two replys i got were both off of this thread on google,which landed me back here in whacko land,like sticken your head up ya own ass to look for crap! :lol:

 

[serenaphoenix]

here's a pic of my stimms, hatched mid Jan. Do what you feel is best. I personally like to get all my reptile up to size asap.

See... I don't really know and i'm willing to admit it - (anyone see my last thread? maybe that's why this started) But... that looks like a fat snake to me - the head is so tiny and there's a huge bulge at its cloacal opening where its tail suddenly becomes tiny... Its head and tail are completely disproportionate to its enormous beer gut... It's a confusing situation. A very kind person on APS recently PM'd me the below image in reply to my obese snake? thread...

Although this is an extreme case - it sort of looks like that's where the snake from the above image is going...

http://www.petsnakes.co.uk/Under_The_Spotlight/Overfeeding/Obese_Corn_Snake_Thumb.jpg

 

[bitey]

lol yeah, pm may be the only way to get answers

 

[hugsta]

I don't know whether that is a fat snake or whether that is a medical condition, it looks like there is a blockage at the cloaca rather than the snake just being a porker.....

 

[serenaphoenix]

Just in case anyone wants to know - that snake was fed every three days since it was a hatchling.. "The excess fat causes various problems for the liver, kidneys, heart, lung, etc. Eventually resulting in the premature death of the snake." quoted from above site...

 

[hugsta]

Most of these problems would have occured once the snake finished its initial growth period of 2years, give or take. Snakes will grow quite rapidly in their first year or two of development, once at adult size, their feeding should be reduced to maintain a healthy body weight, continuing to feed will develop a fat unhealthy animal .

 

[zulu]

Skaarfing?

lol yeah, pm may be the only way to get answers

Earth to Bitey come in little Buddy,dont be afraid!! more beer!!

 

[bitey]

Afraid lol again WHAT MEATHODS DO PEOPLE USE WHILE SKAARFING EG FEED SIZE, TIME BETWEEN FEEDS ECT ECT
maybee read first post.
Yes I'd like another beer !

 

[MrBredli]

Geez MrBredli, no need to get personal. Nowhere have I stated that I am as good as Shane Scarf, but obviously you think he is a fool to feed as he does. He is well regarded as a breeder and when you are as good as he is, then maybe you should pass comment on him and his feeding. Me, I am not in it to impress anyone. I breed my animals because I enjoy them and love seeing little heads come out of eggs each year. The looks on kids faces when they recieve their first reptile, being able to offer the best advice I can and learning from many of the more experienced breeders out there, I don't care if people think I am genius or not, it is irrelevant to what I do.

Sorry Daz, i didn't mean it like that. I never said you were any of the things you mention above, i was simply referring to people making statements about Shane being such a good breeder because he breeds them at 18 months. That is not what makes him a good breeder at all, in fact i think it takes away from how good a breeder he actually is - and he is a good breeder i don't claim otherwise.

I don't think he is a fool for breeding them at 18 months, just a tad greedy. But hey, that is just my opinion and i don't expect people to pass judgement on him based on my opinions.

I'm with you, in that i breed for the excitement i get from it, and knowing that i have mastered the husbandry requirements for that particular species once i see the little head poking through. I also enjoy helping people out as much as i can, and that's why you'll see me posting night after night in countless 'Herp Help' threads.

I certainly don't care what people think about me, i have a life outside of herps which is much more important to me. But this is an internet forum after all, a place for all to come and offer their opinion and to have a chat. I have an opinion on force feeding and i will let it be known, just as all the people who feel it is ok will do, and have done. So for that i make no apologies.