???food and suppliments???

[ReptilianGuy]

i'm posting this thread after reading the mutton bird oil 'debate' thread...
a point was raised to make a posting about food types and suppliments for aussie snakes and reptiles...
i think this would be an interesting thread that could shed light on certain things for new and experienced herps.

i myself like to vary my pythons diet around every now and then goin from rats and rabbits to birds, other than chicken. and i do water down some suppliments and inject the rats from time to time, but very rarely
but not all snakes like change and i have some that just refuse anything other than rats or mice. i'm just glad my jungle is finally on rats so i'm not worried bout varience for him.
and for dragons and bluey's i sometimes use suppliments like reptivite/cal. i mix this with australian native fish food (barrabites), fruit and veg and a portion of jellymeat and they just love it... this mix seemed to work wonders on my blueys health...

but like i said it would be interesting to see what other herps feed thier reptiles.

also where can i get a reay supply of quail in melb???

 

[ReptilianGuy]

i am also qurious about the use of guinea pigs as food???
are there others out there that feed them to snakes?
or is it not a good idea?

 

[gozz]

guinea pigs are a bit to fat, lean rats with a quail or chick now and then is all you need ,or throw a few mice its way now and then

 

[TRIMACO]

I was told that a Guinea pigs skull is too thick and hard they take too long to digest and being that the snake often eats an animal head first it can cause a blockage. If you break the skull first it might be better. That is just what I have heard, correct me if I am wrong.

 

[ReptilianGuy]

ah cool cheers gozz., just looking for things that are simple and inexpensive to breed for my pythons. not after fatty animals so buying the odd small rabit should be fine for now

 

[gozz]

size of food plays a part also ,do you think a wild python would let say a 25 g rat pass because its too small. So mix it up give it a big meal a few times then a small meal cheers

 

[ReptilianGuy]

I was told that a Guinea pigs skull is too thick and hard they take too long to digest and being that the snake often eats an animal head first it can cause a blockage. If you break the skull first it might be better. That is just what I have heard, correct me if I am wrong.

yeah i've been told to that you need to cut off the claws and shave them....
i think of bandicoots however.. and there is similarity in claws, fur ect. but so far they seem to much hassle and pose some risk to the snake

 

[gozz]

yeah i've been told to that you need to cut off the claws and shave them....
i think of bandicoots however.. and there is similarity in claws, fur ect. but so far they seem to much hassle and pose some risk to the snake

wouldnt take advice from that person lol ,its like you have to cut the claws of a chicken :lol:

 

[ReptilianGuy]

size of food plays a part also ,do you think a wild python would let say a 25 g rat pass because its too small. So mix it up give it a big meal a few times then a small meal cheers

yeah the oldest python i have is around 2 yrs. the others are yearlings in feb, but they get large rats at a size that they can handle without rejecting it halfway through and the occasional mouse... lol yeah, cut the claws off anything with talons lol, if they do it in the wild they can handle it. thats what i base most of my feeding on

 

[TRIMACO]

I breed my own mice and rats so I know they are clean and health and the odd chicken every now and then goes down well. Most my guys are happy to eat defrosted food so it can't do to much damage with the claws etc.

 

[gozz]

when people say they feed pinkies weaner etc it should only go buy weights say 20 , 50 , 100 grams as when you go to clycle that animal you can work out how much to feed it, to bring that animal up to size the next year cheers

 

[Wild_Storm]

Since you don't receive pm's, I will go 'off topic' and ask Trimaco what you feed your rats for their food... and if you give them any suppliments??
Thanks!!

 

[ReptilianGuy]

yeah. i breed my own rats and freeze them at a certain size. i just tried a 200g my first rabbit on my largest coastal and farrk he was huge. he wont need a feed for a couple weeks... but what gets me is how many people religeously feed pinkies and 1 day chicks to 8 yr old snakes. in my pics you can see the difference in food size and items. there is a pic of my bredli and my girlfriends. they're only a month apart in age but hers was fed on pinky rats and mice, the occasional fuzzy. mine had weaners from the day she could swallow 1, and cos 1 of my coastals and my jungle are picky she would get the mice. she was always the last fed cos she got the reject food