Olive Python and food size.

[joeplant57]

Hi all, Nigini ( Olive Python ) is on day old chicks the question is when do we go bigger and we feed him every seven days is that ok??. Hopefully have pics this evening because we intend getting him out for the first time, that's when he decides to wake lol..thanks in advance for help offered. Cheers Joe Plant ( Olive Python owner by Proxy ).

 

[junglepython2]

Try and get him on rats or rabbits, it isn't easy to find chickens above day old size. And every 7 days is fine.

 

[ricky_91]

yeh try not to feed chickens they don't give them what they need rats and rabbits are so much better and you don't want a snake only eating chics it will take a lot of chicks to fill a adult olives stomach

 

[melissagalea2]

i would try and get it onto rats as well. even if u have to rub a day old chicken all over the rat to try and get the scent onto it. will be worth it in the long run. i use to feed my snakes chickens in the past, but there crap use to stink soooooo bad. my god. it was awful. use to go into the reptile room and nearly keel over from the smell. lol. would love to see some photos.

 

[Boidae]

I find that Olives are pigs that will eat anything you throw in front if them, I reckon you should have no trouble changing her meals around.
Oh, I just realised that you live in Queensland, that means rabbits are out. In that case I still reckon rats are they way to go for now, keep them below 250 grams (they will have less fat) and start her on chickens when she gets larger. Baby chicks are not very nutritious and apparently they cause diarrhoea. You could also consider Guinea pigs, but again make sure they are young + lean, oh and use short-haired varieties if possible, I have heard that the long hair from the long-haired GPs can cause blockages.

 

[joeplant57]

i would try and get it onto rats as well. even if u have to rub a day old chicken all over the rat to try and get the scent onto it. will be worth it in the long run. i use to feed my snakes chickens in the past, but there crap use to stink soooooo bad. my god. it was awful. use to go into the reptile room and nearly keel over from the smell. lol. would love to see some photos.

Thanks for all the info guys much appreciated. I have put one pic on the gallery more to follow. Thanks again Joe

I find that Olives are pigs that will eat anything you throw in front if them, I reckon you should have no trouble changing her meals around.
Oh, I just realised that you live in Queensland, that means rabbits are out. In that case I still reckon rats are they way to go for now, keep them below 250 grams (they will have less fat) and start her on chickens when she gets larger. Baby chicks are not very nutritious and apparently they cause diarrhoea. You could also consider Guinea pigs, but again make sure they are young + lean, oh and use short-haired varieties if possible, I have heard that the long hair from the long-haired GPs can cause blockages.

Just one more question on this subject guys, what size Rat are there different names for different sizes or what? Thanks again guys much appreciated. Joe

 

[StellaDoore]

Rat sizes generally go pinkie, velvet, fuzzy, small, medium, large, extra large/jumbo. A large might be somewhere around to 250-300g mark, while a jumbo would probably be 400-500g.

On a side note, is there a minimum amount you can safely feed an olive so she doesn't get several metres long in a few years? Like, is it possible to have a 3 or 4 year old olive at 2 metres, without starving her? Small food? Large meals but less often?

 

[joeplant57]

Rat sizes generally go pinkie, velvet, fuzzy, small, medium, large, extra large/jumbo. A large might be somewhere around to 250-300g mark, while a jumbo would probably be 400-500g.

On a side note, is there a minimum amount you can safely feed an olive so she doesn't get several metres long in a few years? Like, is it possible to have a 3 or 4 year old olive at 2 metres, without starving her? Small food? Large meals but less often?

Hi StellaDoore interesting question and hopefull someone will give us the answer. Thanks a bunch for the info much appreciated. Joe

 

[leamos]

On a side note, is there a minimum amount you can safely feed an olive so she doesn't get several metres long in a few years? Like, is it possible to have a 3 or 4 year old olive at 2 metres, without starving her? Small food? Large meals but less often?

Might be a bit off topic but if you didn't want a big snake why did you get an olive?

 

[StellaDoore]

I don't have an olive, I've just been curious about that question. I absolutely adore big olive pythons (favourite snake, by far), but I have friends with 18 month old olives at 3 metres, and I want to avoid growth rates that immense. Obviously that's power-feeding, but what about the other end of the scale and being conservative? How would that effect snake size?
I want a big snake, I just don't want it to get that big that quickly.

 

[joeplant57]

Might be a bit off topic but if you didn't want a big snake why did you get an olive?

[FONT=Tahoma, Calibri, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif]Hi Stella I never said I did not want a big snake, it was an interesting question that's all. To be honest I can't wait till he as got some size to him..regards Joe[/FONT]

 

[StellaDoore]

I thought Leamos was asking me that...

 

[longqi]

You can keep them lean and mean
But that means they will be hungry
Hungry and snake are two words that dont go well with fingers

 

[StellaDoore]

Ha ha, that's true. A lean and mean olive is something I definitely don't want to frequent, regardless of how little she's stayed!

 

[joeplant57]

Ha ha, that's true. A lean and mean olive is something I definitely don't want to frequent, regardless of how little she's stayed!

I thought Olives where the Gentle Giants of the Snake world, Are they not ??

 

[longqi]

I actually definitely believe retics and burmese to be the truly gentle ones

But any large hungry snake is very different to a fat lazy one

 

[ricky_91]

my friends have 9 of them and they are all the most beautiful snakes ever never strikes never nothing except 1 she is evil if you walked into her cage she would nail you

 

[joeplant57]

I guess there is always one, just hope we have not got the other lol.. Cheers guys. Joe

 

[StellaDoore]

I thought Olives where the Gentle Giants of the Snake world, Are they not ??

Oh, they have gorgeous temperaments! But a hungry olive is an intimidating thing. Large snake + really hungry + lots of teeth means an exceptional bite.

 

[joeplant57]

Oh, they have gorgeous temperaments! But a hungry olive is an intimidating thing. Large snake + really hungry + lots of teeth means an exceptional bite.

I knew I should have got my Daughter a Pussy Cat lol..