weight gain/ rate

[instar]

hi, i weighed my carpet snake [adfult male] at the vet today and looked at his last owners records. he was 4.4kg last weigh and now 4.6 kg .only 200grams gain in 10 months. is that bad? hes on large rats, 2 per 2 weeks, is he getting enough or not please? should i give him bigger dinners. how much should a meal weigh and how often, e.g 500gram meal each week? or 1 kilo meaL each 2or 3 weeks? soz all q's. thanks.

 

[Greebo]

4.6kg is a good size. I would not be worried at all.He wont lose any condition as he is a male and you don't have to build them up for mating like females.Snakes continue to grow their entire lifespan but the do slow down after they reach adulthood.
If he looks healthy, it is probably a lot better than feeding him too much and making him fat.

 

[instar]

Thanks Greebo, its about 7 and a half foot long. is 4.6 kg ok for its size? will it lose weight now because its not eating anymore, dad changed the tempretre in the cabinet to only 4 hrs day heat like mr slateman and at night its between 26 and 20 degrees.

 

[instar]

has everyones snakes stopped eating too? um when should i try feeding again? august?

 

[Greebo]

August would be fine to turn the heat on. It's up to you, are you planning to breed from him this year?

 

[instar]

not unless i can get dad to fork for a girlfreind, but id love to for sure. will any same size girlfreind{ same kind] do after cooling or do they need special care before they get funky?

 

[jimmy_the_kid]

how old is he

 

[instar]

nearly 5 years old jimmy

 

[phantom]

my carpet is 4.2kg 7 ft 5 hyears old and eating 1huge rat a week up untill 3 weeks ago now wait for august for next feed

 

[jimmy_the_kid]

me with my first reptile

 

[instar]

hey thats cute jimmy. phantom, thanks for the info. now i wonder if weekly or 2 weekly or less frequent feeds are better? im thinking ,digestion time etc. anyone?

 

[africancichlidau]

Mate if your snake is over 7' and over 4Kg he will be growing much slower than a younger snake. At that size and weight I would say you are doing a good job and keep up the good work

 

[instar]

thanks africancic-something, thats nice to hear. vet said he was a healthy snake today too, few cat owners were a little anxious in the waiting room, but everyday cant be perfect. lol

 

[africancichlidau]

LOL, are they still cat owners ?

 

[instar]

yeah, i havent taught him to chew thru cat carriers yet lol. actually i coulda had him in a barrel of rats and he wouldnt have batted an eyelid[ even if he had one lol] hes off tucker. they didnt know that but.