When to feed a snake?

[Hamalicious]

Feed them every three days at that age

Um what?! Newbies ignore this advice if you want your snake to live. If not then give it to someone who does

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I don't think my snakes have a calendar so they don't know if its Monday or Thursday and as there deaf even when I tell them it's Wednesday they don't quite get it, feed young snakes every three days until adult size, young is under three years.

You feed your snakes every 3 days for their first 3 years of life? Why are you so determined to feed them? Even if they can eat that much, it doesn't mean they should. Every animal needs down time between feeds and snakes in particular are designed by nature to go long periods without food. It's completely unnatural what you are doing to your animals. People might disagree with me and that's fine but frankly I think what you're doing is cruel and completely unnecessary.

 

[Snowman]

Have to wonder if their organs are designed and capable of having a constant flow of food, ie every 3 days for an indefinite period of time.

 

[Cold-B-Hearts]

His snake is a Darwin for the people that don't know.
Food = growth
more food = more growth
less food = less growth.

I feed my hatchys more because in the wild they need to eat as much as they can to put on size ASAP. Otherwiise they will be easy targets for predators.

 

[Hamalicious]

You should probably keep those predators out of your snake enclosures.

 

[Snowman]

His snake is a Darwin for the people that don't know.
Food = growth
more food = more growth
less food = less growth.

I feed my hatchys more because in the wild they need to eat as much as they can to put on size ASAP. Otherwiise they will be easy targets for predators.

Food = growth
more food = problems later on
less food = longer life

In the wild they don't eat through winter and are unable to catch a second meal if they hide waiting to digest their last meal. I know all my hatchies go and hide after a feed.
Over feeding can never be a good thing IMO.

 

[CaptainRatbag]

Interesting!

The amount of food a snake gets is a product of HOW MUCH times HOW OFTEN.
The question of how much seems to have been overlooked.

Using food items in the range of 10% to 20% of the snake’s body weight is considered quite adequate by most experienced keepers. Those who feed to refusal will be averaging around 30% per feed.

Using food items of 20% size, weekly feeds for the first year or so stretching out to fortnightly feeds thereafter is considered more than adequate. So more frequent feeding of smaller food items could well be equivalent.


Blue

All good advice as usual Blue.... just one point tho, in the first bit where you said no one has mentioned how much to feed.... in my post just above yours.... I stated a general recommendation of how much

You are very right tho Blue.... when it comes to pythons (from my experience) feeding them on the lesser side of things is better than pumping rats down them til they pop.

I guess us humans that tend to overeat, become overweight and have 'medical issues' as a result...... and do the same to our cats and dogs and so on, must feel the need to do it to our reptiles as well? :lol:

 

[damian83]

once every week is what most people seem to use.

I try feeding 5-8 days he went 4-5 weeks without when I got him.

You can useually tell when to feed them when they try to eat your fingers

 

[BIGBANG]

my bredli are like yours ratbag, ya can tell when they are hungry by their posture, i fed my 1month old tonight a 60gm rat she was last fed last wednesday, the last couple nights she has been sitting like yours in the hungry pic, the male was fed last sunday or monday and havent seen him so he mustnt be hungry

 

[Bluetongue1]

Captain Ratbag, My apologies. I was commenting on the overwhelming majority of posts to date. You alone did state the quantity.

I still think a lot of people seem to miss the point I was trying to make. Pushing the growth of a young snake in their first 2 to 3 years will end up with a normal looking snake of appropriate body condition and able to breed a year or two earlier than the equivalent snakes on a more conservative diet. It will also result in a reduction of the productive breeding years and a considerable reduction in life expectancy.

Snakes will appear hungry and eat more often in captivity due to this “eat when you can” instinct that is inbuilt as a result of the infrequency of encountering potential food. Repeatedly feeding them simply because they appear hungry and are prepared to eat is NOT mimicking nature. It is exploiting a natural response in an unnatural environment. Unfortunately, there is almost no data been collected on growth rates of snakes in nature. However, there are lots of examples of snakes that have escaped and later on been found. The universal denominator with these recaptured snakes is that they are healthy but have barely grown any, if at all. We are talking about periods of 6 to 12 months. If this is any indicator of natural growth, then perhaps some of us need to rethink the way in which we feed our animals, as it is far from natural.

Personally, I would simply be inclined to enjoy watching the development of a given reptile over whatever time span was appropriate. I realise that does not sit well with those who are solely interested in breeding for the money. Therein lies the difference.

Blue

 

[CaptainRatbag]

I know Blue, I was pulling your chain :lol:

Your point, as always was spot on.... people dont realise how little a snake needs to eat.... need being the word. In the wild (here we go again:lol a snake might only eat 3 or 4 times a year.... they just slow thier metabolism down and wait. A snake eating regularly,, say 2 feeds a month for example, is totally unnatural.... same as 3 square meals a day for a human.... from what I have learned, humans are designed for 'famine and feast' situation..... when someone kills a mammoth, everyone eats like hogs...... might not catch another mamoth til next month and so on. But we tend to think if we need 3 square meals a day..... so does our dog and cat (and children) so we pump food into them until they are suitably obese.... then we take them to the vet (not the children.... ok, well, some) and whine about having to put them on an expensive diet.

Really, if you look at a pet snake and it oozes health, active...... bright eyed and bushy tail (so to speak) then it is eating enough. If it has dull eyes and skin (not due to pre shed) hardly moves and you can see/feel ribs.... it is not getting enough to eat. If it looks like a cricket stump with a big body and pin head, it is eating too much. Feeding a snake every week cant be good for it, it would never happen in nature (regularly) If you care about your snakes well being, refrain from overfeeding your snake, even if it makes you feel good

OP, I would wait another week.....

This is all just my own opinion.

 

[Kraft]

I have a hypo bredli python roughly 4.5ft-5ft I have been feeding him 2 weaner rats every week. I was told to feed him 20 per cent of his body weight but I don't have scales to measure him nor do I think he would stay still long enough to get an accurate reading. Am I feeding him to often I'm thinking maybe just one large rat every 2 weeks! All comments positive an negitive will be welcomed an respected.thanks in advance

 

[CaptainRatbag]

I have a hypo bredli python roughly 4.5ft-5ft I have been feeding him 2 weaner rats every week. I was told to feed him 20 per cent of his body weight but I don't have scales to measure him nor do I think he would stay still long enough to get an accurate reading. Am I feeding him to often I'm thinking maybe just one large rat every 2 weeks! All comments positive an negitive will be welcomed an respected.thanks in advance

I got a set of kitchen scales from woolies for $19, very handy I put my snakes in a special tub that is wide, long and fairly low. I know the tub weighs 519g so I put the snake in, weigh it and deduct 519g. From what you said, he should be between 600-700g ish.

See if you can find some cheap scales and check..... I think (just my own opinion) go up a size of rat and give him 2 every couple of weeks depending on his actual weight. As long as he looks happy and healthy.... sounds like you are doing fine



Best to start your own thread next time.... this is called 'hi-jacking' :lol:

 

[RyanR]

You guys feed your pythons a lot of food for something that doesn't need it haha. My hatchlings get fed once a week-ish, yearlings once every 1-2 week and adults every 4-5 weeks depending on the season (of course none of them are fed like clockwork). My adult males don't get fed for any of the cooler months because they have better things on their mind.

I Agree fully! i've been doing this for a couple years, and all my snakes seem to be muscular lean alert and take to breeding with little issue.