Hey guys, I hate to be "that" guy but I was just wondering if I could have some super quick advice regarding what direction to take feeding my Stimmie.
Essentially, I got my Stimmie at the beginning of the month (Sunday the 8th) and it so far has been a great experience. He has been very tolerant of handling and feeding looks like it will be fine. His first feed with me was on the 15th (Sunday week) and he was still a bit too nervous to strike so I had to leave it with him. This was only a single Velvet Mouse (so around 6-7g, too small I know. I offered a Hopper the night prior and despite seeming interested, he would not take it at all). The Friday (20th) of that week I noticed he had milky eye and of course recognised it as shed. He still took 2 velvet mice that Sunday (so around 13g) and successfully shed on the Monday.
Probably the quickest shed in the history of snakes, but still, he seems to be doing good. He has been very receptive to handling and has had no stuck pieces.
Anyway, I should stop spouting my story and actually get to the relevant bit.
I decided to weigh him yesterday and discovered that he must be a bit of a runt compared to what other Stimson's seem to be, at 57g. Considering posts seem to have them between 150-200g+, he definitely seems to need some work there. He is also around maybe between 30 and 40cm? I have not measured him yet.
His card from the breeder states he was born in Feb 2017 and he has mostly been eating 2x Fuzzie Mice. His latest shed before I acquired him was March and then he apparently ate 2x Hopper Mice.
Now, don't get me wrong - It's not like I want to be malicious and try to power-feed the poor thing. I just want to know whether I should continue 2x Velvet (so ~13g), 1x Hopper (~10g) or 2x Hopper (~20g) - Bearing in mind he is 57g himself. I also have doubts he would actually fit 2x Hoppers well, but I am not silly enough to assume that he outright "cannot".
There is also a little thought in the back of my mind that believes I may not have actually been given the correct feeding/info card for this Stimson. Especially considering I was told they only had hatchies when I went in (unless my terminology is poor and this age in a python can still be considered a hatchling?). It would certainly explain why he seems so small compared to what a yearling should be, and also why it simply appears he could not take 2x Hoppers despite the feeding card saying he did. Still, the dealers are really nice people and I didn't want to cause any dramas that way.
Thank you for any thoughts!
EDIT: I should also just add that I do understand that reptiles are not like mammals, and do not necessarily need to reach certain weight and size thresholds at certain ages. I know that their overall size will come down to how much they are eating - I just want to make sure I don't stunt his growth
Essentially, I got my Stimmie at the beginning of the month (Sunday the 8th) and it so far has been a great experience. He has been very tolerant of handling and feeding looks like it will be fine. His first feed with me was on the 15th (Sunday week) and he was still a bit too nervous to strike so I had to leave it with him. This was only a single Velvet Mouse (so around 6-7g, too small I know. I offered a Hopper the night prior and despite seeming interested, he would not take it at all). The Friday (20th) of that week I noticed he had milky eye and of course recognised it as shed. He still took 2 velvet mice that Sunday (so around 13g) and successfully shed on the Monday.
Probably the quickest shed in the history of snakes, but still, he seems to be doing good. He has been very receptive to handling and has had no stuck pieces.
Anyway, I should stop spouting my story and actually get to the relevant bit.
I decided to weigh him yesterday and discovered that he must be a bit of a runt compared to what other Stimson's seem to be, at 57g. Considering posts seem to have them between 150-200g+, he definitely seems to need some work there. He is also around maybe between 30 and 40cm? I have not measured him yet.
His card from the breeder states he was born in Feb 2017 and he has mostly been eating 2x Fuzzie Mice. His latest shed before I acquired him was March and then he apparently ate 2x Hopper Mice.
Now, don't get me wrong - It's not like I want to be malicious and try to power-feed the poor thing. I just want to know whether I should continue 2x Velvet (so ~13g), 1x Hopper (~10g) or 2x Hopper (~20g) - Bearing in mind he is 57g himself. I also have doubts he would actually fit 2x Hoppers well, but I am not silly enough to assume that he outright "cannot".
There is also a little thought in the back of my mind that believes I may not have actually been given the correct feeding/info card for this Stimson. Especially considering I was told they only had hatchies when I went in (unless my terminology is poor and this age in a python can still be considered a hatchling?). It would certainly explain why he seems so small compared to what a yearling should be, and also why it simply appears he could not take 2x Hoppers despite the feeding card saying he did. Still, the dealers are really nice people and I didn't want to cause any dramas that way.
Thank you for any thoughts!
EDIT: I should also just add that I do understand that reptiles are not like mammals, and do not necessarily need to reach certain weight and size thresholds at certain ages. I know that their overall size will come down to how much they are eating - I just want to make sure I don't stunt his growth
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