| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| n/a |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 08:55:08
My boy hatched 5 years ago and I got him just after Xmas. He takes 2 mice every 7/10 days and comes out looking a couple of days later. Is he feeding too much? I read somewhere that unscrupulous breeders underfeed and sell small older snakes as hatchlings. Will overfeeding do him any harm or shorten his life? |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 04/10/2010 : 11:01:23
tbh 780g is still a good, healthy weight for an adult corn but a continuous increase of 5g a week could potentially lead to problems.
if he stops eating over winter then it shouldn't hurt him to put on a little bit while he's still eating  |
| Kellog |
Posted - 03/10/2010 : 03:34:36
quote:
Originally posted by gingerpony
........a medium mouse weekly or a large mouse every 10-14days should be adequate BUT DO monitor your snake's weight for any loss or gain and adjust your feeding regime accordingly........
You have got me thinking now GP, wondering whether Kellog is eating too much being on 1 jumbo mouse every fortnight. He is still putting on weight, so in that sense he isnt maintaining he is increasing....but he definitely doesnt feel or look fat.
He is about 5'6" and weighs 780g....he is putting on approx 10g each time he is weighed. Unfortunately my OH just stocked up on jumbo mice yesterday, so am wondering whether I should move him to every 3 weeks?
xxx
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| gingerpony |
Posted - 02/10/2010 : 10:07:45
the 1.5xgirth is a guide to maximum food size for a corn and isn't applicable to all snake species
a medium mouse weekly or a large mouse every 10-14days should be adequate BUT DO monitor your snake's weight for any loss or gain and adjust your feeding regime accordingly
obesity in snakes IS a health risk and can shorten their life-span. i had a post mortem done on one of my corns that died last year, she was always around a healthy 500-550g but i was amazed at the amount of fat stored round her internal organs. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 01/10/2010 : 03:45:49
My 5yr old gets 1 x-large jumbo every fortnight and is handled regularly (as in every day except for the 48hrs after feeding). He feels nice, firm and muscular. Do you know how much your snake weighs....just out of interest?
If you are concerned about him being overweight there is a very good thread asking the question Is my snake a fatty?
What you have to remember is that snakes are opportunistic feeders...in the wild they will never know when or where they are getting their next meal and they are the same in captivity, so given the chance they will overfeed and it is up to us to make sure this doesnt happen, no matter how hungry they may look!
xxx
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| eeji |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 20:03:01
all my adults get 1 medium every 7 days, missing a feed every so often. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 14:54:19
I think 1.5 is fine for young, but once they are old they only need a maintenance diet I think as they aren't going to be doing much more growing. I also guess it depends how chunky your snake is to start with. If no-body knows what a fat snake looks like they might just go by this rule and either feed too bigger food and repeat this while the snake is just getting fatter and fatter.
You could probably go by the 1.5 rule and change how often you feed but when a jumbo mouse is no longer 1.5 the girth and you feed rats, there is a lack of information for often to feed corns with rats. Feeding a corn just rats every 4 weeks makes for a porky snake. |
| herriotfan |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 13:32:48
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
I don't think the 1.5 rule for adult snakes I don't think really works, in my opinion. I think that's how most snakes actually get fat when the owners try and stick to that rule. I know I certainly made that mistake.
Ah, didn't know that. I've always believed that was the general rule for all snakes was 1.5 times the girth. I thought the frequency of feeding governed how fat the snake got?
Isn't it interesting that we all pick up different things as we learn along the way!  |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 13:11:06
I don't think the 1.5 rule for adult snakes I don't think really works, in my opinion. I think that's how most snakes actually get fat when the owners try and stick to that rule. I know I certainly made that mistake. |
| herriotfan |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 12:35:35
Normally an adult would be fed on a mouse that's 1.5 times the widest part of it's girth every 10 - 14 days.
You can do more harm than good by overfeeding. Snakes that are overweight run the same health risks as humans.
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| hiper2009 |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 11:36:29
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
Yes it does. I would either either 1 large mouse every 7-10 days or one Jumbo/Xlarge every 10-14 days, depending how big snakey is really or when is best for you.
Just because they are out doesn't mean you should feed them :p I have an obese snake and he is out all the time expect for 2 days every month in which I feed him, you just have to ignore those cute beady little eyes looking for food :)
^^ Agree with you  |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 11:01:18
Yes it does. I would either either 1 large mouse every 7-10 days or one Jumbo/Xlarge every 10-14 days, depending how big snakey is really or when is best for you.
Just because they are out doesn't mean you should feed them :p I have an obese snake and he is out all the time expect for 2 days every month in which I feed him, you just have to ignore those cute beady little eyes looking for food :) |
| hiper2009 |
Posted - 30/09/2010 : 10:44:28
If he is 5years old i would just feed him the one jumbo mouse every 10days. As you don't want him getting fat could lead to health issues.. |
