| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Red123 |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 13:43:01
http://www.petsnakecare.net/how-much-to-feed-a-snake.php
Do you think this accuarte? Are most of us over feeding our snakes? |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mort13 |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 09:37:03
I myself just keep on eye on my snakes and weigh them regulary,as long as they are putting on weight gradually and behaving as usual I'm happy.
Saying that,I just took a look at your last link and mine are feeding in accordance with that at the mo,all 3 of them which surprised me! |
| Red123 |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 08:40:44
There is so much conflicting advice out there its not surprising people sometimes get it wrong. Just found this and its posted by "eeji" so must be good! This matches what I am feeding my 8 month olds so maybe I am doing right and its totally different to the first one. I'm going to have to stop finding things to worry about I think and just sit back and enjoy.
http://iansvivarium.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=410 |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 22:15:21
just as (another!) example:
my adult male snow is about 750g, feeding 10% of his bodyweight would mean 75g or 2 regular-large mice every week. in reality he thrives on a 40g(approx) mouse fed every 2 weekly
(though he has fasted for 2 months now)
my adult female anery motley is a breeder and is about 575g, feeding 10% of her bodyweight would mean feeding 58g a week, whereas i feed her 2 regular-large mice equating to about 65g weekly
so feeding is really common sense and experience........unfortunately common sense is often a misnomer and experience isn't always good  |
| Strawb |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 20:19:34
Unfortunately bad advice from pet shops abounds.
I know corns are different from royals, but on the royal forum somebody (Blackecho I think?) posted a chart showing minimum/average/maximum weights according to age. It is also frequently posted that a royal should be fed between 10-15% of it's body weight.
The 2 combined have really helped me to work out Tia's feeding regime, as well as the feel of her and observing her.
I've applied the same principle to Mixi and he seems to be thriving on it. |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 20:02:19
true, it does seem very regimented.........but nobody's forced to follow it and it is only a guide  
not everyone has the experience or knowledge to just 'feed what their snakes need' though. just as an example, if somebody was sold a hatchie, was told to feed it pinkies, it HAS been reported (yes in REAL LIFE!)that some numpty owners are still feeding the poor snake a pinkie a week when it's years old 'cos that's what the pet shop told them' so to that particular owner they're feeding what the snake needs (in their eyes) |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 19:24:06
I just feed my snakes what I think they need. I keep an eye on body condition and weigh them regularly. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 19:21:10
I agree general guidelines are a good idea, something to aim for but that chart is far too specific for such a wide variation of needs. I monitor weights and general shape and condition of my snakes and would see if they were to start losing wieght or were gaining weight too quickly. I don't need a chart to tell me if my snakes are healthy and fed correctly, the person who wrote it has never met my snakes and as they are in my living room not theirs is better I decide what I feed them. |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 18:49:59
a lot of people need spoon-feeding every ounce of information - it's perfect for them lol
i think the most important way to judge how much or how frequently to feed is to monitor body condition then feed accordingly |
| SexyBear77 |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 18:37:17
Pah. I feed my snakes pretty much what I feel like, and frequently meals that are "too big" according to the guidelines. I'm experienced enough to know how far apart feeds should be spaced though and how big they should be. |
| Kehhlyr |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 18:23:26
I remember watching a so called 'care' video for cornsnakes once that recommended feeding the snakes until they stopped taking the food. That would mean the average snake would eat and eat until it could no longer get anything down it's throat.
To be honest, looking at that chart means absolutely nothing to me, I feed my snakes what they need by my own opinions and so long as they don't get overweight or skinny then all is good. |
| eeji |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 18:15:38
quote:
A ROUGH GUIDE TO HOW MUCH FOOD A PET SNAKE NEEDS.
thats a very broad statement, it all depends on the species. |
| Lucy1012 |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 16:44:16
I feed Luna, 1 fuzzy every 6 days I weighed todays one in at 3g and she is 21g ish so a little more than the chart says. I was feeding her every 7 days but am not seeing any weight gain at all, and in fact she had lost a few grams... |
| Red123 |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 14:05:35
Thats really made me stop and think. My two 8 month olds have 1 hopper and 1 small fuzzy every week a total of 11-12g according to that chart as they weigh around 60g each they should only be having around 4g a week! Think I will be cutting them back. Maybe if more people looked at this chart there wouldn't be quite so many overweight snakes about. I know that both of my 8 month olds would eat more than I already offer as they are still looking for more. I guess there is still that wild instinct in all snakes to eat what is available because in the wild they would not know when the next meal would come along. |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 13:56:27
that's a pretty useful chart and yes, i think a lot of people DO overfeed their snakes, however providing it's still a reasonable amount and not power feeding i don't have a problem with feeding juveniles a bit more than the chart recommends but for adults i think its estimations are maybe even a little too much? |
