RCReptiles.com

[Snake_Girl_Wannabe]

Hi Again People.......

My newest addiTion to my brand new addiCtion, has quite the appetite. My question is .... how do you know when they've eaten enough? When is too much?

I picked up this green eyed girl on 8/8/08 fed her 1 med rat and 1 larger hopper rat. on 8/12/08 I offered her 2 more small to medium rats and she ate those. Then last night 8/16/08 she had 2 more small to medium rats Right now it looks like she could eat again.

I really don't want to overfeed her.


TIA
Beth

[Monty is my Python]

The answer I came up with may seem obvious, If you think she is eating too much than stop offering food to her so often.

[Snake_Girl_Wannabe]

[SheilaR]

[/quote]

Well...... I kind of thought the same thing...... but then again I also thought that maybe the snake should know how much they should eat?

Again......... this is all new to me and am just looking to do what's right for the snakes

Beth[/quote]

well from what ive seen in numerous occasions they will eat at least every 2-3 days if they get the food as in the wild if its available for consumption they will eat it but thats not the case most of the time hence they can go long periods without eating and not loose body mass, but how old is the snake btw you never said this or i must have skipped over it i feed mine every 7 days and she is going on a year next month

[a_green]

Unless you're feeding prey that is too small for them, I really don't think you should feed more than once a week, if not 2 weeks for a full-grown. The fact is snakes don't know a whole lot, and they certainly aren't smarter than people. People overeat themselves into early graves all the time, and a snake can do the same. They can become overweight and get fatty liver disease. You do not want to do this to your snake!

[Snake_Girl_Wannabe]

[Snake_Girl_Wannabe]

[magana559]

maybe Feeding A Bit Too Much, I Would Only Feed A Large Rat Once A Week.


Too Much Food Can Cause A Fatty Liver And Shorten The Life Of Your Snake.

[deborahbroadus]

Post pics please of the snake in question and the prey size. Some people like to work in the dark. I am not one of them.

However, in general, the smaller the snake is, the more often he will usually eat. Whether or not you are "over-feeding," I have no clue without pics.

[NickMyers03]

Yes please post pictures of the prey size next to a dollar bill.

i feed once a week. when i have hatchlings i tend to feed a little more to them but not adults.

[Snake_Girl_Wannabe]

pics....

after a feeding......



a meal for her....... I figure the bigger rat is probably equivalent to 2 adult mice

[Dread1318]

From what I have read here and elsewhere on the net, feeding a ball that size a small rat once a week will be enough. When balls get to be full grown, once every two weeks should be fine.

[Buck_99]

I am neither a veterinarian nor a scientist, although my avatar does wear a smock. So take the following with a grain of salt and research for yourself.

That being said, my understanding is that they are opportunistic feeders in the wild, and it's kind of a feast or famine kind of thing. They will eat anything and everything in sight whenever they have the chance because they may not get another opportunity for quite some time. Since they go through both feast and famine periods in the wild, they don't get fat.

In captivity, if you feed them every few days, it's like a feast all the time, and they will get fat. Some will go off feed, but not all. An overweight python is at risk for fatty liver disease. Or so I've been told.

So yeah, if you feed it, it will eat (some more than others), but that doesn't mean that's what's best for the snake's health.