Feeding during shedding?

[Naliah]

I adopted a 6 month old male BP from the animal shelter about 3 weeks ago (someone dumped it at the door overnight). I decided to take him home, but he is my first snake. He was a bit underweight for a 3 foot ball python, so I've been feeding him 2 medium sized rats twice a week, which was what my vet recommended. He hasn't turned down a meal since I got him and will happily eat anywhere I feed him at anytime. He has recently started shedding, he turned a light blue/grey color and has eye caps (well, he only has one for some reason). I read that most BP do not eat when shedding, but I offered him food today anyways and he gobbled it down like normal.

My question is, should I even bother offering food when he is shedding? Is it harmful to the shedding process if they eat during it?

[LLLReptile]

Go ahead and offer him food, and he'll decide if he wants to eat or not. It's not an issue to feed them while they are going through a shed cycle, but not all snakes are willing to eat during that time period.

-Jen

[satomi325]

I adopted a 6 month old male BP from the animal shelter about 3 weeks ago (someone dumped it at the door overnight). I decided to take him home, but he is my first snake. He was a bit underweight for a 3 foot ball python, so I've been feeding him 2 medium sized rats twice a week, which was what my vet recommended. He hasn't turned down a meal since I got him and will happily eat anywhere I feed him at anytime. He has recently started shedding, he turned a light blue/grey color and has eye caps (well, he only has one for some reason). I read that most BP do not eat when shedding, but I offered him food today anyways and he gobbled it down like normal.

My question is, should I even bother offering food when he is shedding? Is it harmful to the shedding process if they eat during it?

2 med rats is too much for a 6 month old male. Even my adults don't eat that much. They eat one small a week. 1 medium would be the max.

How much does he weigh? Length means nothing in the snake world. We go by grams.
My babies under 500 grams eat ever 5 days. They're bumped to a 7-10 day schedule once they hit 500g.

Some people feed during sheds. Others don't. It's personal preference, but most snakes won't eat while in shed.
And there is a slight risk of feeding in shed if you're feeding too large of a prey. When they are in shed and have a large meal, the shed skin can constrict the snake
around the 'rat lump'. The shedding skin does not stretch that much and often contracts when dry.

[AdamL8]

I'm definitely wondering about the weight of this snake. If it is able to eat 2 medium rats weekly I can't imagine that it is actually 6 months old. I would definitely lower that to 1 a week either way. Offering food to a shedding snake is personal choice. If the snake is willing to take it then by all means, do it. Try to get a weight on the snake and post it if you can.

[FireStorm]

It depends on how the OP defines "medium sized rats." I have a feeling its probably not the same definition we are all thinking. I doubt a 6 month old BP is physically capable of eating 2 of what I consider to be medium rats. But, if the snake is really eating 2 rats (whatever size they are) a week willingly, and needs to gain weight, I doubt it is being over fed.

[Gorillafist]

He might mean nice but any who offer and if it takes it awesome. I feed all my snakes during sheds and have never had a problem, if you're feeding live just keep an extra eye on it!

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[JaGv]

I actually just feed my 500g female a 70g small rat while she was shedding and ate it with no issues. as some have already said it is ok to feed during shed but it depends on the snake whether or not they want to eat.

[Naliah]

Ah, yes, I think my definition of a medium sized rat must be different. Sorry, the pet shop defined them as medium sized, but they are not even close to the size of a full grown rat, so they're better defined as small. They're about 40-70g each. When he eats, I see a slight lump, but it isn't too big.

As for the weight, he's currently sitting at 312g... was 245g when I got him a few weeks ago... I was told I should aim for 350-400g. I was told by the vet that he was underweight for his age/length and I should offer him food twice a week until he bulks up, and then lower it to 1 rat every 7-10 weeks. I figured that if he wasn't hungry, he wouldn't take the food. But, the vet I saw isn't a snake specialist, so he could be wrong.

[kitedemon]

A snake of this size I'd feed 10% of the snakes weight per week. Around the 30g range. My rat supplier calls 160-200gm rats medium. Slippery terms, I like to use weight it at least is a constant.

Feed or not is up to yourself. There is a very small risk associated with feeding during a shed. The skin being shed is not as elastic as the regular skin. It can become stuck where a fresh food item in in the belly. As sheds dry they shrink compacting the area. Not common but it has can and does happen on occasion. The Barkers (VPI) caution against it as does many vets (Mader and as far as that goes my vet too) There is a member here on this forum whom has had to rescue a snake from a shed because of this as well. It is rare but not impossible. When you weigh the benefits you need to weigh the risks as well. this is to my knowledge the only rise but it can be lethal. To my mind the benefit is very small, the risk therefore unacceptable.