Frequency of Feeds

[HerpetualObscurity]

So, I have done quite a bit of research on feeding size/frequency and of course found a lot of conflicting results. The most frequent result I am finding is "Well, it really depends on the snake". Okay, that's wonderful, but I have to get used to my snake to do that. Since I have only had him for a month, I have fed him five times, the breeder fed him twice the week I bought him (the day before I bought him and the while I was there to show me he was eating). Since then, I followed the breeder's advice and fed once weekly. My BP is 146g and is on rat pups though the breeder gave him a fuzzie and I cringed a little. I am not an expert but I think smaller and frequent is best... but like I said I am NOT an expert.

Based on his size and age, what would be the best feeding schedule and size of feeder? He eats live feeders supervised.

Since I have bought him, he has grown a great deal in both girth and length, so I am certainly not underfeeding him. Also, I am not interested in power-feeding.


Thanks everyone!

[The Serpent Merchant]

BP's need time to digest, they have slow metabolisms and take a few days to fully digest the rodent.

I start my BP's off on a 4 day feeding schedule until they get up to 500-600 grams then move them to an 8 day feeding schedule. Many people use the 7 day schedule and have success with it. To be honest as long as you aren't feeding too often you shouldn't have any issues.

At 146 grams rat pups are probably the right size for now. There are 2 ways to determine the proper size rodent.

1. By relative size. You want a rodent that is as wide or slightly wider than the widest part of the snake.

2. by the 15% guideline. Take the weight of the snake and multiply it by 0.15 (so a 100 gram snake should eat a 15 gram rodent. 100 grams x 0.15 = 15 grams) The 15% rule works pretty well for young BP's but around 500-600 grams it starts to work less.

[piedplus]

IMHO, I think the best way to check on how your feeding's going is to check the frequency and amount of defecation. If they're regular and the matter is mixed (a little white, a little dark), I think that's good. If there's no dark matter, just some white, that could be a sign of underfeeding. If there's a lot of dark, that could be a sign of overfeeding. Just the way I gauge things. I'm with you about smaller meals more often. Seems better to me.

[HerpetualObscurity]

IMHO, I think the best way to check on how your feeding's going is to check the frequency and amount of defecation. If they're regular and the matter is mixed (a little white, a little dark), I think that's good. If there's no dark matter, just some white, that could be a sign of underfeeding. If there's a lot of dark, that could be a sign of overfeeding. Just the way I gauge things. I'm with you about smaller meals more often. Seems better to me.

I have been checking his feces and it has been about a 50/50 light dark. So, I think everything is good, also considering he had a full shed with no pieces left behind, I think he is doing well. I just want to make sure I stay on track as he grows

[anatess]

There is a Snakebytes episode on an experiment that Brian did on his cornsnakes. If I remember correctly, this is the experiment controls:

1.) Snake is fed small prey more often.
2.) Snake is fed small prey more often with added vitamins.
3.) Snake is fed appropriate sized prey every 5 days (regular baby feeding in BHB).

The results show that #1 is super tiny. #2 is slightly bigger. #3 is regular sized.

You have to go hunt down that video to get the real deal on the experiment (I can't remember what the title of it is... I think it had something to do with Satan on cleaning day).

In any case, the experiment shows that small prey more often doesn't do the snake any favors.

[HerpetualObscurity]

There is a Snakebytes episode on an experiment that Brian did on his cornsnakes. If I remember correctly, this is the experiment controls:

1.) Snake is fed small prey more often.
2.) Snake is fed small prey more often with added vitamins.
3.) Snake is fed appropriate sized prey every 5 days (regular baby feeding in BHB).

The results show that #1 is super tiny. #2 is slightly bigger. #3 is regular sized.

You have to go hunt down that video to get the real deal on the experiment (I can't remember what the title of it is... I think it had something to do with Satan on cleaning day).

In any case, the experiment shows that small prey more often doesn't do the snake any favors.

Thank you so much! So, perhaps the breeder was on track with starting with fuzzies now.

[Bugmom]

I feed once every 5-7 days. It varies depending on when I find the time to thaw and feed. Everyone gets fed on that schedule whether or not they've pooped (rarely have they not). At 146 grams I'd feed an adult mouse or a rat pup, depending on what I had available (e.g. today the choice was adult mouse or small rat because that's what I had on hand). I don't do live for many reasons - convenience, cost as frozen is cheaper to buy in bulk, and I thought a bp was going to eat the small rat, but he refused to even strike at it, so he got an adult mouse and one of the adult corns got the rat. If the corn didn't eat the rat either, what the heck would I do with a live rat? Take it back to the pet store? I'd much rather refreeze than return lol.