Feeding issues

[mj_romo]

I have 2 ball pythons - a 10yo and 9yo, very good, regular feeders.

When I got them, I fed frozen, but when each reached about 2 - 2 1/2 years old, they went off the frozen and since then have been eating live: 5 medium mice each every 10-12 days. That's not the issue; that's just background.

For many years now, I have fed them outside their tank (they share a 60 gal), each in a separate feeding box. Originally, I'd take one out, feed the other, then switch them, but Darby is a biter and I got sick of dealing with that, so I started feeding them in separate boxes. Much less time consuming.

However, I've got a baby on the way, and I don't have room for the feeding boxes. It's going to take some very creative space-saving engineering to enable me to keep the snakes in their 60gal tank.

Now, I don't know what to do about feeding them because I'm afraid to go back to in-tank feedings. Does anyone have any suggestions?

PS - When I say we're short on space, I'm really serious. We've got a 2-bedroom, 900 sq ft. house that's home to a menagerie with every useable corner taken up with some pet's bed. And we've got to get baby stuff in there, too.

[Adam_Wysocki]

WOW.

-adam

[Shaun J]

When I got them, I fed frozen, but when each reached about 2 - 2 1/2 years old, they went off the frozen and since then have been eating live: 5 medium mice each every 10-12 days.

For many years now, I have fed them outside their tank (they share a 60 gal), each in a separate feeding box. Originally, I'd take one out, feed the other, then switch them, but Darby is a biter and I got sick of dealing with that, so I started feeding them in separate boxes. Much less time consuming.



.

Umm, They aren't eating because they are living together........

Get two rubbermaid tubs and keep tehm in there.... AND don't feed them 5 mice, get them one rat the same size around as the size around as your snakes... Feed them once every two weeks.

EDIT: In the words of Adam... WOW lol.

[CTReptileRescue]

I don't really understand what your asking.
Are you putting a new snake in with your original two and want to know if you can feed them all in tank?
Rusty

[Adam_Wysocki]

AND don't feed them 5 mice

Why not?

Feed them once every two weeks.

Why?

-adam

[Shaun J]

Lol, read her other thread. She's having a baby, as in she's pregnant. Lol.

[Shaun J]

Why not?



Why?

-adam

5 mice are too much, unless they are the right size and whatnot. And its easier to just feed one properly sized rat.

10 days sounds like a schedule I would put a sub adult on. I wouldn't feed every 10 days in her case because she feeds 5 mice anyways... That sounds like power feeding to me.

[JLC]

The very best thing you can do...both for your snakes and for your family...is to get rid of that big ol' 60gal tank. Get two 42qt rubbermaid or sterelite tubs and make a home for each snake. You can stack the two tubs on top of each other....and this way each snake gets its own room...and you end up with much less space being taken up overall. And if each snake is in its "own room"...then you can feed them in their own enclosures without any fuss or muss.

[Adam_Wysocki]

5 mice are too much

Not true.

That sounds like power feeding to me.

And you would know how? Feeding once a week is fine.

-adam

[Shaun J]

Not true.



And you would know how? Feeding once a week is fine.

-adam

OK, you have more experience than me so you win . BUT if it were me, I would feed one rat every feeding, because IMHO, it's much easier to feed 1 rat a week than 5... not that much easier but if you are getting mice from a store or something and you are money tight, it could be cheaper and I've heard rats are better in nutrition.