Growth and Longevity

Hmm - I know in AfRocks they have found that specimens who eat more live shorter lives, and recently caught a bit on the science channel where they cited Okinawans (represent) live exceptionally low lives due to low overall caloric intake. It has been suggested previously (in general terms) that your life-span may be more closely tied to a caloric ceiling rather than the number of beats your heart is capable of etc.

While I might find it plausible I won't be switching from my scheduled feedings.

corn snakes love anoles, doesn't mean you should feed them anoles..... if you catch my drift.

Even if I am an anole-freak? ;)

Well, through the research I've been doing, I've come across the term "Power Feeding", as well as having just seen it in the other thread. "Power Feeding", I take it means accelerated growth through overgenerous feeding. It also seems that it's known to reduce life span. How many of you have heard the term before, and how many of you agree/disagree with the practice?

Heard it and disagree with it. I don't know why people are sometimes in a hurry to have their snakes get big (well, I have theories). I can't stand when I see a post titled "how can I make my snake grow faster/bigger".

Power feeding sounds like an unhealthy practice to me, like trying to rush something that shouldnt be rushed namely the growth of the animal. As far as a regular feeding schedule go's I like to determine when the nest feeding is by how large the last feeding was. If my snakes realy packed it away last time, Ill give them an extra day or two before offering another meal, if it seemed barely enough Ill offer a meal 6 or 7 days later. This is more for my STP than my BP since my Bp I dont think will ever overeat ,on the otherhand he will waste food so I use the same rule of thumb for him although for different reasons.

Well what exactly is powerfeeding? Feeding every 5 days? Every 3 days?

I doubt most snakes would eat every 3 days.. (ya never know though)
Ive heard 4 or 5 days to be power feeding.
power feeding is bad news

I really think people make all of this too complicated though. If your ball python is getting fat or growing too quickly, slow down the feedings. If it is too skinny, or is not growing when it should be, speed them up.
You find a good middle ground. I think you just need to get a feel for your bp. Im sure some are different then others which is why I hesitate to state an exact number of days ya know?

My kings would eat every day if I let them!

The site quoted was las updated on November 7, 1999 ... almost 5 years ago. Maybe he was going off of information available to him at the time. Not being into reptiles 5 years ago myself, i wouldnt know whether this was normal information then or not. I would be interested in seeing these studies he is referring to, and whether others have been done since then. I would venture to guess that these kinds of studies have been done since he obtained his information. The scientific commuinty changes its stance on things all the time. Just something i thought of.