Double Feeding....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by UberAlice

Well, the way I figure it is this....
In the wild, is the Ball going to have the luxury of crawling around picking out its food? Does it know that there will always be food available next week? Nah. It's more likely to pick the biggest prey it can find, and chow down before food becomes scarce. It emulates more the natural activity of the snake to feed one large prey item.

---

I agree they don't have the luxury of picking out it's own food and that they don't know when their next meal is - that being said, they are opportunistic feeders and will take what they can get (big or small), because as you said they don't have the luxury of being picky. So, no, they are not going to always get one large prey item. Their meal could easily consist of a family of mice found in a burrow. It's not a natural emulation of what would happen in the wild if they are feed a single prey item.

What is most natural is a varied diet (size and number of prey) and a varied schedule (not every 7 days on the dot for example). For the most part I vary the number of days between feedings and the number of items fed. Well, to be honest my bp does that for me. Sometimes he'll take 3, sometimes 2 or one or none.

But in the wild they'll take what they can get - be it one or six, or big or small. They're not really going to keep passing up meals because they think they can find something bigger...eventually.

My $.03 :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by normballpython2

ok this may be a really stupid question but in the world is a hammie? i heard people say it several times and i just can't figure it out.

---

Hamster. :D

Quote:

---

The reasoning is that they are able to digest them faster/easier and is less taxing on their body - I think it has something to do with less surface area? I can't recall, but I posed the question as to which is better to 5 exotic/reptile vets and they all agreed. I'll try to find out the specifics.

---

You would think that one larger prey item would have less surface area then two smaller items... Larger items are more developed, which may be why they are harder to digest. Not quite as fatty and have more developed bones.

I guess its all what you are going for. If you want more calcium, go one large, if you want to be easier on the digestion, go two small.

Okay, I found some of my notes (but I'll still see if I can get a 'quote' from one of the vets).

Let me preface this by saying I'm not trying to push my beliefs down anyone's throat or start any kind of argument. I'm just sharing my beliefs and thoughts on the matter. There are many issues that us herpers can't seem to agree on in the hobby, but it's always nice to know that we can discuss and share with eachother in a civilized manner.

Okay, here's what I have in my notes (silly me didn't document where I got it from...most likely from a similar discussion on another forum):

Quote:

---

Snakes (the overwhelming majority of snakes anyway) don't chew and there is kinda minimal peristalisis, digestion is predominantly an enzyme action. Prey is digested from the outside in and the rate of digestion will depend on the surface area of the prey. More prey items of less mass per item equals greater surface area and quicker more efficient digestion. Since quicker digestion would mean less of the prey mass remains untouched by digestive fluids, a greater amount of nutrients are actually absorbed. More numerous smaller prey items will be more completely digested, result in more nutrients absorbed and the offshoot of this is a stronger growth rate. Some larger single prey items will not be fully digested, they pass through the digestive system and are expelled as feces before the digestive process has gotten to the center or some of the denser tissues.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tigergenesis

Let me preface this by saying I'm not trying to push my beliefs down anyone's throat or start any kind of argument. I'm just sharing my beliefs and thoughts on the matter. There are many issues that us herpers can't seem to agree on in the hobby, but it's always nice to know that we can discuss and share with eachother in a civilized manner.

---

not to worry. :) i asked for your opinions. i think it's an interesting topic and i wanted to start some good discussion on it that i could learn from. luckily this is one of the few forums where we can do that without errupting into a big argument. 8)

it will be the thumb wars saga all over again.................anyway my opinion is one big meal for the sme reason as green man and also i have heard of larger prey prey giving offmore body heat which i t=hink is pretty ideal for a bp.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by normballpython2

it will be the thumb wars saga all over again.................anyway my opinion is one big meal for the sme reason as green man and also i have heard of larger prey prey giving offmore body heat which i t=hink is pretty ideal for a bp.

---

No wars :)

That's interesting considering their body temp is the same (on average) regardless of size - just a bigger item.

:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by green_man

Marla is right, there are legitimate points on both sides of the matter. I say it is fine until you can move up.

I like one larger prey item simply because larger prey items have a more developed skeletal structure, hence provide more calcium, then the small.

---

Interesting...now I'm wondering...isn't it possible that 2 smaller items with less individual amounts of calcium can have a combined total amount of calcium close to, equal to or even perhaps greater than 1 larger item? Just throwing that one out there - I have no idea. I just don't want to clean the house so I'm procrastinating by staying on the computer. That and it's nice to have some actual thought provoking discussions sometimes. :)

Quote:

---

isn't it possible that 2 smaller items with less individual amounts of calcium can have a combined total amount of calcium close to, equal to or even perhaps greater than 1 larger item?

---

I would guess it depends on the size of prey we are talking. One hopper is probably going to have more calcium the two pinkies, but two smaller mice probably have more then one large mouse. Age is a definate factor there...

yeah if they aren't weaned yet then they don't have as much calcium in their bones. so then i guess 2 small adult mice would be better than a weanling rat or even two... i'm gonna have to do some thinking about this. i thought one bigger item was better but some of tigergenesis's thoughts are making me think perhaps not...