Define Power Feeding

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Am I being OCD again?

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Most definitely. ;)

-adam

what OCD? I really need to learn some new terms for snake chatting

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Well, he has quite a grip on him now, tighter than he ever has. I was just worried that his scales seemed stretched. I'm feeding him once a week, appropriately sized mice. He did not feel "squishy", actually more quite muscular. Am I being OCD again?

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Streched scales is ok if it just had a meal. But if it seems stretched over a long period then its probably an indicator that it is overweight. As a general rule, i was told, the snake's neck should be smaller/thinner than its jaw. If you cant see the jaw, the its probably overweight.

Hey Robin you're no worse than a bunch of us around here (is Punkin too thin? is Baby too fat? who pooped when? who didn't poop? whose temps went wonky? never bloody ends! LOL)

I saw we need a support group!

Hi, I'm Joanna....I haven't looked at a breeder's site or kingsnake in 20 minutes...

:P

OCD is obsessive compulsive disorder which you get free with every purchase of a ball python ;)

~~Jo~~

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Originally Posted by kraniumz

Streched scales is ok if it just had a meal. But if it seems stretched over a long period then its probably an indicator that it is overweight. As a general rule, i was told, the snake's neck should be smaller/thinner than its jaw. If you cant see the jaw, the its probably overweight.

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OK, he had a meal Sunday night, and his neck is smaller/thinner than its jaw. Guess the mouse just hasn't had time to properly digest yet. I thought about taking a picture of him now in the deli cup he came in (if he'll sit still long enough) compared to the picture I took of him when I first got him in his deli cup.

Adam, although he's not one of your offspring, you're his honorary "daddy" for guiding me through his health "crisis" (at least it was to me! LOL) when I first got him and I think you'd be proud of how much better he looks (as far as the weight he's put on). I look back at his "baby" pictures and think "gosh that's a THIN snake", and he really was compared to some pictures I've seen of some of your plump just hatched babies.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Most definitely. ;)

-adam

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Thanks Adam! :D

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Hey Robin you're no worse than a bunch of us around here (is Punkin too thin? is Baby too fat? who pooped when? who didn't poop? whose temps went wonky? never bloody ends! LOL)

I saw we need a support group!

Hi, I'm Joanna....I haven't looked at a breeder's site or kingsnake in 20 minutes...

:P

OCD is obsessive compulsive disorder which you get free with every purchase of a ball python ;)

~~Jo~~

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You and I can be the founders, k? LOL

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Originally Posted by KLG

I would define it as "routinely giving a snake more food than is necessarily appropriate based on the animal's present weight, age, condition & species." For example - if I fed one of my adult bloods the same body weight:prey size ratio that I feed a subadult retic, I'd have some disgusting, fat, flat-tire looking bloods in no time. It's different for every snake, down to species & individual.

Snakes shouldn't be obese, regardless of species. It is up to each keeper to gain the experience that will allow them to judge the difference between a healthy & obese snake at various points in life. Snakes should not feel SQUISHY!!!

Fat snakes are one of my big soapboxes...I'll step off it for now. ;)


K~

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Kara,

Thank you for your input. I don't really like fat snakes either, I like a healthy snake. Heck, I'm working on my own weight issues, don't need Kashmire being fat too! LOL

I've been meaning to tell you, your Blood in your avatar is STUNNING! (It is a Blood, right? I don't know much about other species except balls, and I'm still a novice at those! hehehe)

when I think of powerfeeding, I think of someone who's trying to impress their friends by feeding their snake a bunch of mice or rats in one sitting. Of course the snake will probably eat them all, but it's not right. We should know by now how much feeding is healthy, and we have a responsibility to "think for our snake" and not overfeed. People don't normally overfeed their kids or other epts suchas dogs, and snakes should be no exception!

from what i have read about snakes and its only been a few days. Plus watching discovery channel is that snakes are oportunistic eaters so its actually better to feed sporatically to keep them sharp. i know i shouldnt feed live rodents but i belive that even though it can be dangerous to the snake i think it also keeps them sharp with there hunting skills.