Re: Buying first snake, a MBK and should be getting it shipped next week
Quote:
Originally Posted by
RickyNY
Don't worry about his weight. Breeders keep their babies small by feeding small prey item and longer intervals.
You on the other hand, will feed and appropriate size meal (Fuzzy mouse) every 5-7 days and he will put on more weight in no time.
why do breeders keep them small? does this not have an impact on long term growth?
Re: Buying first snake, a MBK and should be getting it shipped next week
Quote:
Originally Posted by
erago
I did ask and they said to get pinkies, I made this post because my further research indicated they should be old enough for fuzzies. I wasn't talking about canceling the order of mice but swapping the mbk that I have on hold for one of the available younger ones that they have listed as it hasn't been shipped yet. I guess I will order fuzzies :sigh2:
As already mentioned, this snake was fed on the light side, so he's probably not as big as he'd otherwise be & not quite up to fuzzies, though most king snakes won't be deterred.
To go easier on his gape & his stomach, I'd first feed some pinks in multiples, as already stated, unless you really want to switch the snakes...that's up to you. :confusd:
Usually less risk of issues, the older the snake is....ie. better (stronger) start in life.
Re: Buying first snake, a MBK and should be getting it shipped next week
Quote:
Originally Posted by
erago
why do breeders keep them small? does this not have an impact on long term growth?
Babies of all species are cute & appealing, plus they don't out-grow their smaller quarters, & their food costs less... For the most part, their growth will catch up ok...bear in mind that nearly ALL c/b snakes eat better than do their wild counter-parts, though personally I would never under-feed any snake in my care...but it's a rather common practice among those with commercial interests.
Re: Buying first snake, a MBK and should be getting it shipped next week
Wow, that's crazy! Does this affect the health long term? What's a normal size for a snake this age?
Re: Buying first snake, a MBK and should be getting it shipped next week
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bogertophis
FYI, when I first got into snakes I can remember some sellers justifying the prices on various snakes by the cost of food that went into growing them to their current size-
the bigger they are, the greater the cost to recoup the seller's "investment".
But also, bear in mind that some hatchlings may just fail to survive for various internal imperfections that NO one can see or know about, so the longer that hatchlings are
raised prior to being sold, the less risk there is of some unforeseen death AND the stronger their overall health usually is...assuming they aren't coming from a breeder with a dirty & mite-infested facility. (The older hatchling is probably the better option.)
The breeder has like 98% positive reviews on morphmarket with about 50 reviews and the other is neutral because of communication in the year so I think the animals are kept at least healthy and yea my hesitation on switching was the fact that apparently the younger they are the more likely they wont make it so I think I will take the one from 2019 and just try to feed him well, thanks for all the insight. I will put an order in for fuzzies and give him a couple pinkies until he is big enough to comfortably able to handle fuzzies then after a little more growth maybe add some pinkies as a little add on. I guess if I have to throw some of them out when they sart getting old I will. better then feeding him poorly. Thanks again everyone for the feedback, any more feedback is welcome! Happy I joined the forum!
