Slow growers

you should have gotten an adult snake if you knew you were going to be frusterated by the growing process, just sit back and enjoy

I have an 07 who is fed once a week 1 adult mouse and then moved on to 1 small rat a week and she has grown well. she is now 856 grams. when i got her she was 182. took about 6 months.:8:

i have an 06 female who is at 900 grams +/- a few grams and i have an 07 male that is growing like a weed every week he feeds i got him at 70 grams and now hes a whooping 400 - 500 grams

McKinsey, I think you will find with time, more experience and a larger collection that almost nothing is absolutely cut in stone with these snakes or how people choose to keep them. While somethings can be taken as a given, and usually the best way for a newcomer to deal with learning to care for their snake - very few things in my experience thus far are if you do X - Y will absolutely happen absolutely everytime.

I feed young snakes as well every 5 days until they reach a certain weight or whenever I believe that specific snake is ready to go to every 7 days. That does work out to twice a calendar week on some weeks so a bit of clarification is required there I think. Tim has a lot of experience with a lot of snakes, his advice is based on that wealth of hands on experience.

To the OP, you've hopefully learned from this thread is that there is more than one feeding routine choice. What every choice though shares in common is that none of them push a snake to eat to the point of excess or to trigger a regurge or a fast. None of the people posting are pushing their snakes to grow up fast - just to grow naturally with good health based on a well thought out feeding plan for that snake. :)

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Originally Posted by hondo1967

I have an 07 who is fed once a week 1 adult mouse and then moved on to 1 small rat a week and she has grown well. she is now 856 grams. when i got her she was 182. took about 6 months.:8:

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Originally Posted by Monty

i have an 06 female who is at 900 grams +/- a few grams and i have an 07 male that is growing like a weed every week he feeds i got him at 70 grams and now hes a whooping 400 - 500 grams

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ok how bout i beat both you guys and tell you about my sept '06 female who, on a weekly feeding schedule, made it to 1100g by sept '07 only to start breeding by november '07 and then off to lay a nice clutch of 6 eggs for me in may '08.

yess can you feel that!?!:banana:

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Originally Posted by bigballs

ok how bout i beat both you guys and tell you about my sept '06 female who, on a weekly feeding schedule, made it to 1100g by sept '07 only to start breeding by november '07 and then off to lay a nice clutch of 6 eggs for me in may '08.

yess can you feel that!?!:banana:

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thats crazy must be mutant rats or something in the water

What is the definition of power feeding? I see people talk about it, and say it's bad but noone ever says what it is.... I've always wondered about power feeding, but never saw anywhere that actually explained what it was...

Alan

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Originally Posted by bigballs

ok how bout i beat both you guys and tell you about my sept '06 female who, on a weekly feeding schedule, made it to 1100g by sept '07 only to start breeding by november '07 and then off to lay a nice clutch of 6 eggs for me in may '08.

yess can you feel that!?!:banana:

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The incredible hulk python.:bow:

Power feeding is feeding prey to big or just plain over feeding the snake to get size quickly. Not a healthy thing to do for your snake.:gj:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

McKinsey, I think you will find with time, more experience and a larger collection that almost nothing is absolutely cut in stone with these snakes or how people choose to keep them. While somethings can be taken as a given, and usually the best way for a newcomer to deal with learning to care for their snake - very few things in my experience thus far are if you do X - Y will absolutely happen absolutely everytime.

I feed young snakes as well every 5 days until they reach a certain weight or whenever I believe that specific snake is ready to go to every 7 days. That does work out to twice a calendar week on some weeks so a bit of clarification is required there I think. Tim has a lot of experience with a lot of snakes, his advice is based on that wealth of hands on experience.

To the OP, you've hopefully learned from this thread is that there is more than one feeding routine choice. What every choice though shares in common is that none of them push a snake to eat to the point of excess or to trigger a regurge or a fast. None of the people posting are pushing their snakes to grow up fast - just to grow naturally with good health based on a well thought out feeding plan for that snake. :)

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Jo, I agree! I also have learned that on this site (and it may have Judy who said this) that it is best with someone who has JUST purchased their snake to give them the basic tried and true husbandry advice so that they can have the very best results from the starting line. This is what I was attempting to do; apparently with poor results. However, I did my best in the moment of the action.

I fully realize that books and research papers that I have and have read are only the jumping off place when it comes to dealing with issues 'real time'. I also fully realize that I have only 13 ball pythons and that does not compare, and will never compare, to a keeper having hundreds. However, even caring for one ball python ought to allow for an exchange of information and knowledge and experience. I am thankful that on this forum it does.

I also fully realize that there are so many different methodologies one can employ to keep these snakes successfully; from environments to feeding to breeding; I think that John (Jas) was a really good teacher for that. However, and again, we've been asked to give the tried and true methods to a new snake keeper who is also new to ball pythons.

As for Tim's response, it was explanatory and thoughtful and I completely understood what he was saying. I appreciate discussion with an exchange of information and void of harsh stances and emotional and belittling outbursts. I felt that Tim's response was excellent and certainly followed implied rules of intellectual discussion and sharing.

As for Variable 1 leading always to Variable 2, I am fully aware of that fallacy. I have had experiences with my own snakes that back that folly up ;) But again, a new owner stating impatience of growth rate and wanting to know if it's okay to feed 2x a week suggests power feeding to me and that can lead to disastrous results with keepers who have just gotten their very first snake. Again, I was trying to follow the rules for advice to new snake keepers.

I really don't know what more to say. I guess I will just end this with the assurance that I always always always try my hardest to give the best possible advice to new snake owners and I keep it on a tried and true basis. I also always always always listen to the advice and discussions of the more advanced herpers on this forum. From that point, I distill the information, learn from my snakes, employ independent thought, and go forward...