Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 673

1 members and 672 guests
Most users ever online was 47,180, 07-16-2025 at 05:30 PM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,905
Threads: 249,105
Posts: 2,572,111
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, Pattyhud

Do snakes overeat?

Printable View

  • 12-31-2014, 09:17 PM
    MontyAndMelissa
    Re: Do snakes overeat?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Skiploder View Post
    Do snakes overheat?

    No.

    People oversees them.

    Over EAT. Not overheat.
  • 01-01-2015, 09:27 PM
    MontyAndMelissa
    Re: Do snakes overeat?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Skiploder View Post
    Do snakes overheat?

    No.

    People oversees them.

    I know that snakes can overheat. I'm not a complete moron. My concern was that I had already fed my snake 5 mice over the course of 5 days and he was still acting aggressive. I had finally gotten a scale and weighed him and found out I was underfeeding him before, so I bumped him up to rats yesterday. He now has had one big happy meal, and he is doing better
  • 01-01-2015, 11:46 PM
    Skiploder
    Re: Do snakes overeat?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa View Post
    I know that snakes can overheat. I'm not a complete moron. My concern was that I had already fed my snake 5 mice over the course of 5 days and he was still acting aggressive. I had finally gotten a scale and weighed him and found out I was underfeeding him before, so I bumped him up to rats yesterday. He now has had one big happy meal, and he is doing better

    Why do you think you are under feeding him? Most snakes are overfed...

    What is the caloric requirement of a largely inactive ball python living in captivity?
  • 01-01-2015, 11:50 PM
    MontyAndMelissa
    Re: Do snakes overeat?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Skiploder View Post
    Why do you think you are under feeding him? Most snakes are overfed...

    What is the caloric requirements of a largely inactive ball python living in captivity?

    They are supposed to eat 10-15% of their bodyweight every 1 1/2 - 2 weeks. Monty was eating about 3%. I've corrected the problem and he is now eating a 100g rat every week and a half (still smaller than what he should be eating, but the next size up is 180g). He weighs approx. 1138g. He should be eating 113.8 - 160.0g.
  • 01-02-2015, 12:36 AM
    Skiploder
    Re: Do snakes overeat?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa View Post
    They are supposed to eat 10-15% of their bodyweight every 1 1/2 - 2 weeks. Monty was eating about 3%. I've corrected the problem and he is now eating a 100g rat every week and a half (still smaller than what he should be eating, but the next size up is 180g). He weighs approx. 1138g. He should be eating 113.8 - 160.0g.

    Ah.

    Do they snakes know they are supposed to be eating 10 to 15% of their body weight?

    Is this for all snake species?

    Is it dependent on enclosure size?

    Activity level?

    I'd love to know how this percentage is calculated or how it was arrived at.
  • 01-02-2015, 12:48 AM
    MontyAndMelissa
    Re: Do snakes overeat?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Skiploder View Post
    Ah.

    Do they snakes know they are supposed to be eating 10 to 15% of their body weight?

    Is this for all snake species?

    Is it dependent on enclosure size?

    Activity level?

    I'd love to know how this percentage is calculated or how it was arrived at.

    Less than 10-15% for a ball python (a generally inactive snake) can cause weight loss. To maintain body weight, a 10-15% intake is required. To add weight is 20% or more (for malnourished or baby snakes). The snake knows that if it doesn't eat at all, it will starve. If it eats less than what it should it will stay in hunting mode longer. So you're telling me that you have a ball python, and because it is inactive, you don't have to feed it? How do you calculate how much your snakes eat? What you believe is just enough to keep them going? Just like the AVERAGE caloric intake for a human is 2000 calories, some need more, some need less to survive. The difference between me and Monty is that when I feel hungry I can walk into the kitchen and open the fridge. He has no way to tell me he is hungry other than to strike.
  • 01-02-2015, 01:25 AM
    Mykuhl
    Re: Do snakes overeat?
    I'm new here but even I can tell that Skiploder is being facetious with his remarks lol.
  • 01-02-2015, 01:28 AM
    MontyAndMelissa
    Re: Do snakes overeat?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Mykuhl View Post
    I'm new here but even I can tell that Skiploder is being facetious with his remarks lol.

    I'm well aware. If he wants to ask smartass questions he will get smartass answers.
  • 01-02-2015, 11:10 PM
    gameonpython
    Re: Do snakes overeat?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa View Post
    Less than 10-15% for a ball python (a generally inactive snake) can cause weight loss. To maintain body weight, a 10-15% intake is required. To add weight is 20% or more (for malnourished or baby snakes). The snake knows that if it doesn't eat at all, it will starve. If it eats less than what it should it will stay in hunting mode longer. So you're telling me that you have a ball python, and because it is inactive, you don't have to feed it? How do you calculate how much your snakes eat? What you believe is just enough to keep them going? Just like the AVERAGE caloric intake for a human is 2000 calories, some need more, some need less to survive. The difference between me and Monty is that when I feel hungry I can walk into the kitchen and open the fridge. He has no way to tell me he is hungry other than to strike.

    I'm not sure snakes do know that actually...

    I was told that if they can't easily curl up in a tight ball, they are overweight.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
  • 01-02-2015, 11:23 PM
    Eric Alan
    Re: Do snakes overeat?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa View Post
    Less than 10-15% for a ball python (a generally inactive snake) can cause weight loss. To maintain body weight, a 10-15% intake is required. To add weight is 20% or more (for malnourished or baby snakes). The snake knows that if it doesn't eat at all, it will starve.

    More to the point, using your percentage rule, how do you explain wild-caught adult ball pythons that may go 12-24 months before taking their first meal in captivity that lose very little weight during this extended fast?
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1