new to breeding

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Originally Posted by fulner_20012001

i have 2 hides from pet supply in there and if the male wants in it he gets in it even tho its realy realy tight but what the hell he fits there is no uth just the light right now but it says at the lowest in my room is about 70f an the tank with the light on is 92f on the hot side an 55 humidity i dont have a dig temp yet but lookin in to it

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70f is 2 cold if u dont raise the temp ur snake will get a RI and probly die and u need 2 get another cage and keep them seperate :P

Boy you people are sure defensive! The sarcasm is unnecessary.:mad: What do you care if I feed medium rats to my snakes? What is medium?

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

Ask any of the breeders on here what is the biggest they feed their ball pythons. I will take their word because of their experience and knowledge in this hobby. Ball pythons are not known for being real aggressive feeders and are known for going off feed for months at a time. You don't want to overfeed them and have them go off feed to let their bodies catch up with the extra size or weight.

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Why not? I really would like to know.

There are many owners and breeders that feed med and even large. Yes, Adam feeds smalls, I am well aware of that. He wants his snakes to eat every week, without fail. He also feeds live. I don't, there is no safety issue. I also would rather the snake had the choice to go off feed when it has had enough, than risk "starving" the snake by limiting its meals. That's just me.

I don't think fasting hurts the snake; it is a natural process. None of my snakes are obese. I have heard that larger meals biweekly is easier on the snake's digestive system. I am always learning, and maybe I will feed smalls in the future, but right now I like to see a lump in my big girls after a meal. A 65g rat just doesn't cut it.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, you can have it back now.:oops:

While on the feeding topic...I mentioned this in another post but don't think I got a response (haven't checked thoroughly yet) but anyways, i've been feeding my about 18 inch BP 2 adult mice per week. How do I know when it is to much? I just moved up from 1...but he/she has never refused a meal and gobbles them mice up faster than I notice pretty much.

Also, while i'm changing the subject...my BP hasn't...well defecated in a while...how often should that happen too? Could overfeeding cause constipation?

well i feed one med rat once a week or a little more then a week and for now they are in the same tank and i might well im thinking of building a tank with wood an plex glass maybe some floor tile because i work for a tile installer an they have a in floor heater that runs on hot water so i was thinkin of trying somethin like that

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Originally Posted by fulner_20012001

well i feed one med rat once a week or a little more then a week and for now they are in the same tank and i might well im thinking of building a tank with wood an plex glass maybe some floor tile because i work for a tile installer an they have a in floor heater that runs on hot water so i was thinkin of trying somethin like that

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Wow you are going to spend a elaborate amount of money on a "floor heater" system for some big wooden cage am i reading this correctly? How are you going to afford this system(even at a discount its not cheap i am sure) when you can not buy the correct items to properly care for your snakes NOW! I would like to know how you are going to keep the temps in the CORRECT range for your snakes in this "dream cage".Why dont you add a solar heat system to a outdoor enclosure so they can sunbath in the summer? I think you are just making up crap as you go just to get members going at you here! I feel sorry for your snakes,that is if you even have any at all.

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Originally Posted by Sadie

I also would rather the snake had the choice to go off feed when it has had enough, than risk "starving" the snake by limiting its meals. That's just me.

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Captive ball pythons are far from starving ... eating 26 - 52 times a year is a feat that they just aren't designed to do ... try having no arms and no legs, living in a whole in the ground, and catching a live meal that is 20 times faster than you and can smell you from a mile away ... I would guess that there is no way that ball pythons naturally eat even 12 times a year ... almost all captive ball pythons are incredibly overfed ... yes, even mine.

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Originally Posted by Sadie

I don't think fasting hurts the snake; it is a natural process.

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I agree 100%, but dangling a medium rat in front of a ball python that isn't ready to eat certainly causes stress ... and stress hurts the snake.

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Originally Posted by Sadie

I have heard that larger meals biweekly is easier on the snake's digestive system.

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There is no evidence ANYWHERE to show that to be true ... I've fed very large and now I feed small and in my personal experience (if that helps at all), my snakes are definitely doing much better now (better breeding, more consistent growth, better sheds, etc) than when I was feeding large and even jumbo rats many many years ago.

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Originally Posted by Sadie

I am always learning, and maybe I will feed smalls in the future, but right now I like to see a lump in my big girls after a meal.

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I used to be the exact same way ... I was originally taught by guys experienced in keeping big snakes like burms and tics ... with bigger animals, they do very well with large meals .... modern ball python husbandry has evolved from the time when all pythons were treated the same.

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Originally Posted by Sadie

A 65g rat just doesn't cut it.

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A 65g rat is HUGE for a ball python in my opinion ... I feed my 3500+ gram girls 30 - 40 gram rats and they are thriving ... based on what I've seen over the years, for my snakes at least, it's more about quality feedings than mass or quantity.

But hey, there are TONS of ways to successfully keep these animals! ... I'm just sharing my thoughts for anyone that is interested ... don't like what I have to say? Cool beans ... I'm just a dork with some snakes!! :P :carrot:

-adam

a hydronic floor heater for a snake cage! wow!! :eek:


a radiant heat panel or some flexwatt will work better and cost about 100 times less...:reading:


vaughn

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Captive ball pythons are far from starving ... eating 26 - 52 times a year is a feat that they just aren't designed to do ... try having no arms and no legs, living in a whole in the ground, and catching a live meal that is 20 times faster than you and can smell you from a mile away ... I would guess that there is no way that ball pythons naturally eat even 12 times a year ... almost all captive ball pythons are incredibly overfed ... yes, even mine.



I agree 100%, but dangling a medium rat in front of a ball python that isn't ready to eat certainly causes stress ... and stress hurts the snake.



There is no evidence ANYWHERE to show that to be true ... I've fed very large and now I feed small and in my personal experience (if that helps at all), my snakes are definitely doing much better now (better breeding, more consistent growth, better sheds, etc) than when I was feeding large and even jumbo rats many many years ago.



I used to be the exact same way ... I was originally taught by guys experienced in keeping big snakes like burms and tics ... with bigger animals, they do very well with large meals .... modern ball python husbandry has evolved from the time when all pythons were treated the same.



A 65g rat is HUGE for a ball python in my opinion ... I feed my 3500+ gram girls 30 - 40 gram rats and they are thriving ... based on what I've seen over the years, for my snakes at least, it's more about quality feedings than mass or quantity.

But hey, there are TONS of ways to successfully keep these animals! ... I'm just sharing my thoughts for anyone that is interested ... don't like what I have to say? Cool beans ... I'm just a dork with some snakes!! :P :carrot:

-adam

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Adam you are the geek king, cue is the dork :8: :8:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I'm just a dork with some snakes!! :P :carrot:

-adam

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If that is being a dork I'd like to be one too :D

Thanks Adam, that is good info.