Why do we feed this way?

Why do we feed once a week...I'm just curious because I know in the wild a rodent won't come along every sunday at 8 pm exactly where the BP's hide out is :o Is this something that captive bred BP's have gotten used to? I know that other snakes like gopher/king snakes can go like 2 weeks at the least with a mouse or two...

And have ball pythons ever stopped eating because a change in feeding schedule has gone from one week to every two weeks?

Also, does anyone here feed every two weeks? Especially to the owners of the rat muncher BPs?

Thanks in advance.

we feed once a week becuase that is what they need to be fat and healthy. in th wild if you averaged out the amount they ate it would probably be a little less then a mouse a week. you probably notice that when your bp eats, it goes and hides for a few days. then its start wondering around its cage every night...it is instinctivly(or just cuz its hungry) going out and looking for something to eat. maybe in the wild a bp will eat 2 or three prey items a week. then go a month and not be able to get any. but here in captivity they can have a mouse (or rat) a week and live happily.
my little male is still on mice. i feed it every two weeks cuz im sick of it refusing its food. i have to feed it 4 mice each feeding, so if i defrost 4 and it only eats two then those mice are wasted (i dont refreeze more than once). i cant wait to get it switched to rats... also...a questionfor those more experienced then me....isnt it true that an adult would only need an appropriatly sized rat every 2 weeks because its not growing(much) anymore? or do they still eat every week.....???

Snakes in general are designed to go long timespans without food. I have heard of Ball Pythons who go go on 6-8 month fasts sometimes. We feed more often for the same reason we make sure they have clean cages and optimal temps......because we want our animals to be healthy and happy.

I feed anyone who wants to eat. I don't necissarily wait two weeks to feed my adults. I wait anywhere from 7-10 days on them. BUT..I have '03's that I feed every 4 days, and if one decides not to eat, I can easily throw it in an adults' cage, and they snatch it up quick. So, I have a set schedule for all of them, but it's up to them what their schedule will be. They know when they want to eat.

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Originally Posted by emroul

I feed anyone who wants to eat. I don't necissarily wait two weeks to feed my adults. I wait anywhere from 7-10 days on them. BUT..I have '03's that I feed every 4 days, and if one decides not to eat, I can easily throw it in an adults' cage, and they snatch it up quick. So, I have a set schedule for all of them, but it's up to them what their schedule will be. They know when they want to eat.

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I have to disagree with you on this, Jennifer. Snakes in the wild are not guaranteed their next meal, so even in captivity they still hold onto all or most of their natural instincts. I think if you offer food, they will eat it whether or not they are hungry out of pure instinct......which is why its alot easier than people think to overfeed your snake(s). Personally, I think every 4 days is a little excessive. I have a couple of '03 balls and I feed them every 7 days. They are growing just fine and are completely healthy. I think over-feeding can be just as dangerous if not moreso than underfeeding.

That's true. But as long as I can see there is no obesity forming, I don't think it's too harmful for them. You see, like I said, my "schedule" for them is every four days. Whether or not they take it is up to them. Today I tried feeding 7 '03's. (Their last feeding was December 30). Out of those, 6 of them accepted their meal (the one that didn't accept was a male). I weigh them regularily, and their growth rate certainly isn't anything out of this world. It amazes me when I see early 2003's at 1,000 grams. I've seen it more than once around the forums. Mine are all roughly 400-600 grams each (born between April-July). I don't think that's a dangerous growth rate. I hate to see '03's at 100 grams. (Unless they were born in October or something). Everyone has their own opinion. You stated yours, and I completely agree (about the natural insticts); I just don't think my 'schedule' or 'situation' fits under the criteria of endangering my animals.

Its not just about obesity though......snakes are designed to go long periods without food if the need be. If you feed them too frequently, you can tax their internal systems greatly without knowing it. They will often gorge themselves because of instinct and their keepers base it on the animal being "hungry." I am not saying you are wrong or attacking, so don't take it like that. Just tossing some stuff out there to think about.

Your all very right, but back to the original question!

For those who feed rats, do you do it weekly or biweekly?

David, bp's can even go over a year without eating....scary.

I feed rats, and I do it every 2.5 weeks when Monty is in the mood. For the babies who are on mice, I feed them every 5 days.

I fed a female BP that was close to five feet a large rat every two weeks, I hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by SnakeEYEZ

Your all very right, but back to the original question!

For those who feed rats, do you do it weekly or biweekly?

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Depends on the snake. If they will eat, I feed them weekly. I have found that my BP's start slowing down on the feedings once they get around 500-800 grams. Usually they will eat weekly, but sometimes they skip a week or two, for whatever reason. My adult BP's are fed when they will eat. Most typically eat every 2-3 weeks, but one of my males, Joe, only eats once a month. I have tried different sized rats, and if I give him a smaller one, he will go three weeks, but he rarely eats more often than that.
I tailor the feeding schedule to the snake. I know their habits because I keep records, and usually know any given week who will eat.
I offer food weekly to anyone who is under about 3' long. If they don't eat it, it goes to my garbage disposal (boa), and I try again the next week.

For yearlings and under, I feed every 7 days......then after that every 10-14 days. I have an '02 Male that is fasting right now and has not eaten in 2 months. Once he decides he is hungry again, he will be eating a medium rat every 10-14 days.

I've heard people say if one snake doesn't eat it's food they feed it to another. I've always thought that would be great - no wasted food. But now I'm wondering if this is a good idea - disease and health wise. I mean taking food out of one snakes cage and putting it into another. Isn't there a risk of transferring possible illnesses, mites, parasites, etc?

Yes, that could be an issue. I am comfortable with doing it in my collection because everyone has passed their quarrantine period, and I breed my own rats.

I feed them whenever they start searching.....When Atreyu (5 years) isnt off feed...I feed him every 7-10 days. He was off feed last winter from November to April. This season he started his fast in in September.

Bastian (8 months) gets fed every 5 days. He's been an excellent feeder for me, ate the night I brought him home, eats when in shed, eats after being handled, basically eats no matter what! I moved him in with Atreyu 12 days ago...and he ate the other day with no problems. He's not refused a meal yet.

My BP's are still young, only around 6 months old. Phil is being very active still, and I tend to feed based on his behavior. If he's out a lot prowling around, I take that as an indication that he's looking for food. If he's keeping to his hides mostly, and simply moving around to regulate his temperature by moving from the warm areas to the cooler areas, I don't offer him food, as I take that to mean he's not in a feeding mood. He's been very active this weekend, so I'll swing by the reptile shop this afternoon and get him a rat.

Magellan has been spending most of his time in his hide, which I think is more due to the cooler weather. He's eaten one rat since I've had him. This week, I'm going to transfer him to a smaller enclosure that's easier to keep warm and see if he starts showing more activity, but he's still looking fine and healthy, has shed for me once since I've had him, and shows no signs of any undue distress, so I'm not worrying about the lack of interest in frequent meals.