Time to size-up/slow-down feedings?

Just weighed the larger of my 2 girls and she's ~670g now. I've been feeding her 1 weaned + 1 fuzzy rat together every 5 days, and I feel like it's probably about time for her to upgrade to small adult rats.

I'd read in another thread (the thread that first got me feeding my juvies every 5 days instead of weekly) that several people switch to 1 week feedings when they get to the point where their BPs are eating small adult rats.

Think it makes sense to switch it up that way at this point? My other snake is 560g so she isn't so far behind, and I suppose it'd be more convenient if I could keep feeding every 5 days till the other snake also puts on 100g or so. But I don't want to overfeed the first.

Opinions?

Thanks!

You can go ahead and start feeding both a small rat every 7 days if you want.
I always bump up feeding schedules from 4-5 days to 7 days once a snake hits 500 grams. Both of your snakes sound more than ready.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

You can go ahead and start feeding both a small rat every 7 days if you want.
I always bump up feeding schedules from 4-5 days to 7 days once a snake hits 500 grams. Both of your snakes sound more than ready.

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Thanks! And aside from difficulty of doing so, is there any real difference between me feeding it one large prey item (of appropriate size, of course) versus several smaller?

I ask because I'm going to have a LOT of leftover frozen smaller guys.

Glad I found this thread, cause I was considering starting a new one. What is the proper way to feed a BP two prey items? My BP is ready for the next size rat, but I still have several fuzzy rats in the freezer. In an attempt to get rid of them, and at the same time, ensure he is getting enough food, I decided to thaw two of them, and offer them in one meal. As typical, he struck and constricted the first one that I offered. Once he released the first, I offered the second, which too he struck and constricted. However, he ended up only eating, what I believe, was the second fuzzy. Once swallowed, he returned to his hide, and left the other fuzzy laying there near the entrance to his hide. He kept his head out, kind of hovering over the rat, as if protecting it. I didn't want to reach in to grab it, and risk getting tagged (not afraid of being hurt from a tag, but don't want to react poorly, and hurt my BP). In any case, I forgot to check it the following morning before work, but when I go home, I looked in on it, and he was in the process of swallowing the second fuzzy.

Did I offer 2 prey items correctly, or is there a better way to do it? Is it common for the BP to leave a prey item, especially a second one, sit for a day before eating it? My hope is to get able to get rid of several of these fuzzy rats before I purchase weened (which I believe are the next step) at the next reptile show in 2 week. Granted, I have will still have several fuzzy rats once the show happens, but I vacuum sealed them, so I could hold them for the next BP (hoping to purchase a second BP soon, to maybe one day breed with my yellowbelly male). Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you!

Aaron

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Originally Posted by dkspftw

Thanks! And aside from difficulty of doing so, is there any real difference between me feeding it one large prey item (of appropriate size, of course) versus several smaller?

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I don't think it makes a difference if it gets one 100g rat or two 50g rats or three 33g rats.

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Originally Posted by yellowbelly76

Glad I found this thread, cause I was considering starting a new one. What is the proper way to feed a BP two prey items? My BP is ready for the next size rat, but I still have several fuzzy rats in the freezer. In an attempt to get rid of them, and at the same time, ensure he is getting enough food, I decided to thaw two of them, and offer them in one meal. As typical, he struck and constricted the first one that I offered. Once he released the first, I offered the second, which too he struck and constricted. However, he ended up only eating, what I believe, was the second fuzzy. Once swallowed, he returned to his hide, and left the other fuzzy laying there near the entrance to his hide. He kept his head out, kind of hovering over the rat, as if protecting it. I didn't want to reach in to grab it, and risk getting tagged (not afraid of being hurt from a tag, but don't want to react poorly, and hurt my BP). In any case, I forgot to check it the following morning before work, but when I go home, I looked in on it, and he was in the process of swallowing the second fuzzy.

Did I offer 2 prey items correctly, or is there a better way to do it? Is it common for the BP to leave a prey item, especially a second one, sit for a day before eating it? My hope is to get able to get rid of several of these fuzzy rats before I purchase weened (which I believe are the next step) at the next reptile show in 2 week. Granted, I have will still have several fuzzy rats once the show happens, but I vacuum sealed them, so I could hold them for the next BP (hoping to purchase a second BP soon, to maybe one day breed with my yellowbelly male). Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you!

Aaron

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A couple of my BP's are getting two rat pups each to help get rid of my rat pup supply.

I just feed the first rat pup to the snake. Let him/her eat it. Wait about 15 mins after the snake is done eating the first one, and put the second one in. Usually they eat it immediately, but sometimes not. By the next morning, it is always gone, though.

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Originally Posted by 200xth

I don't think it makes a difference if it gets one 100g rat or two 50g rats or three 33g rats.

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Technically it does...Your snake wraps and kills a 100 gram rat one time then eats it...If you feed it 3-33 gram rats it has to expand all that energy 2 more times just to get the same weight intake.

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Originally Posted by coldbloodaddict

Technically it does...Your snake wraps and kills a 100 gram rat one time then eats it...If you feed it 3-33 gram rats it has to expand all that energy 2 more times just to get the same weight intake.

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And a lot of times, they don't want to bother expending that energy when they have something in their belly already.

I feed all of my snakes once a week. They range from 126g to 890g with only the largest eating f/t. Should i be feeding every 5 days or just stick to the once a week?

If they are growing and gaining weight you'd be Ok keeping the schedule you're on. Growth is the best indicator

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by 200xth

A couple of my BP's are getting two rat pups each to help get rid of my rat pup supply.

I just feed the first rat pup to the snake. Let him/her eat it. Wait about 15 mins after the snake is done eating the first one, and put the second one in. Usually they eat it immediately, but sometimes not. By the next morning, it is always gone, though.

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When you go to feed the second one, do you just put it in the enclosure, or do you offer it to the snake to strike and constrict?

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Originally Posted by yellowbelly76

When you go to feed the second one, do you just put it in the enclosure, or do you offer it to the snake to strike and constrict?

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Offer however you offered the first one...

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Originally Posted by yellowbelly76

When you go to feed the second one, do you just put it in the enclosure, or do you offer it to the snake to strike and constrict?

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Usually however you did the first one is fine. You may find that they are in feed mode and view you as food (this happens with a few of mine and you definitely can't miss it), so you may end up having no choice but to just drop it in and close up.

FWIW I usually make sure the snake has struck at the first and then put in the second usually almost immediately after. I have to do it differently for my two snakes, as their behavior differs.

One pretty much always stays in its hide in the middle of the enclosure, so I just plop the rat in front of the opening for that and it'll take it.

The other is a little pickier but also more adventurous, so I make sure to leave the rat on top of a hide directly under the heating element so that the rat stays warm. She moves around the enclosure enough at night so she always finds it, whereas the other wouldn't.