Vitamins

Is it beneficial to use vitamins on their feeding mice?

It's always beneficial to feed healthy mice/rats to your animals. Now, if you're talking about adding some sort of powder/liquid vitamin to the feeder before giving it to them, then no - completely unnecessary.

Thanks. I don't want my Bumblebee to turn brown. Not the reason for vitamins. But comes to mind.

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Originally Posted by Bumblebeeball

Thanks. I don't want my Bumblebee to turn brown.

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No one has any control over that LoL

Actually there is that snakebytes video where brian did an experiment (on corns) where adding vitamins DID make the snakes grow a lot faster. Never tried it though.

Here, found the video. Hey, I might just try this on a couple snakes myself.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kyXZN25XOZo

Starts at about 2:00 mark.

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Originally Posted by Bumblebeeball

Thanks. I don't want my Bumblebee to turn brown. Not the reason for vitamins. But comes to mind.

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Ummmmm sorry but your bumblebee will turn brown. Pastels brown with age/size. Some not as quick but they all do eventually.

You can use stuff like Reptaid injected in the dead feeder every few months as a supplement. I use that stuff but as far as stuff like calcium powder or Herptivite Multivitamin, I only use that stuff for my bearded dragon.

Snake vitamins are a hoax. Snakes get all necessary nutrients from whole animal diet.

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Originally Posted by bondo

Ummmmm sorry but your bumblebee will turn brown. Pastels brown with age/size. Some not as quick but they all do eventually.

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http://youtu.be/bkxeU8c9OhM
Here is a full grown pastel not brown just tanned over a little. Now why in the hell would you talk so confidently about something that's not true? that was your only point! and you were cocky! Terrible! Don't do that to yourself.

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Originally Posted by Bumblebeeball

http://youtu.be/bkxeU8c9OhM
Here is a full grown pastel not brown just tanned over a little. Now why in the hell would you talk so confidently about something that's not true? that was your only point! and you were cocky! Terrible! Don't do that to yourself.

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I have a pastel girl that is 2500 grams that also looks like that. She will also brown out. Just like the 2 in that video have also I am sure. No need to get angry about it. It is something that happens.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bumblebeeball

http://youtu.be/bkxeU8c9OhM
Here is a full grown pastel not brown just tanned over a little. Now why in the hell would you talk so confidently about something that's not true? that was your only point! and you were cocky! Terrible! Don't do that to yourself.

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Here is a fact Pastel DO brown out what you call tan is browning out, now it varies from one individual to another but the fact still remain that they do brown out so are combos like Bumblebees. :gj:

I don't think we can expect them to stay bright and colorful for their whole life... Eventually they will brown out. We ourselves will "brown out" in our own way with age.

Yes, pastels will brown out.
As far as the two that are in the video that were selectively bred, I wouldn't want the female just because there is not enough blushing which is more of what I want in a pastel.

There are a couple of points freezing rodents does effect them but principally it is the water content that changes, this is a part of the freezing process. Normally this is of no concern unless the snake is un healthy to start with, then a little water can be added to the dead rodent. The issue with vitamin additions is what ones to add and how much? This is a bit of an unknown, some say calcium, vitamin E, and D.

The question remains in what amount? How often? is there benefit or harm? There is no general answer, blood work could point out deficiencies if any exist, but then that is a case by case basis. I have had blood screens done on my crew. A healthy base line helps if there is an issue later. Every one of mine returned a normal parameters for the work up. In my experience no extra supplements are needed and that supplementing could overdose as well. I would be careful if I choose to do so. And would likely just treat drinking water rather than prey and at a low rate.

Does anybody know what vitamins he's using (Brian, Bhb)? I did it it a little with boas, it does improve color. I used rep cal.

As far as I know there are no studies regarding the requirements of ball pythons.

If you don't know the animal's requirements, how do you know what to supplement? There are vitamins and minerals which can cause damage if there is an extended oversupply in the body.

Plenty of BP's have lived long, healthy lives without ever receiving a single supplement.

I have one snake who I gave vitamin supplements - a rescue boa suffering from regurge syndrome (fecals and bloodwork showed clean, she just wasn't given appropriate heat). While underweight, she was big enough around to take a small rat but could only handle a mouse hopper every 10-14 days for several months. I stopped the supplement she was back up to weanling rats.

A healthy snake eating appropriate-size feeders won't benefit from a vitamin supplement.