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Lost snake, found snake, feeding question
So about two weeks ago my snake managed to escape and came out of hiding this morning. I also got rid of the old cage and got a new one.
My question is should I wait to feed until next week so that she can get settled into the new house or try and feed this Friday as usual?
Thanks
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I would offer some food. My snake took a mouse straight away having moved into a new tank.
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I would offer this Friday. If she refuses, don't try again until her next scheduled feeding (so next Fri).
Glad she came back, good luck!!
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Re: Lost snake, found snake, feeding question
How big is she? If she was at a healthy weight you can wait until Friday to offer so as to give her some time to settle in but if she's still rather young and growing you can try offering food as early as today.
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I've pulled snakes out of a shipping box, put them in QT, and had them eat a few hours later. I've also had others go off food for weeks after moving to a new enclosure.
I would look at your snake's demeanor and if it's behaving as if it's hunting then I would offer a feeder. Otherwise waiting until Friday won't hurt anything.
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Re: Lost snake, found snake, feeding question
I had to lure mine out from under the refrigerator with a small rat. Worked in less than 30 min.
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Re: Lost snake, found snake, feeding question
So this picture I snapped today. I've never weighed her so I can't give that. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7218f0aebf.jpg
That's a 10.5/11 US size shoe
I usually feed her an adult mouse but I went with a small rat and she took it fine!
Thanks everyone
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She looks healthy. I would invest in a scale though. You can get a pretty decent kitchen scale at Walmart for $15.
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Lost snake, found snake, feeding question
Quote:
Originally Posted by craigafrechette
She looks healthy. I would invest in a scale though. You can get a pretty decent kitchen scale at Walmart for $15.
I can pick one up today! How often should I weigh her and how much weight should I be looking for her to add?
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Re: Lost snake, found snake, feeding question
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaltLife422
I can pick one up today! How often should I weigh her and how much weight should I be looking for her to add?
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I usually weigh mine once a month. How much weight depends on the animal on feeding schedule. As long as you are seeing increased weight an a balanced length to girth ratio everything is fine.
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Re: Lost snake, found snake, feeding question
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaltLife422
I can pick one up today! How often should I weigh her and how much weight should I be looking for her to add?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Cool cool. It's a pretty good tool to have, for cheap money.
As far as how often, that's really up to you. With juveniles, I personally weigh before each feeding, ideally getting an "empty" weight if they have pooped since their last feeding. With adults, I weigh less often.
I find it's beneficial to keep decent records. I track weight, feeding info (including refusals, etc...), sheds, any extended periods without defecation, etc...
This makes it easier to remember who ate when (and who didn't eat) once you have more than one snake. Some people feed all their snakes on the same day. I prefer to spread it out so that I can still handle at least one of my snakes regardless of feedings and sheds.
It also helps to know the snakes weight to determine when to upsize prey and choose the right prey.
It's also beneficial if/when your snake goes off food for any period of time to be able to monitor weight and make sure it's simply a food strike as opposed to an underlying health issue.
Lastly, it's good to know this info in case a trip to the vet is ever required. The more info you can share with the vet, the better they may be able to diagnose and treat the animal.
Finally, as far as weight gain, I don't think there's a definitive answer to that question. Snakes will grow at different rates, so as long as you're feeding appropriate prey and your snake is eating regularly, your snake should be fine. There's no "standard" for weight gain that I know of, just as long as their body mass looks right proportionately with the length.
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