increasing feed for female breeders

when prepping females for breeding season what do you do as far as feeding? obviously you want to increase their amount of food intake somehow. do you offer more per feeding or do you feed more often or both? so far i have been offering my big girls multiple rats once a week and both have gained weight nicely. should i feed them more often to prep them or keep doing what i'm doing? both are over 2000 grams now and i don't want to power feed, i just want to get them nice and ready to make some babies. :)

feed more often

I am by no means a professional, but I just continue to feed my girl 1 appropriately sized prey item per week. She was at great size for last breeding season and has gained it all back and is ready to go again!

hey emily, i'm feeding my big girls 2-3 rats a week. i only feed once a week, i feel that once a week is enough, they need time in between digesting their meals. if you fed 2 or 3 times a week there would be no time in between digesting. i personally feel that a snake with a full stomach all the time is not in their best interest. and i have noticed some nice weight gains only feeding once a week, but feeding multiples. one of my big girls has put on 900 grams this year.


vaughn

Wow! What size are your big girls and what size rats are those? Seems like a lot...But again, I could be wrong!

this particular girl was 1500 grams when i got her and she normally eats (3) 50-70 gram rats weekly. she is now a tad over 2400 grams. not all my girls eat and gain like this just a few!


vaughn

I do the same as Vaughn ... Once a week only ... Some girls get 2 or 3 rats per feeding, but I only feed "small smalls" to my adult ball pythons, even the girls that are 4000+ grams.

Then some weeks you just give them off or feed them a single rat. Remember, you don't want them to be fat or they'll throw slugs ... they should have a muscular athletic build for breeding.

It's a delicate balance of feeding and growth to make sure the girls have adequate body weight for breeding.

-adam

one of my big girls put on 600 grams in 2 months eating multiples once a week. i was pretty surprised when i weighed her!

wow 600 grams in 2 months!!! you got me beat, i think you got the feeding down good, maybe too good! lol


vaughn

ha, well it certainly surprised me. she's definitely my best eater. :)
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ok so "heavier feeding schedule" (as per adam's site :) ) does not mean more often. neither of my girls seem fat--one of them is pretty solid and firm but the other, though close to the same weight feels like she just needs to bulk up some more. she's not as athletic feeling as adam calls it.

600 grams in 2 months, if she's not solid and firm, she had to be like whitney to begin with! lol how did you get those gains? did you thaw out the whole bag and let her eat what she wanted? (joke) just popped in my head! lol seriously i think you're feeding fine and you'll get them all up to size if they are ready, utimately it is up to each snake.


vaughn

she was about 1400 to begin with. i think that a lot of her gain was in length instead of girth. i'm hoping the girth will follow. she eats 1 medium rat and then after the other snakes eat i usually offer her another small rat that is left over from what the others don't eat (once per week). i was going to switch her to just multiple small rats after reading some posts here about others having issues with their bps going off feed for short periods of time as a result of the large meal that a medium rat is but she hasn't seemed to be affected by that. she is my record holder for most eaten and least missed meals. :) i think she has missed one meal since i've had her because she was in deep shed on feeding day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mlededee

she was about 1400 to begin with.

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How much with shipping? :twisted: muhahahha

-adam

Adam, that is good too know. I am going to weigh my girl tomorrow and see what she is at. I thought multiples might be overfeeding...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

How much with shipping? :twisted: muhahahha

-adam

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hmmm, let's see... i'll trade you for this:

http://www.8ballpythons.com/uploads/lespla05-03.jpg
:neener:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mlededee

hmmm, let's see... i'll trade you for this:

http://www.8ballpythons.com/uploads/lespla05-03.jpg
:neener:

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Sounds like some late night hysteria going on over there! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mlededee

hmmm, let's see... i'll trade you for this:

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LMAO!! ... That ROCKED!! ... but ya know, I'd actually go for that if you'd add just a little bit of cash to the offer ... say $24,750??? I take major credit cards and I'll throw in free shipping. :D

-adam

aw, adam that's so sweet! free shipping and everything! i feel special. :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mlededee

aw, adam that's so sweet! free shipping and everything! i feel special. :P

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What can I say ... I guess I'm just a giver! :twisted:

-adam

hey i have a male that is 1500g, ive been feeding him a rat that is as big as him every ten days and hes fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mr~python

hey i have a male that is 1500g, ive been feeding him a rat that is as big as him every ten days and hes fine.

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And he'll fast this winter.

-adam

srry meant a rat slightly smaller than him, dont know why i said that. but does that sound good, a rat a little smaller then his girth every ten days?

My breeder male lost quite a bit of weight during the winter. Even more than the girl. She had 6 eggs and still came out better than him. Neither ate for more than 3 months