Opinions on this feeding

I saw a debate on another forum about feeding BP's and was wondering what the concensus would be on how some of mine eat.
I have a 3 particular BP's that will eat like pigs weekly.
They will readily take 3 prey items a week.
Offer one, they eat. After they finish offer another, they eat, and so on. With one of them all I need to do is drop 3 feeders in the tub and they are eaten one right after another. The other two have it offered to them with tongs.
Now I have dealt with BP's fasting for long periods and have a few now that go off feed for about 4 months each year.
Is it wrong to offer as much as the snake will voluntarily eat each feeding day or should I limit the food?
I figured since they voluntarily take it, then it would be OK. Now that I have seen some opinions on power feeding and overfeeding, I am confused.
Should I feed as usual or limit these 3?

first: are they male or female and how old/big are they?

I also have 1 snake that did this once, of coarse its because he is 4 foot long and only eating 1 mouse at a time! I usually offer him another once he is finished because the other's who are his size eat a small rat.

female 2006 at 300 +/- grams
male 2006 at 400 +/- grams
male 2003 at 1800 +/- grams

I know people who only feed some of their snakes (not bp) once a month and that is as much as they can eat during their sitting. But that is only once a month.


~mike

My gopher snake only eats every 3-4 weeks. He's a booger that way. :P


As for SPJ's question...I think it kind of depends on the results you want to see. If you want the highest chance of consistent feeding without long periods of fasting....then switch to small meals offered every 7 days. If it doesn't bother you that your snakes may choose to fast for months at a time, then you can feed them as much as they'll eat until they decide they don't need to eat anymore.

My personal opinion, I think it is a healthier approach to offer small, weekly meals, rather than stuffing them until they fast. I'm going purely on personal logic about the matter, though, and not from decades of experience trying different methods. I would think that small consistent meals over the life of the snake would put less stress and strain on their system overall....rather than a pattern of gorging and fasting. But all in all, I believe this is a case of "whatever works for you."

Ball pythons are binge feeders and have adapted over time to be able to deal with the seasonal availability of food in west africa by eating as much as they can when food is available and "storing it" for a long dry "winter" when food is harder to find ... by feeding these animals as much as they'll take in a sitting in captivity, they will mimic this natural behavior and eventually end up fasting to "catch up" with all of the food they've stored up.

What's right and what's wrong? Not my call ... but personally, I like a regular consistant feeder and I only offer my snakes a limited amount of small meals on a weekly basis .. with few exceptions, I have no regular fasters.

If you don't have a problem with fasting ... ROCK ON!

-adam

Even with small consistent meals, some of my others still go off feed. They also will not eat multiple prey items at a feeding.


These 3 just seem to ALWAYS be hungry. As a matter of fact, the 2003 male is a proven breeder this year. He bred, ate, and went back to breeding.:O

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SPJ

Even with small consistent meals, some of my others still go off feed.

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Probably not small enough.

IMO, most ball pythons in captivity are extremely overfed compared to their wild counterparts.

-adam

OK. So maybe small rats weekly versus mediums. Hmm. Might have to try that with winter coming up.
Thanks.:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SPJ

OK. So maybe small rats weekly versus mediums. Hmm. Might have to try that with winter coming up.
Thanks.:D

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Mediums? WOW ... I don't even feed my 3500+ gram girls mediums ... the largest rat I ever feed a ball python is what I call a "small small" right in between a weaner and a regular small ... I've got a lot of girls with AWESOME size on them ... they don't need anything more.

-adam

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Mediums? WOW ... I don't even feed my 3500+ gram girls mediums ... the largest rat I ever feed a ball python is what I call a "small small" right in between a weaner and a regular small ... I've got a lot of girls with AWESOME size on them ... they don't need anything more.

-adam

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OMG! That is what some of my 2006 ones are eating.:O

That's enough food?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SPJ

OMG! That is what some of my 2006 ones are eating.:O

That's enough food?

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Anytime you'd like to take a trip and see how I roll, you're welcome ... I guarantee I've got some of the biggest balls you've ever seen ... I promise you it's enough.

-adam

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I don't even feed my 3500+ gram girls mediums ... the largest rat I ever feed a ball python is what I call a "small small" right in between a weaner and a regular small ... I've got a lot of girls with AWESOME size on them ... they don't need anything more.

-adam

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Even if the rat is 1/4 of there size? I'm asking because I recently obtained a large adult female. So far I have fed her 1 meal and it was slightly bigger than her girth (I thought that was the rule :() and it was a large rat!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kilo

Even if the rat is 1/4 of there size? I'm asking because I recently obtained a large adult female. So far I have fed her 1 meal and it was slightly bigger than her girth (I thought that was the rule :() and it was a large rat!!!

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The big girl in this picture gets nothing larger than a "small small" rat, ever ... and the rest of the girls that big and some even bigger are the same ... ask anyone on here that's been to my shop, I've got big healthy balls. ;)

http://www.8ballpythons.com/images/lgLesserPage2.jpg

-adam

OMG that snake is enormous!(sp).... jaw dropper! very good looking man! Thanks for the knowledge I learn something new everyday.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Mediums? WOW ... I don't even feed my 3500+ gram girls mediums ... the largest rat I ever feed a ball python is what I call a "small small" right in between a weaner and a regular small ... I've got a lot of girls with AWESOME size on them ... they don't need anything more.

-adam

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Adam,

Perhaps you can quantify your feeding in terms of grams

> XXX & < YYY snake => XXg Rat
>YYY & <ZZZsnake ==>YYg rat
etc

Just a general idea. Obviously, you feed differently than most because of the comment that someone's 2006 eats the same size as your 3500g big birtha :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

The big girl in this picture gets nothing larger than a "small small" rat, ever ... and the rest of the girls that big and some even bigger are the same ... ask anyone on here that's been to my shop, I've got big healthy balls. ;)

http://www.8ballpythons.com/images/lgLesserPage2.jpg

-adam

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Do you try to breed larger males with the larger females? or does that not matter?

~mike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Anytime you'd like to take a trip and see how I roll, you're welcome ... I guarantee I've got some of the biggest balls you've ever seen ... I promise you it's enough.

-adam

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In the last couple months I've moved to the Wysocki feeding method (feeding just a small rat once a week) myself. I see much more consistent feeding. My temperatures are spot on and nobody goes on long fasting sessions anymore.

I don't really weigh my rats, but I would guess that a "small small" is in the 40 - 50 gram range.

My 06's are just now moving on to fuzzies and will stay on them for a long time ... my 05's are eating small weans 30 - 35 grams maybe?

Hope this helps.

-adam

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wildlifewarrior

Do you try to breed larger males with the larger females? or does that not matter?

~mike

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I selectively breed for the best possible appearance that I can achieve in my offspring ... I spend an incredible amount of time finding the right boy for the right girl ... size of the male and female never play into it for me ... as long as they are ready and healthy, it doesn't matter ... but then again, I don't go trying to breed 300 gram males ... when my animals are put into a breeding program, they are more than capable of handling the animal(s) I pair them with.

The male in that picture is over 850 grams I think? ... Closer to 1000? ... just for perspective.

-adam

It's just one small small a week, right Adam?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Schlyne

In the last couple months I've moved to the Wysocki feeding method (feeding just a small rat once a week) myself. I see much more consistent feeding. My temperatures are spot on and nobody goes on long fasting sessions anymore.

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It's going to work very well for you ... wait til you see how it goes for a full year ... It took some convincing when I was first told about feeding small (I used to feed my big girls jumbos, 2 at a time and they'd fast 1/2 the year) but after 4 or 5 years, I'm a believer.

-adam

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Anytime you'd like to take a trip and see how I roll, you're welcome ... I guarantee I've got some of the biggest balls you've ever seen ... I promise you it's enough.

-adam

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

The big girl in this picture gets nothing larger than a "small small" rat, ever ... and the rest of the girls that big and some even bigger are the same ... ask anyone on here that's been to my shop, I've got big healthy balls. ;)

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:eek: :eek:
ummmm....should I even tackle these comments?? Once we work out the details of trading my wife for some cool morphs, as currently being discussed in the off-topic cafe, she will be happy to verify the claim of having the "biggest balls you've ever seen" upon her arrival. :eyepoppin

-BT :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bjthomps

:eek: :eek:
ummmm....should I even tackle these comments?? Once we work out the details of trading my wife for some cool morphs, as currently being discussed in the off-topic cafe, she will be happy to verify the claim of having the "biggest balls you've ever seen" upon her arrival. :eyepoppin

-BT :cool:

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They're usually the second thing that the hotties (and Jamie) notice when they meet me. :twisted:

-adam

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

They're usually the second thing that the hotties (and Jamie) notice when they meet me. :twisted:

-adam

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And what, pray tell, would be the first??

-BT:cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bjthomps

And what, pray tell, would be the first??

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:twisted:

-adam

well the snake of course :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

well the snake of course :P

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Perfection. :love:

-adam

so adam... in mice... would that be one adult mouse a week?