ball python feed schedule

do u really need to have ur snakes on a feeding schudule

Uh... Every Wednesday for me.

typically wednesday's for me too..i'm thinking about switching to sunday's tho. weekly is much easier for me.

We feed everyone saturday night! That's the day we don't bother them until food time (around 9 pm) and they never fail to eat :) They are hunting that day, just makes it easier when they are on a schedule. They will learn it, and will be waiting for it. ;)

I feed every Thursday at 6:30. And you'd better watch them fingers.

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Originally Posted by jonnyboyz

do u really need to have ur snakes on a feeding schudule

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Do you NEED to? I'm sure plenty of folks get along alright without having a set schedule. They certainly don't go out and catch a rat every Tuesday at 7pm in the wild. :P

However...feeding on the same day of the week every week has many advanatages, especially if you have multiple animals to care for. For the last couple of months, my feeding schedules have been in a bit of a flux, because my life has been in a flux...and the snakes are doing fine and eating well anyhow. But I miss my regular schedule and plan to get strict about it again as soon as I can.

Thursday nights... gives em friday and saturday to digest... Im usually not home to take em out so it works nicely.... Consistancy is good.

I personally like the idea of a feed schedule and the animals seem to really get dialed in on that day.

On the other hand I've heard of people not using any type of feeding schedule with the idea of keeping the snake in an opportunistic feeding mode. The animal never is for sure when food is coming. It could be 10 days after it's last meal another time 3 and another 14. So hypothetically speaking the animal should refuse less often because it just doesn't know when another meal is going to come along. Interesting stuff

Thats a pretty creative feeding idea... It makes pretty good sense too... more of training it to use its natural insticts to take food when you can get it... either way if the snakes eating regularly... it doesnt really matter... people just use the same day to help make sure they eat regularly just like others use a specific feeding tub.

Usually when I'm not in school I follow a feeding schedule just because its easier to defrost a whole bunch of rats, but now that I'm in school I can't help but have a sporatic feeding schedule, sometime btw 7-11 days. This is when good record keeping becomes a must, or else I would not have a clue who was fed when, index cards are my friends. I've had positive results when both on schedules and off although I must say being off a schedule seems to require more of the dead rat dance.

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Originally Posted by jonnyboyz

do u really need to have ur snakes on a feeding schudule

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You don't have to but it help, trust me when come wednesday they know it and you better watch out ;)

I usually feed my yearlings every 5 days just because they're growing at such a rapid rate, but usually around a year or so they are moved to one small rat once a week, (which is thursdays right now). As far as a specific time goes, it varies constantly, depending on my school schedule for the day.

I too feed anyone under a year every 5 days. Anyone thats over a year every 7 days. As for time of day most of the time i feed later in the afternoon or so. Sometimes as late as 8 pm. The time thing has never really been a big deal with my snakes.

I feed on Wednsdays that way if I need to clean his tank I can do it on the weekend. I think good record keeping is the most important thing to do though. A weekly feeding just keeps things regular and prevents over feeding.

I feed weekly too, on Tuesdays. I've fed without a schedule before, snakes did fine(never refused), but it was hard for me.

I feed every Sunday evening between 9:00pm and 10:00pm.

I do not have a set feeding day. But for the '07 babies, I do; I now feed them every Saturday. For the others, there are just too many factors; I do not feed in shed. So if someone is in blue, they get fed after they shed. With breeding, the breeders are not on a set schedule anyway as, for my male, I will run him with a female for a few days, then give him a few days' respite and a meal. The ladies, I do continue to feed smaller prey items during the breeding time if they will take it.
My male Pastel is not breeding this year, and he is an '05; but I cannot feed him weekly! He gets overly fat and thus I feed him on a 10-day schedule roughly; same with my new adult male who I am told is prone to chubbiness as well. My snakes alll have the same temperatures but I noticed that my pastel guy who is prone to fattiness, prefers the cooler side of his tub; maybe he just digests slower because of this?
During non-breeding times, I feed my adults roughly every 10 days but usually go by when they poop. If one poops, I feed. Then if 10 days or so go by and no poop, I feed again and presto, a poop soon ensues. My snakes do not go off-feed like I hear about in many other cases; almost to a tee. Breeding females tend to break this rule.. but both of my males seemed to become even more voracious in appetite when they were/are being bred!
Interesting stuff!