When do you feed your snake(s)?

When do you feed your snake(s)? I'm curious to see when the best time to feed is:)

In your case, feed them when theyre tagging your fingers. =P

Juvies every 4, sub adults every 7, adults every 10. HOWEVER, everyone is now on a 6-8 day feeding schedule in prep for the upcoming season. I try to feed every Saturday but sometimes I have to feed Friday or Sunday as I have things to do besides thaw rats out all day.

Hatchlings every five days until they start to consistently refuse on that schedule, then everyone's on every 7 days.

I go 3-5 days unless they refuse food.

Once a week, no matter the size or age, though I've never had hatchlings. Once I raise my own feeders, I'll vary it if someone is shedding or something.

Hatchlings get fed every 5 days till they hit 500+ grams then they get switched to every 7 with everybody else.

I generally feed all of them every 7 days... kinda have to feed them on the same day, since they eat live (and I only have 3 snakes right now). I also have limited options on where to get the rodents, so it's sometimes determined by when I'm in the right neighborhood!

Depends on the snake.

Hatchling it can be every 4 to 5 days or every 7 days

Adults once a week

Females prior to breeding season (starting end of august) every 5 days.

Every 5-7

So, why do we (general public) so often hear about snakes eating once every month or so? Heck, one of the Craigslist ad snakes I enquired about was fed once a month.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Patricia

So, why do we (general public) so often hear about snakes eating once every month or so? Heck, one of the Craigslist ad snakes I enquired about was fed once a month.

---

Was it a larger python like a burm, retic, or a big blood? They can be fed larger prey items less often.

Dennis

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Patricia

So, why do we (general public) so often hear about snakes eating once every month or so? Heck, one of the Craigslist ad snakes I enquired about was fed once a month.

---

Cuz most people don't know anything about snakes. Even some jokers that keep them don't have any ideas. Its sad really. I had someone I sold a snake to said I sold them a missexed ball cuz It had tail spurs. And this person has had like, 3 or 4 snakes in their days of keeping.

I feed mine every Tuesday which just happens to be today. Mine all feed live and usually are right up to the front of their tubs waiting for dinner.

I feed my scaly kids every Friday or Saturday (depending on when my rat/mouse dealer is at home LOL). My gang knows when feeding day is. When I get home Friday evening, everyone is out or have their heads poking out of their hides waiting for me to drop a rat or mouse in there. The rats and mice don't last more then 3 seconds in there with them before they are gotten & killed and eaten. My gang doesn't play on feeding day! Dar I not feed them on Friday! Saturdays they are even more ready aggressive to grab at whatever should happen to poke anywhere in their tubs.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PghBall

I feed mine every Tuesday which just happens to be today. Mine all feed live and usually are right up to the front of their tubs waiting for dinner.

---

Feeding day for mine is usually Wednesday, which is tomorrow... Mona seems to know, because she always starts roaming/hunting on Monday night. :D Should I maybe feed her every 5 days instead? She's the biggest of my three, so I'm surprised she gets hungry more often than the young'uns!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Patricia

So, why do we (general public) so often hear about snakes eating once every month or so? Heck, one of the Craigslist ad snakes I enquired about was fed once a month.

---

Like the others said, it could be a large snake - or they're just clueless. I saw one ad for a BP that said it gets 5-7 fuzzy mice, once a month... HUH?? :weirdface That person was either extremely lazy & does all 4 (monthly) feedings at once, or knows nothing about Ball Pythons. Geez, you'd think it was hard to research them or something. :rolleyes:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hapa_Haole

Was it a larger python like a burm, retic, or a big blood? They can be fed larger prey items less often.

---

No, it was a BP. When I was making enquiries about getting a BP, that's what that particular owner told me. 3yo snake, 4 feet long.

Our 15yo became very familiar with the corn snake kept in the school biology classroom ("Cornelius," cute!) and says it eats only one mouse a month. Any time they offered a mouse sooner, the snake didn't want it.

Interesting to read how some of the BPs here know when feeding day is. dh thinks snakes aren't smart, but I've seen all sorts of critters know specific times of day/week. I hope to fall into a steady rhythm with our new BP. :)

Does this look like a hungry snake to you? (taken last night) Mama, it's almost feeding day!! :D

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF6048.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF6050.jpg

Okay, I'll just wait here until the rat arrives...
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF6043.jpg

We feed our 2 every friday. And it doesnt take any time at all

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Patricia

So, why do we (general public) so often hear about snakes eating once every month or so? Heck, one of the Craigslist ad snakes I enquired about was fed once a month.

---

Because the person who bought it did not reasearch anything about it and probably bought it to show off to it's friends,

Daniel

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lolo76

Does this look like a hungry snake to you?

---

Exactly what mine looks like when it's ready to swallow something, LOL! Hey, I like that background you have. Where did you get it from?

Makena is always happy on Wednesdays!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Patricia

Exactly what mine looks like when it's ready to swallow something, LOL! Hey, I like that background you have. Where did you get it from?

---

Thanks! I got it at Pet Kingdom in San Diego... are you in that part of SoCal? If so, it's a fun place to visit - albeit a tad overpriced and questionable in their reptile care. :rolleyes:

Not that far south. I snapped some nice photos around Yosemite and Arizona that I thought of enlarging and using as the tank background.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Patricia

Not that far south. I snapped some nice photos around Yosemite and Arizona that I thought of enlarging and using as the tank background.

---

That would be way cool! :gj: Toby's tank has the coolest dinosaur background, which I got at a store here in the Bay Area... if/when I switch to tubs, I'm going to miss having those pretty backgrounds.

I feed 2x a month, sometimes a little more or less, depending on the snake, but usually every 2 weeks or so. I didn't vote because there wasn't a "10+" option.

I don't have a bp yet, just a watersnake, but Levi gets fed once or twice a week, depending on the size of fish he gets. Once I get him on a diet with more uniform sized food, I'll probably be feeding him every four days. With him, I'm kind of playing it by ear since there's not much information on watersnakes online. He's growing, he's active, and hasn't had a bad shed yet, so I must be doing something right, lol.

my ballies havent reach their breeding weight but this is the plan...

baby balls till 400 grams - every 5-days. 1-3 mices. target an average increase of 40-80grams per mth.

400 grams till 700 grams - every 5-days, mices + baby rats. (switching to rat phase)

700 grams till 1000 gram - every 7days. 1-2 rats. target a weight increase of 80-120 grams per mth.

1000 grams till 1500 gram - every 7days. 2-rats

1500 grams - every 10-days, 1 and 2 rats alternate week.

Oh, this is the plan on females, males dont need to go 2-rats, as males can be breed below 1500-grams, but im targeting 1200grams on males.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EdShal

my ballies havent reach their breeding weight but this is the plan...

baby balls till 400 grams - every 5-days. 1-3 mices. target an average increase of 40-80grams per mth.

400 grams till 700 grams - every 5-days, mices + baby rats. (switching to rat phase)

700 grams till 1000 gram - every 7days. 1-2 rats. target a weight increase of 80-120 grams per mth.

1000 grams till 1500 gram - every 7days. 2-rats

1500 grams - every 10-days, 1 and 2 rats alternate week.

Oh, this is the plan on females, males dont need to go 2-rats, as males can be breed below 1500-grams, but im targeting 1200grams on males.

---

Any reason you're looking to feed multiple rats? The main reason most people feed rats is because they get big enough to make a single meal.

7-10 days for me

It depends on what I'm feeding them, age, how much they weigh, and feeding response.

In example, babies, underweight adults, and snakes that often refuse get fed every five days.

Average-sized adults get fed every seven days.

Heavy adults get fed every ten days.

And, of course, if I don't have appropriately sized feeders, I will feed several smaller feeders, or a large feeder and wait two weeks for another feeding.


I do not powerfeed. Nothing anyone tells me will convince me to powerfeed. My babies' health always comes first and the above schedule has kept all of my babies in peak health; none are obese, none are underweight.