Ball Python Feeding Guidelines

Eric is a great guy, taking time to make a chart to help new keepers. I think he should make one for all snake species now. J\K. :P

Nice, add pittontheprowl's pic and sticky them together?, some useful info for the new peeps. Just throwing this out there because i lost count on how many times hes posted it showing somebody how to. this plus feeding chart:gj:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery//sh...mageuser=19365

Thanks for the help Eric! Should be a sticky.

Have you posted this on facebook ? I'd want to share it, this is awesome and so much easier then explaining every time.

EDIT: Found it! nvm ;)

if you are keeping them as a pet, but you followed the breeder guidelines, what would happen? is it for them to "bulk up" faster?
would it be harmful to?

If you weren't careful and didn't pay attention to the snakes body condition (which is another part of knowing what to feed when that can't really go into a chart) you could risk obesity. It's assumed breeding animals are going to be using a lot calories and energy during the entire breeding process, and at some point they're probably gonna go off food, so they need to go it with some extra reserves and then you have to build them up for next season.

That said, depending on your individual snake's metabolism and activity level, you could just end up with a perfectly trim and healthy, while rather large snake.

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Originally Posted by paroxysm

if you are keeping them as a pet, but you followed the breeder guidelines, what would happen? is it for them to "bulk up" faster?
would it be harmful to?

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"Bulk up" really isn't the right way to think about it. It's playing into their voracious appetites when they're young to set them up for success as they get older. For someone who breeds ball pythons, it is especially important to take advantage of this while they can and then gradually back off when their animals tell them to as they mature. That's what I tried to replicate in the chart. For a pet, in the grand scheme of things, the growth rate of their little ones is less important and, ultimately, most BPs will do well on a once/week schedule. Whichever side a person follows, after a few months they're exactly the same anyway. No harm will come to any animals using either guide - it's a pretty conservative schedule.

Personally, I advocate the "breeder" side for all animals - pets and breeders alike. Getting little ones into a good feeding routine is beneficial for everyone. I didn't want to box anyone in though and say that there's only one way to do things, which is why I left the guide flexible.

:gj:

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Originally Posted by BR8080

NICELY DONE - if it's deemed not sticky worthy here, I hope you're satisfied I found it laminate worthy. :D

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I love that you found it laminate worthy! :)

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Originally Posted by Neal

I think he should make one for all snake species now. J\K. :P

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I know you're J\King, but I just gotta say it. No thank you. I'll be the first to point out the limits of my knowledge/experience, and "all snake species" are well beyond that boundary.

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Originally Posted by Ufoo9k

Have you posted this on facebook ? I'd want to share it, this is awesome and so much easier then explaining every time.

EDIT: Found it! nvm ;)

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Yep - it was on my FB page a couple of days before this post. Share away! :gj:

I'ts interesting to look at such a feeding chart and consider the pro's the con's. As an evolutionary biologist, herpetologist, and herpetoculturist, I try to absorb as much information regarding the effects of feeding schedules on the snakes physiology. Combine that with dissections of numerous "pet/breeder and wild" boids and pythonids over the years, I get to see the effects of feeding first hand. I posted this before, but I think its relevant.

"The frequency of feeding is something that interests me greatly, due to the dramatic physiological changes that occur rapidly upon feeding. Based on work carried out on Burmese pythons, it was shown that within 48 hours of feeding metabolic rate increases 44 fold, and the plasma triglyceride content increases 160 fold (thus the blood becomes thicker). Within 72 hours major organ specific changes also occur. For example, the small intestines, pancreas, liver, kidneys, and heart, increase in mass by between 40 and 100 fold. These changes last 10 to 14 days before returning to pre-feeding conditions. Physiologically, that is a massive amount of stress on organs. So, the question arises, if we feed on a 5 to 7 day routine, are we maintaining our snakes in a constant state of physiological stress (which may explain the short life span of many pythons and boas in captivity)? Furthermore, if we are feeding on a 5 to 7 day schedule, are the animals effectively utilizing all of the available meal, or are we simply pushing this through their systems with a reduced amount of processing?"

Would love to hear others opinions. Personally, I could not disagree more with a feeding regime of every 3-4 days for snakes up to 200 grams. But that is just me basing it off what we currently know about pythonid physiology.

Warren

I think you could easily go with feeding most adults every second week.