Feeding scheduals

[padiente]

First let me say, I am not posting this to start petty arguements between the members, I really do want to know what is best for Kitty.
As I have said before, I feed Kitty rather intermittantly. Sometimes a week, sometimes 10 days sometimes 2 weeks sometimes longer if shed follows refusal and then another resusal during shed. I have fed him a rat and a small mouse in one feeding before after such a situation. Until recently I was under the impression that this was ok, it did cut down on meal refusal, but have I been wrong in my practice? Please fill me in.

[Freakie_frog]

It is better to feed one big prey item than two, it reduces the amount of energy the snake has to expend eating. You should be feeding items the same size as the biggest part of your snake maybe just a little bigger. I offer my bp food about every 7 to 10 days also depending on size of last meal and shed or not. If he want eat then he is no hungery due to stress and just the fact that the last meal has held him over. But either way when they get hungery they will eat.

[padiente]

I fed him a large and a small the day I fed 2, but generally it is a medium rat, and the leangth of time between meals depends on how long was between the previous meal and so on. I do not want to over feed nor waste a meal, or under feed. Am I alright? I am not so much worried about the single or multiple debate just the schedualing.

[Freakie_frog]

yea you should be OK

[Adam_Wysocki]

I feed my ball pythons every week. Sometimes they get 2 small items sometimes 1 large, sometimes 6 very small items. Sometimes they have a lump in their body afterwards, but mostly they look like they always do. If I miss a week on an animal or two, no big deal.

I would be surprised if ball pythons in the wild ate more than 7 or 8 times a year.

My point is that there is no "right way" or "wrong way" to feed your snake. You should do whats best for you and your ball python! If it's eating and growing you are doing it right.

Also, I disagree with the idea that 2 small meals cost the snake more energy to eat than 1 large. Swallowing a small meal is easier for the snakes muscles to move down the body. Swallowing a large meal takes a considerable effort on the snakes part. According to my records animals that I feed multiple small meals to on average gain weight and grow faster than animals that will only take a single large meal. But in the end I would guess that either way is about even.

Hope this helps.

-adam

[Smulkin]

I think by "energy cost" he might also have been referring to the larger amount of body-surface (fur) on 2 rodents vs 1 of equal weight (and certainly constricting is they still do that with f/t or pk). I try to feed weekly - regularly if for no other reason than to establish a rhythm - as much for myself in husbandry as for the snakes in regularity.

[padiente]

hmm, if one feeds one's snake less often than once a week does he mature more slowly, and is this ok?

[Freakie_frog]

What I was meaning by energy cost is; Does the snake spend more energy per food to constrict, eat and digest the mouse, mice, whatever than each item replaces. It would be like you walking down to Micky D's for a hamburger walking back to your place eating the burger. Walking back to Micky D's for fries and back to you place to eat it and back a forth for drink and so on. You would be tired as hell and still hungery. But if you made one trip and got it all at once then you'd be full and still have energy. Even though the food give you the same energy both ways it the amount of energy that is spent getting the food and eating it what makes the differance. Thats why they are so inactive after eating they have no energy and what little they do have is focused on digestion. Two items or more really take a tole on their systems

[Adam_Wysocki]

Two items or more really take a tole on their systems

There is no evidence to support that, so that would be your opinion. My opinion is that multiple prey items per feeding are better for my collection. I'm certainly not saying your way is wrong, just that I don't agree with it as a blanket statement.

How about looking at it like this .... swallowing a Big Mac in one bite or eating it like normal.

Moving your hands up and down to your mouth takes more energy than doing it once, but taking lots of small bites is more comfortable and less stressful. If you were going to try and cram a whole Big Mac into your mouth and chew it, your mouth would probably be a little sore afterwards as well.

No one has any evidence to support either way being better. It's all theoretical. Every keeper should to what works for them.

In the end, if the animal is eating and growing and healthy how in the world would it even matter if your feeding multiple vs. single prey items?

-adam

[mlededee]

No one has any evidence to support either way being better. It's all theoretical. Every keeper should to what works for them.

that right there, i think, is the bottom line. good points all around, but when it comes down to it, just do what works for you and your snake.