Feeding- How often is too often.

[George1994]

Hello everyone. Has been a while!

Just wanted to talk about my small Female Ball, Talia. She has always been a problem feeder. Always. Previous owners really had problems with her, and this has continued for me. Had her for about a year... She hasn't put weight on at all. It is getting me really stressed out. She will eat a few meals, and then stop for 2 months. Eat a meal, then not for a month. This has been the case for ever, hence why she was so small when I got her and still small now.

I have recently tried Multi's for the first time and she ate it first time. Didn't strike, but I left in in with her and checked back an hour later and it was gone, thankfully. This was Monday night. Is it too soon to feed her again, bearing in mind the Multi's are on the small side for her? I wanted to get her eating and didn't want to intimidate her with the prey. I'm getting worried about her weight, she defecated recently and I got to take her weight and she has lost 25 grams in about 6 weeks. A fair whack for a 300g snake.

I just want her to sort it out. I've tried so much for this girl over the past year! Not had anything stress or worry in my whole life as much as she has this past 12 months. She looks quite triangular, but still has a flat, and fairly healthy looking belly. No sagging skin.

Thanks for the input,
George.

[200xth]

If your snake is a problem feeder but otherwise healthy, you may not want to feed as often as possible.

Humans like feeding schedules. Once a week is convenient and easy to remember and follow...for humans. Snakes are less interested in calendars.

I had a few problem feeders a few years ago. I tried switching food, moving tubs, etc, etc. I was trying to get them to eat on schedule and gain weight like the other snakes.

Then I just listened to the snakes and quit trying to feed them so often. It took a little bit on some of them, but one by one they started eating more consistently, and started putting on weight slowly but surely with much less frustration on my part. They still skip occasional meals and like all BP's go on fasts at times, but some of them just prefer eating less frequently for the most part.

[George1994]

If your snake is a problem feeder but otherwise healthy, you may not want to feed as often as possible.

Humans like feeding schedules. Once a week is convenient and easy to remember and follow...for humans. Snakes are less interested in calendars.

I had a few problem feeders a few years ago. I tried switching food, moving tubs, etc, etc. I was trying to get them to eat on schedule and gain weight like the other snakes.

Then I just listened to the snakes and quit trying to feed them so often. It took a little bit on some of them, but one by one they started eating more consistently, and started putting on weight slowly but surely with much less frustration on my part. They still skip occasional meals and like all BP's go on fasts at times, but some of them just prefer eating less frequently for the most part.

Thank you for the input. She hasn't had a regimented feeding schedule like my male has. She gets fed more often, but I never really set out a day for her. Just when I could get different prey, different things to scent the prey with etc. Same with the Multis, got 'em Monday, she got fed one that night.

I am just worried due to her size. 300g's for a 2014, that seems really small for me. But like I said, she looks healthy. And with a couple meals she might start packing on some weight. I just worry that she is too small and not healthy due to it.

[200xth]

I am just worried due to her size. 300g's for a 2014, that seems really small for me. But like I said, she looks healthy. And with a couple meals she might start packing on some weight. I just worry that she is too small and not healthy due to it.

300g is a little on the small side, but some of them just eat less and grow slower. If her overall condition and health are good she's doing okay.

If she was mine, I would just start offering food every 14 days. See how she does on that for a few months. She'll gain slowly but she'll gain steadily and after 5 or 6 consecutive feedings you can look at bumping up her schedule if you want.

[George1994]

300g is a little on the small side, but some of them just eat less and grow slower. If her overall condition and health are good she's doing okay.

If she was mine, I would just start offering food every 14 days. See how she does on that for a few months. She'll gain slowly but she'll gain steadily and after 5 or 6 consecutive feedings you can look at bumping up her schedule if you want.

Thanks for all this info, I have tried giving her some extended breaks off of food and just leaving her alone, she has had mixed success with it. But that is better than no success. I guess they are like people. If for her whole life she has struggled eating, she will be smaller than most. Same with humans. Even if she did eat well she could be smaller than one born the same day and fed exactly the same. Just how it goes I guess.

I was just worried about the size of her. Needed some reassuring words haha!

[OodlesOfNoodles]

My bumblebee was exactly the same - shy eater, eating sporadically and who would only eat one mouse (wouldn't take multiples) and nearly made me go bald lol. He has only just started to eat more consistently this year since switching over to multis.

Ball pythons grow really well on multis and have a great feeding response to them! But as you know being from the UK too they're not the cheapest feeders over here.

[BCS]

Im not really sure what multis is but you do not mention what you were feeding her before the multis...

I have a cinnabelly that was almost the same. She would eat a F/T rat once every 3-6 weeks, despite being offered every week. She wasn't gaining either. She wasn't losing weight but she stayed at 700g - 720g pretty much for 9 months. She also had really bad sheds and wasn't as active as my other snakes. I now feed her live and she eats weekly now. She seems to be a lot healthier now too. Her last shed was in pieces but all of it came off finally. She is also more active at night. I am not saying you have to feed live but it is an option to think about.

[George1994]

Im not really sure what multis is but you do not mention what you were feeding her before the multis...

I have a cinnabelly that was almost the same. She would eat a F/T rat once every 3-6 weeks, despite being offered every week. She wasn't gaining either. She wasn't losing weight but she stayed at 700g - 720g pretty much for 9 months. She also had really bad sheds and wasn't as active as my other snakes. I now feed her live and she eats weekly now. She seems to be a lot healthier now too. Her last shed was in pieces but all of it came off finally. She is also more active at night. I am not saying you have to feed live but it is an option to think about.

Im not really sure what multis is but you do not mention what you were feeding her before the multis....

Apologies, by Muli, I mean Multimammate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natal_multimammate_mouse

More commonly called African Soft-Fur Rat, or ASF. May have heard them called that. I tried, rats and mice, had more success on rats with her however! I have been seriously considering live, but would rather that as a last resort, purely due to the availability of them for me. I will see how she gets on with the Multi's, but live is something I have been thinking about for a while now.

Thank you.

[BCS]

Apologies, by Muli, I mean Multimammate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natal_multimammate_mouse

More commonly called African Soft-Fur Rat, or ASF. May have heard them called that. I tried, rats and mice, had more success on rats with her however! I have been seriously considering live, but would rather that as a last resort, purely due to the availability of them for me. I will see how she gets on with the Multi's, but live is something I have been thinking about for a while now.

Thank you.

Ah, I have never heard them called that before. I actually breed ASFs so you would think I would know hahaha.

[bcr229]

In 2013 I got a female yellow belly granite neonate from a local breeder. She was a sporadic feeder from the get-go and still is. All of my female 2013's are 1300 grams or larger now, while she may have topped 800 grams (I haven't bothered to weigh her recently). When I bought her I had hoped to breed her this year, but that's not happening.

She's always been on live rats, she just only eats every few weeks when she is eating. She only started eating more consistently when I offered food every 14 days instead of weekly, and even then I known not to bother offering her a feeder if she's in shed.

Also, if the rat is too big she won't eat it. She gets the small rats that are closer to 50 grams than 80 grams.