Feeding prey by weight or size?

[LittleTreeGuy]

Question for you all... My female is currently at 114g. I have been feeding her rat fuzzies for her last three feedings and have quite a few more of them left. ( I got a bag of 25). I have been very good about checking her weight and weighing her prey weekly and always feeding her with prey that is between 10-15% of her body weight. At 114g, going by weight, prey should fall between 11 and 17g. I have been feeding rats around 14/15g. So, with this size prey, it doesn't leave much of a "lump" in her once she swallows it past the first three inches of her throat. She seems to be doing well, from what I can tell, but her skin does feel a little loose on her from time to time. I have been feeding her every 6 days. Do you all think this is sufficient? Should I maybe feed every 5 days, or should I up the prey size? The next size prey seems to be up around 20-30g, and I was afraid that would be too big to step her up to. Maybe just keep on with what I'm doing?

[Rickys_Reptiles]

If I were you I'd sell the bag of fuzzies, and start feeding rat pups. You really don't need to weight the prey item, it's not that specific. If you can't get rid of them, then feed 1 fuzzy every 4 days till they're gone, and then start feeding rat pups once a week. Rat fuzzies are too small for a baby. The rule you're talking about is more for adults than babies. Babies, like human babies, eat way more than adults as a ratio to body weight.

[blue roses]

I was feeding the same as you when my guy was a baby, but he just seemed to not gain so i started to feed more often and he gained at a nice steady weight. He is now about 18 months old weighs 900 g and eats a small rat every week. I don't weigh the food but when i order i order the size that is no more then 15% of his weight. I feed frozen thawed.

[EL-Ziggy]

I use the 10-15% of body weight method for my younger and older snakes. The younger snakes will occasionally get a larger meal. I also feed the younger ones every 5-6 days until they turn one then I feed them every 7-10 days. What you're feeding her now is definitely adequate but you could offer her a 2nd fuzzy every 2-3 feedings if you wanted. No point in wasting the fuzzys. Once you finish those off you can try the rat pups.

[Felidae]

Here is how I feed my females. Every 5 days until they reach around 200g, then every 7 days.

Ball weight / Prey weight
50-100g / 10-20g
150-300g / 25-45g
350-500g. / 45-65g
550-700g / 70-80g
750-1000g / 80-110g
1200-1700g / 100-150g
1800-2500g / 120-180g
2600-3000+ g / max 150-220g (even my 4300g female)

The males in the same regime until they're 700g, after they stay with 70-80g rats.

[ItsAllNew2Me!]

I usually feed by weight and use the 10-15% rule. I weigh once per month and then give according size to that animal for that whole month...The cool thing for me is that My animals are in groups of around the same size so size variation of the prey item is pretty minimal for my collection. I don't really weigh prey so much as eyeball it. I am not really too worried if i under of over fed by a few grams as it has never been an issue and I have only had 1 go off feed for a week. Hope it never changes

[bigSAK]

I've been feeding 10-15% every 5 days since I got my BP. Shes around 600g now and still going on the same schedule.

[Alicia]

I go by size, sticking with prey roughly equal to the diameter of the snake . . . Sometimes a touch more, more often a little less. Feeding by weight, for me, has always put my adult BPs off feed. Even going by prey size, that's really only applicable for for the first two years or so with the girls -- I actually don't give my BPs anything larger than medium-smalls.

[Felidae]

I go by size, sticking with prey roughly equal to the diameter of the snake . . . Sometimes a touch more, more often a little less. Feeding by weight, for me, has always put my adult BPs off feed. Even going by prey size, that's really only applicable for for the first two years or so with the girls -- I actually don't give my BPs anything larger than medium-smalls.

^
That.

I feed by weight, but I reduce the proportion as they grow, like this they don't go off feed.

[ItsAllNew2Me!]

^
That.

I feed by weight, but I reduce the proportion as they grow, like this they don't go off feed.

Sorry about that I did miss this...I plan on maxing out at 150g prey items for all females and continue normal feeding routine. For males i plan keeping around the 1000g mark so they will most likely be on a maintenance diet at 150g every 14 days. This is all conjecture as i don't have any that large at the moment so it may change on an animal by animal basis