increasing feed for female breeders

[mlededee]

when prepping females for breeding season what do you do as far as feeding? obviously you want to increase their amount of food intake somehow. do you offer more per feeding or do you feed more often or both? so far i have been offering my big girls multiple rats once a week and both have gained weight nicely. should i feed them more often to prep them or keep doing what i'm doing? both are over 2000 grams now and i don't want to power feed, i just want to get them nice and ready to make some babies.

[mr~python]

feed more often

[jglass38]

I am by no means a professional, but I just continue to feed my girl 1 appropriately sized prey item per week. She was at great size for last breeding season and has gained it all back and is ready to go again!

[kavmon]

hey emily, i'm feeding my big girls 2-3 rats a week. i only feed once a week, i feel that once a week is enough, they need time in between digesting their meals. if you fed 2 or 3 times a week there would be no time in between digesting. i personally feel that a snake with a full stomach all the time is not in their best interest. and i have noticed some nice weight gains only feeding once a week, but feeding multiples. one of my big girls has put on 900 grams this year.


vaughn

[jglass38]

Wow! What size are your big girls and what size rats are those? Seems like a lot...But again, I could be wrong!

[kavmon]

this particular girl was 1500 grams when i got her and she normally eats (3) 50-70 gram rats weekly. she is now a tad over 2400 grams. not all my girls eat and gain like this just a few!


vaughn

[Adam_Wysocki]

I do the same as Vaughn ... Once a week only ... Some girls get 2 or 3 rats per feeding, but I only feed "small smalls" to my adult ball pythons, even the girls that are 4000+ grams.

Then some weeks you just give them off or feed them a single rat. Remember, you don't want them to be fat or they'll throw slugs ... they should have a muscular athletic build for breeding.

It's a delicate balance of feeding and growth to make sure the girls have adequate body weight for breeding.

-adam

[mlededee]

one of my big girls put on 600 grams in 2 months eating multiples once a week. i was pretty surprised when i weighed her!

[kavmon]

wow 600 grams in 2 months!!! you got me beat, i think you got the feeding down good, maybe too good! lol


vaughn

[mlededee]

ha, well it certainly surprised me. she's definitely my best eater.
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ok so "heavier feeding schedule" (as per adam's site ) does not mean more often. neither of my girls seem fat--one of them is pretty solid and firm but the other, though close to the same weight feels like she just needs to bulk up some more. she's not as athletic feeling as adam calls it.