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  1. #1
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    New Snake Momma!

    Hey everyone! New snake Momma here!

    Loki is a 14 month old pastel genetic stripe. A good eater...but recent has become an aggressive eater and seems hungry all the time!

    We feed him a mouse as he is still pretty small for his age. Live but knocked out before going into the tank. My air conditioner went out, so it’s been hot in the house making his enclosure temps abnormal “for him”. Temps are not to high, but I am not really able to keep a good variant for a hot and cold side. Humidity is perfect, but temp is pretty much the same through the whole enclosure. Anyway, he has 3 hides, the one in the middle of the tank is shaped like a tree. The past two times he has eaten, he strikes at the “tree” hide before we even offer the mouse.

    Our typical process is to put the mouse near his enclosure so he can smell it for a few minutes prior to feeding him. This was suggested by the breeder. When we feed him, he usually primed and ready. However, he has now started striking at the tree as soon as he smells the mouse.

    Is he just really hungry? Is the temp making him extra aggressive and agitated? Air will be fixed tomorrow...thank goodness. Thanks for any advice you can offer.
    Last edited by legendarycoltsgurl; 05-24-2021 at 11:32 AM. Reason: Typo

  2. #2
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Welcome "new momma"- Without knowing his size & weight as well as that of his prey & feeding schedule, it's possible he's under-fed & really is hungry. Like humans & other creatures, young snakes are growing quicker than they do as adults, subject to available food & adequate conditions of course. Also, his metabolism is entirely controlled by the warmth, so yeah, that can help to put a snake into "high gear".
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  4. #3
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    Re: New Snake Momma!

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    Welcome "new momma"- Without knowing his size & weight as well as that of his prey & feeding schedule, it's possible he's under-fed & really is hungry. Like humans & other creatures, young snakes are growing quicker than they do as adults, subject to available food & adequate conditions of course. Also, his metabolism is entirely controlled by the warmth, so yeah, that can help to put a snake into "high gear".
    Thank you so much! He is around 26 inches long. Thickest part of his body is less than 2 inches in diameter. He seems thin compared to his length..in my novice opinion. Lol The mice are pretty small compared to the rats at the pet shop, but he was fine going 10 ten days between feedings until two weeks ago. We bumped him up to 7 days, but since the problem with our air conditioning started almost a week ago, and I have fed him twice in three days. Just ate around 4 pm yesterday and is already sticking his head out of his favorite hide. He usually stays in there a good 24 hours after eating. I didn’t know the heat could impact metabolism! So, he is probably just hungry! Do you think I should feed him again tonight? I assume he isn’t going to eat if he isn’t hungry? I have heard of picky ball pythons...he sure isn’t one of them! He ate the first night we brought him home as the breeder hadn’t fed him in THREE WEEKS! I was in complete shock when they told me. He has been eager to eat every time we feed him.

    thanks again!!

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    A snake this age & size, the most often he should be eating is every 7 days, but you need to make sure you're feeding him the appropriate size prey also, & preferably just one item, but if you need to feed multiple items, feed them back to back within an hour. Otherwise, the first thing gets partially digested, & here comes another item before there are sufficient digestive enzymes available, & the next thing you know, your snake regurgitates.

    You might think it's a small risk, but it's not- snakes are not good at barfing up meals- they can actually be harmed by it & rarely they can even die from it. They can aspirate into their lungs, or their insides can be damaged (scratched etc) by the claws & teeth of the prey when it "exits" in reverse before they've had a chance to be softened (partially digested). So you want to avoid feeding a snake in such a way that causes a regurgitation by doing what I explained above.

    Here's a chart that may help: (many keepers keep track of the weight of their snakes- if you're unsure how to do this accurately, just ask)
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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    Re: New Snake Momma!

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    A snake this age & size, the most often he should be eating is every 7 days, but you need to make sure you're feeding him the appropriate size prey also, & preferably just one item, but if you need to feed multiple items, feed them back to back within an hour. Otherwise, the first thing gets partially digested, & here comes another item before there are sufficient digestive enzymes available, & the next thing you know, your snake regurgitates.

    You might think it's a small risk, but it's not- snakes are not good at barfing up meals- they can actually be harmed by it & rarely they can even die from it. They can aspirate into their lungs, or their insides can be damaged (scratched etc) by the claws & teeth of the prey when it "exits" in reverse before they've had a chance to be softened (partially digested). So you want to avoid feeding a snake in such a way that causes a regurgitation by doing what I explained above.

    Here's a chart that may help: (many keepers keep track of the weight of their snakes- if you're unsure how to do this accurately, just ask)

    Thank you so much for this information!! I will try to get a weight on him ASAP. I do know how to do it. 😁

    I knew regurgitation is bad and a threat, but didn’t know feeding too soon could cause it! I really appreciate the knowledge share!!

  8. #6
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    Re: New Snake Momma!

    Quote Originally Posted by legendarycoltsgurl View Post
    Thank you so much for this information!! I will try to get a weight on him ASAP. I do know how to do it. 😁

    I knew regurgitation is bad and a threat, but didn’t know feeding too soon could cause it! I really appreciate the knowledge share!!
    Super easy to get weight, you can just pick up a kitchen scale from a grocery store. I usually use a plastic container big enough for mine to lay in, sit it on the scale and zero it out so it's not counting the container weight, then just plop my snakes in. You want to try to weigh your snake while it's empty, aka after he's had a bowel movement, that way you can get a more accurate weight.

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    Re: New Snake Momma!

    Quote Originally Posted by legendarycoltsgurl View Post
    Thank you so much for this information!! I will try to get a weight on him ASAP. I do know how to do it. 😁

    I knew regurgitation is bad and a threat, but didn’t know feeding too soon could cause it! I really appreciate the knowledge share!!
    That's wonderful that he loves to eat. Just be patient & always give him enough time to digest -don't fall for his cute "greedy eyes", lol- he doesn't know any better- just like a child that wants to eat 3 ice cream sundaes & then feels sick. (to answer your question about feeding him again soon).

    And remember that warmth does for a snake's appetite what a 5-hour hike (with no snacks) does for ours.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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    Re: New Snake Momma!

    Not sure if anyone will see this reply, but things are back to normal here. Air is fixed, so Loki’s temps are back to normal with a gradient. He made it it 7 days, and today we fed two mice within minutes. He was super eager to take both of them from us! They had one small rat at the pet shop, but I still think the small rat is just too big for him. I am hoping with 2 mice he will go 7-10 days between feedings. Mostly because I don’t want him to be hungry, but also because every time I go to the pet shop I feel it is my duty to buy my chihuahua a new toy. It’s getting quite expensive! 😂

    Anyway, thanks for all the advice! I think I am getting the hang of this snake parent thing!!

  13. #9
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    Re: New Snake Momma!

    Quote Originally Posted by legendarycoltsgurl View Post
    Not sure if anyone will see this reply, but things are back to normal here. Air is fixed, so Loki’s temps are back to normal with a gradient. He made it it 7 days, and today we fed two mice within minutes. He was super eager to take both of them from us! They had one small rat at the pet shop, but I still think the small rat is just too big for him. I am hoping with 2 mice he will go 7-10 days between feedings. Mostly because I don’t want him to be hungry, but also because every time I go to the pet shop I feel it is my duty to buy my chihuahua a new toy. It’s getting quite expensive! ��

    Anyway, thanks for all the advice! I think I am getting the hang of this snake parent thing!!
    I saw it
    Glad things are ok now
    Also awesome snake name, I have a loki snake and a lukeye child myself
    Last edited by Ascended; 05-30-2021 at 07:13 PM.

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