feeding schedule

[scarface2jz]

so i have an 08' pastel, hatched June 4th, i got him 10/18/08 at about 22"... right now hes up to 27", but in girth relative to when i had first gotten him hes thinning out, weird part is he hasnt missed a feeding yet and i have him on rat pups already, i am feeding every monday but i feel i should get him on a shorter feeding rotation, such as every 5 days... what are the pro's/con's and i would appreciate any insight on my snakes growth...

when i first got him


2 weeks ago about 2 days after a big meal (big rat pup)


also, i dont exactly have the worlds smallest hands, lol, so he might seem a little smaller than 27", here he is compared to a TV remote 3 weeks ago




OH BTW he looks like he lost his color because of a bad shed i suppose, i fixed the humidity arrangements and he had a shed last week and hes brighter now than when i got him, i recently took some pix with a decent camera so those are soon to come

[scarface2jz]

one more thing, when can i get him eating more than 1 mouse/rat per feeding ?

[Shrap]

First let me say that your snake looks just fine. I would not change a thing that you are doing.

Personally I feed hatchlings twice a week until 250-300 grams. Then I feed them weekly for the rest of their lives. Barring any of them trying to become a fatty and then I will put that individual on a diet. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Slow steady growth is what it is all about to have a healthy long lived snake.

[Exotic Ectotherms]

so i have an 08' pastel, hatched June 4th, i got him 10/18/08 at about 22"... right now hes up to 27", but in girth relative to when i had first gotten him hes thinning out,

Do you have a scale? Do you know for a fact that he is "thinning out" or are you just judging by eye? Unless you have accurate weights which show weight loss, I wouldn't change a thing. Nevermind girth...pay attention to actual weight.

Judging by the pics, I would say he looks good. Pretty little bp.

[hawaiianice99]

looks fine to me too, i would just make sure you are feeding appropriately sized food. also get a scale so you can monitor any dramatic weight loss, this way you can actually tell, not just by eyeing it.

[scarface2jz]

i havent been going by weight, just eye... i guess im gonna get myself a scale, thank you for the kind words, hes an awesome snake, hes eating rat pups just about the same size of his girth at his biggest point, so i would say hes eating appropriately sized prey, but i keep seeing other 7 month old BP's significantly bigger than him, so i guess i think too much about it

[Exotic Ectotherms]

looks fine to me too, i would just make sure you are feeding appropriately sized food. also get a scale so you can monitor any dramatic weight loss, this way you can actually tell, not just by eyeing it.

Ha...beat you to it by 2 minutes, lol

[hawaiianice99]

also if you are going by eye i would suggest prey that is just a little larger than the largest part of the snake. you should be able to tell there is something in there, if the prey is smaller then that could lead to it growing slower.


lmartelli77~ I will get you next time

[scarface2jz]

the prey hes getting now are just under the size of his largest point, maybe i should switch to small rats, because weaned rats are about the same size as him possibly even smaller... so i guess a small rat would be sufficent, next time i go rodent shopping ill take a look and see what im working with, maybe ill measure the snake and bring that measurement along... thanks for the help everyone !