Just hit a year old. GROWTH RATE

[FIEND_FO_LYFE]

I'm glad you don't want to take the advice from someone who has been keeping and breeding giants for over 20 years (over 30 with reptiles in general).

How many studies of wild anacondas have been done which show how much a baby eats and grows? None. Jesus Rivas has been studying greens in Venezuela for some time, but I haven't seen any papers published on neonate growth rates. I have, however, been witness to many species of animals which ALL grow exponentially in the first year of life, and then slow down after that. It's called "surviving in the wild". Now I don't want to hear about "that's not snakes" when I talk about wild monitors reaching sexual maturity in less than a year, or your cute puppy reaching adult size in six months. Any animal that wants to have any hope of survival will eat anything and everything it can in its first year of life. It's what nature intended. Just because a snake can survive on pawltry offerings doesn't mean it should. Do snakes ever go off food? Yes. Do you think they know what they're doing? Yes. Are problem feeders a pain in the you-know-what?

Bottom line: Allowing a snake to eat when it wants is not "powerfeeding". People who think so (like some breeders) cannot comment on the longevity of snakes because as soon as something cooler comes along they sell their old breeders for the "next cool morph", never having a snake reach a ripe old age. How long have you guys (Neal and Fiend) been keeping snakes? How many care articles have you written? How many species of reptiles have you worked with? How many lectures, presentations, or public showings have you partaken in?

Give me a break.

I know you guys won't take any advice I give, and that's fine. Your snakes certainly won't suffer from your methods, but don't go around thinking your way is the only way. Get off the computer for a couple of hours and go take in some nature...

Chris

Chris, not to be rude, but there are many people who breed large snakes, WHOM HAVE NO CLUE ON WHAT THE PROPER CARE IS! so just because you have bred for sooo long, doesnt mean its right.
"just a point"
secondly, i will read what you say, i will read what neal says, i may not agree with it, because it YOUR ANIMAL, AND YOUR CHOICE.
i will not powerfeed MOST my animals.
i do powerfeed, but not rediculous amounts, and i do that to some of my BP females.
say they eat a weaned rat, ill feed them a small instead.
and do that for a few feedings, then switch back to weaned so they do not go off feed.

everyone has a opinion, this is a forum, STATE YOU OPINION.
but DONT state it as fact.

ive been dealing with reptiles most my life.
yes im only 18. BUT i have worked with a few breeders, and over 50 spiecies of reptiles and amphibians.
again age doesnt mean anything.
i know people into there 70's whom have had reptiles as far back as they remember,
and they couldnt compair to the amount of knowledge my 29 year old friend has on herps.

learning, is learning.
from 8 to 18 to 80.
a 8 year old could know as much as me.
is it likley... NO..
is it possible i know as much as a 80 year old? pfft... yeah...

so dont knock age, because you always do.