Originally Posted by NorthernRegius.com
Hey NR. I keep detailed records of all my balls, i use a card that is available free from my website ( http://www.ballpythonssa.co.za/Ball%...0Ironballs.pdf )
I don't agree 100% with what you are saying about letting the results guide me though. We are dealing with a living animal and I feel that if we only change our care once THE RESULTS are in then we may have some sick or even dead balls on our hands. Naturally, as observant ball owners, we would not (or should not) let it get to the stage where our animals die though.
I agree 100% that we will learn from our experiences. But I do not like the thought that we may be doing more harm than good to our animals by overfeeding them. This is the reason I am researching and questioning this matter.
I am starting to question the fact that recommendations are to feed adults a suitable sized prey once per week. There are a lot of owners here that stick to that schedule because the forum said so, or someone told them so, or they read it in book. But what is the cause/effect of our actions?
My question will always be, what will happen 10 - 15 years from now with these ball pythons that have been fed weekly with this prey size? I think that it is commonly accepted that pumping your snake with food will result in premature death, the question is how much food is too much?
I've spent just 24 hours or so looking at this topic online and I am finding more evidence (opinions, fact sheets and scientific study) that leads me to believe that even feeding adults every 14 days may be too much.
I'm not declaring that it is wrong to feed at a certain schedule, each person must decide what they must do. But in my experience I have found that you should not always follow blindly what is taught to you, especially when the outcomes of what you are taught have not been tested properly...
When it comes to the health of my balls I'd rather be proactive rather than reactive....
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