young corn question

[mainbutter]

There is a famous picture of a large snake in the everglades(I assume a burm) that tried to eat an alligator that wouldn't quite fit, and the entire body split open. I'm 50% sure that story and pic is real.

When I mentioned issues wit corns being to overfeed, I meant feeding too frequently/too much so that it becomes obese. As mentioned before, it has similar problems in snakes as obesity has in humans.. Sudden death via heart attack is not uncommon of among snakes that are way overweight.

[kc261]

Well, based on a well-known and apparently authentic photo of a burm that ruptured after eating a croc, it is possible.

However, I would not be worried about that particular problem. You'll run into other issues, such as regurgitation, long before the meal gets big enough to rupture your snake. Make sure you feed an appropriately sized meal, and you'll never even come close to having an issue of a ruptured stomach.

EDIT: mainbutter beat me to it. that's what I get for talking on the phone at the same time as posting...it really slows down the typing.

[ChristinaP]

I agree. Our corn is about 2 months old and we feed him every 5 days or so. I was told once a week. I tend to do research before I buy a snake, and found that juvenile corns eat every 5-7 days, adults every 8-10 days. There is also a care sheet here http://ball-pythons.net/modules/Sect...warticle&id=12 that has great advice on feeding and husbandry.

[Blue Apple Herps]

Here's my fail safe method of feeding a corn that pretty much works in all situations. I feed all of mine once a week, whether they are hatchlings or adults, once a week (the exception is some of the larger ones are every 10-14 days), but 90% get fed once a week.

Feed something that is 1.5x's the widest part of your snakes body. Feed it this size once a week until you no longer see a lump after it eats. Once you no longer see a lump, move up in prey size. Keep this up until you stop at large mice. Even if there is no lump, keep feeding this size. I used to move up to small rats and stop there, but I found that my snakes started becoming pudgy and more prone to be lethargic, I found stopping at large mice to be the ideal point.

So if yours is on fuzzies, feed him one fuzzy a week until you no longer see a lump. Then move to hoppers until you no longer see a lump, then to small mice, etc.

This is the way I do it and the way I tell others who ask to do it. There are other methods, but I like this one because you don't need a scale or aren't worrying about if its been 5 days or 6 days or whatever. Just pick a day of the week and then that day becomes feeding day and its easy to remember.

[Racerh]

thanks for the very useful advice everyone. ill do that. ill only feed him once a week i just wanted to make him grow faster. thank you all ive got to see that ruptured snake.

[Blue Apple Herps]

thanks for the very useful advice everyone. ill do that. ill only feed him once a week i just wanted to make him grow faster. thank you all ive got to see that ruptured snake.

Its better to let him grow healthily. Just like people, snakes grow at different rates. So even if you fed him a lot, you'd probably just end up with an over weight snake.

Trust me when I say you'll be much happier waiting a little longer for him to get big, but live a long healthy life versus a big corn who is fat, lethargic, and may end up having health issues.