feed one big or multi small?

[mastaxaph]

OK so I say I Wana feed my snake 2 hoppers. The wife says 1 small adult. Mainly cuz feeding mote than one is bad for them supposedly. Is that true or no?

[ReptilesK2]

I don't think its "bad" for them, but feeding them one seems more convenient.
Just do whatever works for you and as long as its (food weight) 10%-15% of the snakes weight it should be fine.

[Jonas@Balls2TheWall]

I would feed one adequately sized meal instead of two small meals.

[Kara]

It's ok to feed a slightly-to-somewhat (within reason) larger meal when necessary. If you're going by the girth rule, keep in mind that rodents "squish down" considerably when constricted & swallowed.

[AK907]

I don't think its "bad" for them, but feeding them one seems more convenient.
Just do whatever works for you and as long as its (food weight) 10%-15% of the snakes weight it should be fine.

+2

Some snakes just prefer smaller items, though. We have a 3,500 gram female ball and an adult female irian jaya carpet that will only eat smaller prey (120g rats at most). Its a pain to have to feed them multiples, but whether I feed them one 240g rat or two 120g rats, I don't think it would make a difference.

The only real difference I can see would be that smaller prey items can do less potential harm to your snake if fed live, although with responsible live feeding this shouldn't be much of a concern.

[oliverstwist]

My Mojave will ignore a medium large rat. But pound three smalls

[snakesRkewl]

I would feed one adequately sized meal instead of two small meals.

I would feed 2 small meals vs one larger meal, see how the hobby is, lol.

I've fed small meals more often for several years, works great for me

[Evenstar]

I also tend to feed smaller meals. My adult BP eats 2-3 mice at a time and she's doing fantastic. I would prefer to get her on rats simply for convenience, but she's a mouser so I do what works best for her. She also acts somewhat intimidated by larger prey and I'd rather she eat even if it is smaller so we stick to what works. And I raise my boas for approximately their first year on mice. I want them to grow slowly - its healthier for them.

There is no right or wrong answer to your question. If your snake will take the single small adult, I would do that. But if you have a couple hoppers you need to get rid of, or your snake has reasons like mine do, there's no reason not to feed the smaller critters! No worries.

BUT, there are a couple caveats to feeding smaller prey and you'll have to consider these and see if they'll matter to you... 1) Smaller prey can add up to being more expensive in the long run. Not much, but a little. 2) Some say that a snake really needs to eat more appropriately sized prey in order to properly exercise their jaw and head muscles. I tend to agree with this - it makes sense. But no matter how much sense it makes, your snake still has to eat it. And if you have a mouser like mine, you just gotta do what works for your individual.

Hope this helps!

[Jonas@Balls2TheWall]

I would feed 2 small meals vs one larger meal, see how the hobby is, lol.

I've fed small meals more often for several years, works great for me

Yup, everyone finds what works best for them and their snakes.

[cdavidson9]

If you're looking to put on size, then according to Brian at BHB (Snakebytes) he did an "experiment" where he fed corn snakes differnt meals for a month or so and weighed at the end.

Snake that ate the single larger meal considerably put on the most weight compared to multiple smaller meals among a couple of other options he had, which I can remember right now.

Nothing wrong with multiples at all, I just don't think the snake will grow as fast. (W/in reason obviously, you don't want to over do it and have a fat, lazy snake)