Forrest is *fingers crossed* back on an eating schedule

[timely.grace]

We've had a hard time with this guy. Very picky (ALWAYS strikes, rarely eats). Only gained 17g in 2 months, so you can imagine my joy when he struck at his rat last night and actually got it down. I had originally purchased the bigger rat for his more plump sister, Jenny for after her shed, but it seems she turned her nose up at it. Instead of flushing it, I dangled it in Forrest's tub and he was quite enthusiastic about snatching it from me and gobbling it down. I was concerned it would be too big, but I guess not! This is only his 3rd meal (2nd in a row, yay!) at home since December 9th, so here's to hoping he just took a longer time adjusting to a new environment!

[Simple Man]

We've had a hard time with this guy. Very picky (ALWAYS strikes, rarely eats). Only gained 17g in 2 months, so you can imagine my joy when he struck at his rat last night and actually got it down. I had originally purchased the bigger rat for his more plump sister, Jenny for after her shed, but it seems she turned her nose up at it. Instead of flushing it, I dangled it in Forrest's tub and he was quite enthusiastic about snatching it from me and gobbling it down. I was concerned it would be too big, but I guess not! This is only his 3rd meal (2nd in a row, yay!) at home since December 9th, so here's to hoping he just took a longer time adjusting to a new environment!

Congrats. It's always nice when they get eating. Hope he keeps up for you!

Regards,

B

[timely.grace]

Thank you! It's such a relief. My precious (and first) snake died last year, 4 months after we'd gotten him (assumed that it's due to some bad importing procedures from the breeder), so I feel like such a worry wart with these babies haha.

[Gerardo]

When you are new and something small goes wrong it usually worries people. Glad he started eating for you. Hope he continues.

[timely.grace]

is there a graph anywhere that gives you an estimate on how much a BP should way based on their age? Or at least what a healthy weight is? I feel like if I have something to compare them to it'll lessen my stress about his eating lol!

[Gerardo]

Im not sure about an actual graph since they may grow at different rates. Just remember that BPs are a thick bodied snake. As long as the snake doesnt have wrinkly skin (unless in shed) and dont look like a bag of bones it should be ok. Having a scale helps you track weight accurately.

[timely.grace]

Yeah, we bought a kitchen scale when he wasn't eating. We brought him home at 148grams (he was about 6 months old). I weighed him 2 months later, worried that he'd lost weight, but he gained and was sitting at 165grams. He's eaten twice since being weighed, so I'm thinking he's okay.

Jenny on the other hand, aside from this last week, has been a beast with her meals. We brought her home at 169grams and when I weighed her on the same day as Forrest, she was a whopping 242grams. She shed/pooped a couple days later and dropped to 210grams, but I'm not worried about her at all.

[Gerardo]

I bought two BPs at the same time. My mojave was 107 grams and my spider was 139 grams. I bought them just over a month ago. Today i weighed them and the mojave is at 119 grams and the spider is 178 grams. The mojave skipped a few meals though. As long as they dont lose too much weight it doesnt matter too much that they grow slower. My normal male has gained about 300 grams in the last 3 months. He is an absolute beast and eats EVERY time.

[timely.grace]

That's awesome! I always look forward to feeding day. With the corn we had, we just put him in a lil tupperware container, put his food in and left him alone to eat. I love that these BPs strike when we dangle their heir food. Watching them maneuver the rat and get it down is entertaining too lol. Makes me feel all proud and like I'm doing something right lol. Am I weird?

[Gerardo]

Not at all. I like feeding day too. I feed live again so i have to make sure nothing goes wrong but its cook watching them strike and eat.