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  1. #1
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    aggressive/hungry snake

    So i inherited a snake from a family member who passed away. the snake is 3 yrs old or so. Hes always been really passive and a great eater. the other day i took him out and he latched onto my wrist and would not let go. after 5 mins he finally decided he had enough. after talking with a few people i decided to up his food intake...in the last 2 weeks ive fed him more than i have in the last 6 months. he bit me once again since then. is it unusual for them to eat like ive starved him? any help is appreciated. i was feeding him frozen thawed mice and moved to small rats which ive feed him 3 in the last 5 days. thanks

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran Jeanne's Avatar
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    Re: aggressive/hungry snake

    What is this snakes weight? 3 mice in 5 days seems a little excessive,and you say you have fed him more in last 2 weeks than past 6 months... So what were you feeding prior and how often?

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    How big is he? If he's fairly small, you can feed him once every 5 days. Try to make his meals about 10%-15% of his weight. If he's larger, you don't have to worry about the size of the feeder---a small rat once a week is appropriate for a male of any size. Overfeeding isn't good for them, neither is feeding too often; they need to have time to digest in between meals. Do you know his weight and the weight of the rats?

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    no i dont know the weight of either....what kind of scales do you use? I was feeding him a large mouse every 7-10 days. i would wait till he would start to do laps around the tank. seemed to work pretty well. hes about 3ft long about the size of a end of a pool stick at the fat end. he looks healthy..not skinny.

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    Super Moderator bcr229's Avatar
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    Digital kitchen scale that shows both grams/kg and ounces/pounds. You can find one at WalMart or Target for about $20-25. Get one that is low with a really wide pan on it, that makes it easier to weigh a wiggly snake.

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    Yeah, I think he was just telling you it's time to switch to rats . As I said, one small rat once a week ought to do it, if he's big enough to take a small rat.

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    Re: aggressive/hungry snake

    Quote Originally Posted by Willowy View Post
    Yeah, I think he was just telling you it's time to switch to rats . As I said, one small rat once a week ought to do it, if he's big enough to take a small rat.

    weird too, when i feed him he usually goes into a food coma for a couple days. last night (right after i fed him)for quite a few hrs he was all over the tank. just weird his habits have changed so drastically. It has been hot here. I dont know if that has anything to do with it. But the house has been between 76-80 inside..120 plus outside.

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    My boy is about 2 1/2 years and is between 1050 and 1100g and eats a small rat weekly. He is very aggressive eater, but is a sweetheart at any other times. It might be the mice just don't satisfy his hunger and you need to switch to small rats. You really need a weight on him, then if not sure how big to go, go with the 10-15% body weight formular. Once he is up to small rat size weekly that should satisfy him. I know i was paranoid about feeding to large an item and found this formular not only got me through raising my first ball python, but kept him well fed and satisfied.

  9. #9
    BPnet Senior Member JodanOrNoDan's Avatar
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    Did I miss where the OP says what kind of snake this is?

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