Still Hungry???

[Florence_Bones]

I was going to feed her again on Sunday and get her on a regular 7 day feeding schedule but I think she is still hungry? Last feeding was this past Sunday and before that, September 14th.

I peeked in at her this morning and she woke up and poked her head out of her hide. I went back 5 minutes later and she still had her head out...she looked ready and waiting to bring out her fangs!!

Obviously I dont want her to starve and my gut is telling me she is still hungry...

Thoughts???

[dakski]

How old is she? How much does she weigh? What prey item are you feeding (type of rodent and size)? Do you feed live or F/T?

[Florence_Bones]

She is 3. Not sure of weight but someone from here said she looked to be on the thin side. I feed her small F/T.

I bought her from a reptile expo 10 days ago.

- - - Updated - - -

She had her first successful feeding on Sunday. It went very well.

[Bogertophis]

While that meal probably WAS undersized* for her, DO NOT give into temptation and feed more after only 5 days: snakes often want more food than their body
can handle easily, just like most people...that's why we have Thanksgiving. Seriously, if you give a snake more food while it's still digesting the first item, they
often barf it all up because their digestive enzymes aren't at their best until they finish the first item...unless you're feeding pinky mice or rats (which digest quickly)
to a small (or young) & well-heated snake, it's best to not feed sooner than 7 days, regardless of that adorable eager face your snake is wearing right now. She
CAN wait...that's how snakes survive, they're good at waiting between meals. Even small rats take time to digest their bones & all. But do get a stool sample to
the vet one of these days, to make sure your snake is parasite-free...that may or may not be the reason she's a bit on the thin side, and snakes with intestinal
parasites do actually digest faster than "clean" ones, since they have (ugh!) "help" doing so.

*Since you just got this snake, you also did BETTER by feeding on the small side initially, until you know if she has any digestive issues. It's hard to "take
back" a meal that's too big for a snake...you did good!

BPs & other harmless snakes do not actually have "fangs"...just rows of teeth... (I'm sure you knew that, lol...)

[Bogertophis]

And in case you're wondering, I feed rodents that are approximately the same diameter as the widest part of the snake's body: if a snake is on the thin side,
this helps ensure that you aren't pushing them too fast to gain weight...even though in time that size may be "too small" for them, taking it slow never hurts.

[dakski]

I agree with everything Bogertophis said here.

Do not feed more than every 7 days if she's 3 and an adult. If she's thin, she will gain weight with an appropriate sized meal weekly. My adult female BP, about 1,800G, fasts in the winter and loses about 7% of her body weight over 5 months. When she starts eating again in the spring, she gains it all back within a couple months, give or take, eating a medium rat every other week (fed every two weeks).

Refer to the chart below for proper size prey. I don't agree with it in terms of every 7 days for life. My female BP refuses meals when offered weekly, and rarely when offered every other week, unless she is in her winter fast. I believe a healthy adult BP can be fed every other week, but it depends on the animal. Get her weight up to a healthy weight and then you can experiment.

I would recommend getting a scale so you can get her proper weight and monitor her growth/health.

[Florence_Bones]

And in case you're wondering, I feed rodents that are approximately the same diameter as the widest part of the snake's body: if a snake is on the thin side,
this helps ensure that you aren't pushing them too fast to gain weight...even though in time that size may be "too small" for them, taking it slow never hurts.

Perfect..then the rat I fed her was perfect size for her.

[Bogertophis]

Perfect..then the rat I fed her was perfect size for her.

Yup! Good Snarent!