Morellia Madness

[WrongPython]

Oh yeah, this was my favorite recent episode, and probably one of favorites overall! This deep of a dive into snake biology and life history is what I look for nowadays.

The next food order is going to look a little bit different thanks to this episode. A little bit of poking around yesterday revealed that Layne Labs and a few other places sell day-old quail that are the same weight as a hopper mouse, so it looks like the kids will be getting a taste of avian prey sooner rather than later. I'd like to give Reptilinks a try as well, but they have a $75 minimum order requirement, and I'm not sure I want to order that much product without knowing my kids will eat it. That might change if day-old quail chicks come back in stock there, though, and I can split the cost between links and whole prey.

Ideally, my combined Boa-Morelia freezer would contain a mix of different rodents, birds, and even reptilian prey (ie. the iguana meat Reptilinks). It's hard finding all of that stuff in one place, though, as is shopping for a diversity of prey items for just a few snakes. Even the small quantity packages are still on the large size. For example: for one boa, one pack of mice/rats and one pack of chicks may be a year's worth of food, and just two types of prey isn't a particularly diverse diet. It sure would be nice if reptile food suppliers offered mixed prey packs...

On the topic of diet and prey diversity: a falconry website I liked to frequent in my wannabe days has a great page on prey types, their nutritional benefits, and creating a balanced diet. Granted, it's for raptors, but I think the information can be valuable for reptile keepers as well.