Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
I hope you'll give us an update on him now & then- we love a "change of scenery" around here -especially such gorgeous "scenery". And questions are welcome, always.

Oh, while I'm thinking about it- one reason to size up on rodents for growing snakes is that more mature rodents are more nutritious- they have more minerals (to build strong snake bones) & more protein- whereas "baby rodents" are either "watery" with little nutrition (that would be "pinkies"), or they're higher fat, because they're still nursing (that would be "fuzzies").

Also- your snake doesn't appear thin in that photo, but some snakes sort of hold their breath in when stressed (as when photos are taken) so it can be hard to assess their body weight & condition from just one photo. But if he normally looks like he does in that photo, then I'd say he's in decent shape. But yes, for the sake of his nutrition (more minerals & protein), gradually sizing up his prey will do him good.

I'll upload some more pictures of him after a few days since I just fed him his first big meal! He definitely would have been holding his breath in that photo as I was lifting up his hide and snapped a photo with flash, so ill get some more pics of him showing better reference size! Thanks for the kind words one of the main reasons why I picked him was I thought his pattern was just so beautiful looking! Thanks again for being patient with me, this is my first and only snake and it seems like everything the petstore told me was just flat out wrong. Like when I first got him they told me to get an UTH pad but never said anything about a thermostat to control temperatures. Luckily I realized that one pretty quick and he was smart enough to stay away from that side of the tank, I guess he knew it was just wayyy too hot.


Quote Originally Posted by Malum Argenteum View Post
My first snake ever was a honduran, and I've bred a couple of the smaller species/subspecies (can't keep up with taxonomists -- those people do good work, and a lot of it) and currently breed Costa Rican Blacks.

Your snake looks really decent. I agree that retired breeder mice aren't the best feeder, but 'large' mice are usually just adults; retired breeders are 'jumbo'. I also agree that increasing feeder size gradually is best.

Hondos are pretty forgiving (the best kind of friends ). Don't sweat the past -- it looks like you've done a nice job, based on the snake's appearance. If the photo is taken in the snake's enclosure, it looks like more "decor" (climbing/hiding/enrichment stuff) might be nice.
Gotcha I see, I get the arctic mice brand from petsmart and looks like they do have a medium, large, and jumbo. I will keep feeding him the medium sized ones for a few weeks and maybe try introducing him to large. Thanks a lot I know he will forgive me I am just worried that I stunted the poor little guy but all I can do now is make up for it by getting him on the right feeding schedule. I do have some decor and hiding stuff I just picked it all up and move it out of the way to take that photo! Thanks for the response