How often should a year old BP eat?

[Mina]

I would like some imput on this. As some of you know, I have a year old BP male named Dax, I don't have a recent weight but he is right around 3 feet long. He is eating small rats. We feed him every Monday. He always acts like he has never seen food before and snaps it up. Is he getting to hungry? Would it be a good idea to go to a feeding schedule of either 5 or 6 days instead of 7? The small rats are the right size food for him, they are easily handled by him and leave a slight bulge when he is done. He is hungry enough that he is snapping at us when we put him in the food container, and you better not put anything moving near it that isn't a rat after he is in there or he will nail it.
I'm concerned about choosing between knowing he wouldn't eat that regularly in the wild, not wanting to loose his terrific feeding response, and feeling like I may be starving my poor baby. Help, please!

[jglass38]

I would like some imput on this. As some of you know, I have a year old BP male named Dax, I don't have a recent weight but he is right around 3 feet long. He is eating small rats. We feed him every Monday. He always acts like he has never seen food before and snaps it up. Is he getting to hungry? Would it be a good idea to go to a feeding schedule of either 5 or 6 days instead of 7? The small rats are the right size food for him, they are easily handled by him and leave a slight bulge when he is done. He is hungry enough that he is snapping at us when we put him in the food container, and you better not put anything moving near it that isn't a rat after he is in there or he will nail it.

Every 7 days with an appropriately sized prey item is the way to go. BPs are way overfed in captivity...

[Freakie_frog]

And they still bite the hand that feeds. Ungratefull buggers

[JLC]

Yeah...I agree 100% with Jamie. It's a perfect schedule and prey size. Count your blessings that you have a snake who eats so readily and consistently! And its WAY more food than he'd ever eat in the wild in a given year.

[Mina]

I know, I know. He just makes me feel so guilty!! Last week he started crusing his viv for food by Friday (after eating a small rat on Monday) My husband swears I'm starving him. I thought I was feeding him correctly, I just wanted to check. Most importantly I don't want him to loose his killer feeding response, I know I'm blessed that I have a BP that hasn't yet turned down a meal and most likely won't in the near future. Thanks, everyone.

[frankykeno]

I'm sure he's just fine Mina. A male eating a small rat every week cannot be said to be underfed. That fact that he's out cruising and hunting is a good thing in my mind....means he's alert, active and looking for dinner. Way better than a sluggish, overfed, unhealthy snake that just sort of slurps down food because it's there. All of ours lurk, hunt and so forth for a day or two before feeding day and when they see dinner...they hit like freight trains. For me that's not an indication of a "starving" snake, that's an indication of a supremely healthy snake eating as it's meant to, with deadly accuracy and the power to take down it's prey quickly and efficiently as it should.

[kurgan]

How oftne does everyone feed their adult BPs? A lot of sources seem to suggest that when they start to slow down growth wise a feeding every 10 days is more appropriate.

[ErikH]

My Monty is a little over a year old, and I feed him a large mouse every 7 days. At this point he is eating consistently, he has only refused a meal twice in the last year, and I don't see any reason to mess with his schedule.

[WTHbbqSnake]

I have two wild caught rescues so they eat once every two weeks usually. Sometimes they won't eat for a month or two. I'd offer food once a week and let the snake decide when he likes to eat.

[Mina]

Wow, I guess my Dax is living in the lap of luxury then!!!! He is growing so fast, he is about 3 feet long now and as big around as those refrigerated Pillsbury dinner roll tubes you buy at the grocery store.

You made me fee much better everyone (thanks Joanna and Erik) I always worry I'm not doing the absolute best for him.