Which feeding method do you prefer/use?

[ryandlf]

I generally feed my BP once per week...as of the past month or so, i've moved up to 2 adult mice per week, one after the other, and he/she has gobbled them down with no problems.

Is this to much to feed? How do I know exactly how much to feed? I've been searching and searching for an answer to this for a while.

I don't know the exact weight of my snake, but its close to 2 feet in length...hope that helps.

P.S. Sorry for taking the post off-topic, I only need an answer or 2 I promise.

[_BoidFinatic_]

Do you ever experience fasting among your BP because it seems to me that even the small prey you are refering to is way bigger then what most people feed on a weekly basis?

I for example would not feed anything larger then a 60 grams rat once a week to any BP, even adults.

It was an example. I don't even own a BP at the moment in order to base that arguement, but I can't imagine why a BP that would eat 6.66% of its mass a week, would fast. In my experience, BPs fed 30% of their mass every week for a year or more, did not fast.

[tmlowe5704]

It was an example. I don't even own a BP at the moment in order to base that arguement, but I can't imagine why a BP that would eat 6.66% of its mass a week, would fast. In my experience, BPs fed 30% of their mass every week for a year or more, did not fast.

Not saying you are lying, but I don't see a 1000 g snake eating a 300 g meal every week. That is a lot of rat

[CeraDigital]

I'm not bashing your methods on feeding at all, but I do see that putting stress on the animal, feeding meals like that. I mean, it does restrict movement. It also takes a while to digest, as well as it is somewhat harder to digest.

[_BoidFinatic_]

I'm not bashing your methods on feeding at all, but I do see that putting stress on the animal, feeding meals like that. I mean, it does restrict movement. It also takes a while to digest, as well as it is somewhat harder to digest.

I understand that you are not bashing me for my side of the arguement, but I have led myself to believe that snakes expend more energy "catching" and swallowing meals weekly than "catching" and swallowing a larger meal every month or so. I believe that snakes that are fed more often, no matter how "small" the prey, are more likely to fast than a snake which may be fed a "gigantic" meal every month or so. I also believe that the latter method would keep the feeding response higher, which may be a great benefit for a snake that is picky about f/t, in a case where the caretaker chooses f/t over live or p/k for whatever reason.

[CeraDigital]

Understood. My side of this, is that with them using more energy to swallow there prey, gives them more excersize. This makes it less likely for the snake to become obese.


I can see the snake spending more energy swallowing a larger meal, such as a meal 30% their body weight, than spending more energy swallowing smaller meals; as it takes much more effort, and time to swallow these meals, as well as the energy spent digesting them. Whereas smaller meals take less energy to swallow, and digest. In my opinion, feeding smaller more frequent meals keeps them toned, and healthy. Fasting I can see snakes doing more on an individual basis rather than basing it on species. I've had Ball Pythons which fed throughout the year without fasting, as well as other species. At the same time I've had individuals fast for a period of time for seemingly unknown reasons.

[_BoidFinatic_]

Understood. My side of this, is that with them using more energy to swallow there prey, gives them more excersize. This makes it less likely for the snake to become obese.

I think that the same arguement stands for a snake that only eats once a month though. This is because even the largest meals are digested within 7 days or so and so the snake gets "hungry" soon after. If that snake is being fed once a month, then that gives the snake weeks of exercise as it looks for food in the weeks that follow the 7 day digestion period. I would say that a snake uses a disproportiantely higher amount of energy "hunting" for a few weeks and not obtaining a meal, than a snake which "hunts" for a few days and receives and meal shortly thereafter.

This is just how I see it. I am not arguing in any way, if anyone feels that way at this point. Instead, I am backing up my reasoning for why I choose to employ the method that I do. I am glad that there is variation in the methods that fellow herpers employ and I enjoy hearing the reasoning for their preferences, as well as the outcomes.

[CeraDigital]

Understood and agree'd upon


On the hunting though. I can see a Python using more energy subduing a prey item rather than searching it out, as there is alot of energy needed to put down the prey item.

[_BoidFinatic_]

Understood and agree'd upon

On the hunting though. I can see a Python using more energy subduing a prey item rather than searching it out, as there is alot of energy needed to put down the prey item.

This is where it gets tricky I guess. I would imagine that a snake expends more energy "hunting" for a meal in about 3 weeks time, than subduing 3 small meals in that time, while hunting only minimally in between. What I don't like about the latter scenario, is that the powerful feeding response may be diminished after each weekly meal, while a snake that hasn't gotten a meal of any size in the past 3 or so weeks, would have the feeding response that many seek.

[CeraDigital]

I can imagine that too. But with actively hunting though, we're talking about a captive situation. I can see it as the only way they'd burn much more energy hunting rather than feeding, is if they're purposely denied a meal in captivity, and are only fed on that "schedule".