What size meal?

[thedigi1]

okay see thats new to me cause out of all that I fed him he never had a bump! I don't feed him in his habitat. Can I pick him up after he eats and put him in? or does he stay where I feed him?

[starmom]

You can pick him up and put him back into his home. Just curious, why do you feed him outside of his enclosure?

[thedigi1]

that is what everyone had been telling not to feed him where he lives

[hawaiianice99]

ya some feed in enclosure some dont.

those who dont usually do it so that their snake doesnt relate feeding time with every time you reach in the enclosure, and strike at you.

btw- i have a 23 incher (-ish) who is getting pretty fat and he is taking down small rats from petco fairly easy. and those are roughly double the weight of adult mice he was eating, twice a week.

[mr86mister]

Yeah, mine is 24 inches and eats two adult mice a week.

[starmom]

that is what everyone had been telling not to feed him where he lives

This is only a myth; origins unknown. Snakes will not mistake you for food and will not strike at you if you feed in their enclosure. It is my opinion that it is natural for a snake to feed in their environment and so the feeding response stays strong.
I have never fed any of my snakes outside of their enclosure, including my boas, and I have not ever had any of the snakes mistake my hand for their food source

ya some feed in enclosure some dont.
those who dont usually do it so that their snake doesnt relate feeding time with every time you reach in the enclosure, and strike at you.
btw- i have a 23 incher (-ish) who is getting pretty fat and he is taking down small rats from petco fairly easy. and those are roughly double the weight of adult mice he was eating, twice a week.

A fat snake is an unhealthy snake and might give you problems with fasting and refusing food. Also, life expectancy decreases greatly with obesity. A better method to determine size of prey is to weigh your snake and feed 10% of their body weight in prey, one time per week (in snakes over 200g, more or less). Also, keepers typically never offer prey, even to large adult royals, bigger than about 70g rats; on the average-- there is variability and instances where this can change (like after laying eggs, etc.) I am only giving averages!!

Yeah, mine is 24 inches and eats two adult mice a week.

Please check out what I typed above! Gram scales are inexpensive and a very good way to determine the weight of your snake and correct prey size. Obtaining your snake's weight each month is also a good way to keep your eye on its health and provide great records should you ever need to take the snake to the vet.

[hawaiianice99]

starmom- sure some snakes may be able to feed in enclosure without any problems but i am speaking from experience with my kingsnake. i started it off feeding in eclosure and after awhile everytime i would reach my hand in he would sure as hell bite me. thats why i feed my bp out, and he doesnt mind a bit.

ofcourse this is just my experience.

oh and my bp isnt getting "fat" fat, just big enough to where he can take down a small rat.
and where can i find a gram scale?

[mr86mister]

Thats Starmom.

It seems to me you are very much taking the "mother" role at the moment.

The gram scale I have always thought of but never decided to buy one. I will make the investment especially because my new obsession of snakes is taking hold of me and I will probably be getting some more within the next year!

Thanks "MOM"!

[starmom]

Thats Starmom.

It seems to me you are very much taking the "mother" role at the moment.

The gram scale I have always thought of but never decided to buy one. I will make the investment especially because my new obsession of snakes is taking hold of me and I will probably be getting some more within the next year!

Thanks "MOM"!

Okay, you little brat!! Yeah yeah, always the mom; I'm a grandma too (very young grandma!) and also in grad school for mental health counseling....caring for the world, one person at a time
Anyway, gram scales are cheap and can purchased in kitchen stores, office supply stores, etc. You'll be glad when you get one; it's fun measuring the snakes from month to month!!!!!
Take care

[mr86mister]

starmom- Haha. I could be a brat sometimes. I'm a 22 year old guy and sometimes my mother still needs to remind me who brought me into this world!

BTW! Congrats on the college world. Not many people seem to be able to get back into college after having children.

thedigi- We would love to see a picture of your snake as well!