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Added supplements?

amystl

amystl

Feed my emu this gun.
Hey all. I was just curious about some posts I've read about people adding different vitmins/supplements to the mice/rats that are fed to the snakes.

I've never really done that, nor have I seen it done.

What is recommended? Is it necessary for the snake's health? At what age is it best to start at? Do you do a "shake and bake" to the F/T or is it fed to them prior to feeding?

I used to dust crickets for our lizards, but was aware this could be done for snakes.

Anything to spoil my little guy more is just fine with me. :D

Happy herping,
Amy
 
well.. if your buying feeders from a petstore.. usualy they are severly underfed and are dehydrated.... meaning there is little-no nutrients for your snake.. so i baught a mouse gutloading formula(right from the petstore) for 5$.. and i feed the mice for 24 hrs before feeding them to my snakes... so all the added nutrients get passed to my snakes and there more healthy :)

if you breed your own... this isnt as big of a deal since aslong as they have the proper food and water they will be nutricianal enough
 
danvega said:
Really?? What evidence do you have for that?
Click to expand...

I agree Danvega. The F/T feeder mice that come from petstores may have the nutrients...But the reason people add these nutrients are a precautions. I raise my own. And I give my mice and rats nutrients in their food. So I assume that its all good for my snakes. Seeing as my corn growing like a weed.
 
So if I only feed F/T to my snake, there's no way to add extra nutrients? It only comes in the form of feed for live animals?
 
Most feeder rodents raised in petstores are fed the most economical thing available, which is usually some cheap dog food. While it may cover the basics, it does miss a lot of the micronutrients that the rodents themselves and the reptiles that feed off of them could benefit with.

So if you're buying live feeder rodents from a store for feeding to your snakes, you'd probably best off gut loading them for a couple of days prior to feeding them off with healthy, nutritious stuff. To me, that's just common sense. You don't go buy the starved crickets from Petsmart and then bring them home and immediately throw them in with your lizards. Why should mice be any different?

I raise all of my own feeders and they're all fed a high quality lab block diet, which covers most of the essentials and then some. But I also suppliment with seeds and nuts of various sorts, Nutro dog food, chicken bones, and fresh fruit/veggies occasionally.

You don't have to suppliment if you're feeding them properly to begin with. I just do it because I know I'd get bored as hell eating lab block day in and day out, and the seed/nuts seem to help with their coat and overall "plumpness" of the babies as they're being nursed.

You can add nutrients to f/t by dipping the bottoms of the items into a vitamin /mineral powder (Repcal, Reptivite). Although you have to be careful with anything containing vitamin A as it can build up to toxic amounts in the reptiles. I wouldn't do it maybe more than twice a month.
 
I, too, raise my own mice and rats. The point I was trying to get at is even if a mouse/rat is underfed and/or dehydrated, that does not mean that the prey item has little to no nutritional value. The prey item may have less nutritional value when compared to a well-fed prey item, but it still has nutritional value.

I feed my colonies a lab block diet. They always have food and water, and I really see no need to 'gut load' them. The lab blocks are a complete dietary source (I do occasionally give them treats), which does not need supplements. However, if a person does 'gut load' their mice/rats I would definitely consider the cost. $5 dollars seems reasonable, and not to much of an increased cost, so I see nothing wrong with it for that reason. Yet, I would still question the need in conjunction with any ill-effects that may occur. Snakes in the wild have eaten wild, non-gut loaded prey for longer than we all know. I do realize that we try to provide the best care for our snakes, so added nutrients would seem like a plus. Although, what is really in the supplements? I also ask, can a surplus of some minerals (i.e.calcium) that are in the supplements lead to problems in our snakes.

Snakes digestive acids are extremely strong. They are able to break down virtually all of the prey, and as a result, the snake uses/absorbs a large proportion of the nutrients (probably more than most animals, for the fact that the amount of time it takes for a snake to digest and then pass the waste). In my opinion, I would be cautious in using supplements.

Finally, part of the reason for my previous question and now my subsequent rant is because I have been irritated lately with the countless number of baseless, altogether wrong, and assuming/guessing posts. If you are not sure or have no experience on the specific matter then either don't post or put maybe/possibly/probably or I'm guessing but not sure in your response to questions. People come here to seek advice and correct answers. The last thing we need on this board is wrong information, then we are no better than many petstores stating things as fact, when they are completely wrong.
 
I would He to say so. But I don't and haven't bought from a frozen food company ever, and I plan to keep it that way. It's totally up to you though. I would think frozen food companies keep their mice well feed and cared for.
 
amystl said:
What is recommended? Is it necessary for the snake's health? At what age is it best to start at? Do you do a "shake and bake" to the F/T or is it fed to them prior to feeding?
Click to expand...

Some recommend it, others say it is unnecessary. Under different circumstances, either group may be right. I've supplemented every prey item given to my snakes, from tiny hatchlings up, since early August. The only exceptions were live hopper mice that I had to get for one fussy eater. I like the results I've seen. I sprinkle a 2:2:1 ratio of RepCal Herptivite (vitamins), TetraFauna ReptiCal (calcium + D), and Nutri-BAC (probiotic) onto a plate, and drag the thawed prey item's back-end through it-- top and bottom. I usually thaw in hot water, so the mixture sticks fairly well to the damp mouse.

I recommend it. :)
 
Thanks for the responses everyone. I appreciate everyone's views on both sides! I'm just glad that I found a forum as nice and informative as this one. I don't know what I'd do without you guys!

Happy herping,
Amy
 
Roy, have you checked out the nutrients in Tetrafauna's ReptoLife? I have a bottle sitting in front of me that I use for the crickets I give my frogs, but I have been wondering about maybe using it for FT mice for my snow..
 
Personally I choose to occasionally supplement my f/t meals with vitamins and nutribac. Something not mentioned here is that I choose to inject them with the vitamins and/or nutribac after dissolving in water. Nutribac especially is really really sticky when it gets moist/wet. . . . oh, and no scientific formula of parts vitamin or nutribac to parts water, etc. I dump a bit into a small container add water until it's liquidy and then inject. Injections are by feel of the pinky/fuzzy/hopper/mouse. Don't want them to explode!

D80
 
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