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Am I feeding her enough?

K

krazybob

Krazy About Snakes
Molly, my snow corn, is, to the best of my knowledge, about 1.5 years old and just over 3 feet long. I don't know how much she weighs, but she doesn't appear to be underweight. She seems to be active enough and sheds about once a month, and with her milky red eyes should be doing it again this week.

I feed her once a week, on Sundays and she drops her feces every Thursday night regular as clockwork. She is eating one adult mouse each week and feeds immediately and well. I don't notice too much of a bulge on her now after feeding, just a small one. I am wondering if I am feeding her enough or a large enough specimen. It pains me to watch her eat an adult mouse... it looks like she is going to break her head open. I don't know what to do. She is usually pretty active on Saturday and Sunday and seems to be waiting for her feed on Sunday.

Should I feed her more often, say twice a week? Should I offer two mice at the weekly feeding? Or should I give her a larger specimen (hopefully not the best choice, but I just don't know).

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob
 
Sounds like you're right in the zone to me. I like to see my snakes active and prowling for a few days before feeding. I usually skip a week here and there just to make sure they purge themselves once in a while.

Tropical fish and herps are chronically overfed by well meaning keepers. Keep Molly lean and active, and she'll live a longer, healthier life. Spend some time looking at pics of corns at a ahealty weight, and just make sure she doesn't get "too" thin.
 
ScottyK said:
Sounds like you're right in the zone to me.

I disagree. I feed my snakes 2-3 mice a week. Im not saying your totally wrong but i think if your snake is 1.5 years old and eats really fast when you feed him then you may need to give him more, like 2 a week. Also there should be a bulge that you can see in him for at least 24 hours. The size of the mouse sounds fine just maybe more of them.
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I hve to agree with ScottyK and say that you're feeding your corn just fine Bob. I've found that at a year and a half old on one small mouse a week my snakes readily put on the weight they needed when they grew. They also would be out and about a few days before feeding and eat every week like clockwork. I have an adult female that we got as a proven breeder that has "hips" which I believe is due to overfeeding at some point in her life. All of my current two year olds have a nice healthy weight on them and are also nice and lean without feeding 2-3 mice a week. Granted, it does depend on the snake, but I can't see most snakes needing that much food. Just my .02

~Katie
 
Dave123 said:
ScottyK said:
Sounds like you're right in the zone to me.

I disagree. I feed my snakes 2-3 mice a week. Im not saying your totally wrong but i think if your snake is 1.5 years old and eats really fast when you feed him then you may need to give him more, like 2 a week. Also there should be a bulge that you can see in him for at least 24 hours. The size of the mouse sounds fine just maybe more of them.
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This really does sound like bad advice to me. I have 2 adults, the male being 4ft and on one adult mouse per 2 weeks... this readily puts weight on him, In fact I would say hes over weight. Then again I have a female just over 4ft on 1 adult mouse per week as shes gaining weight from her double clutch earlier in the year. However she has evidence of previous owners overfeeding... she has been left with fat deposits near her vent which have gotten better but will probably never go away, not cosmetically pleasing but does not effect her in any way.

For a "yearling" once a week is more than enough, especially if its already on adult mice. However it all depends on the individual snake and how rapid it grows. IMO stick to the routine you are currently on. Like scotty said, roaming for food is a good thing... Keep em lean and healthy. You are more likley to get refusals and regurges with lazy fat snakes. I honestly think multiple food items per week for a corn on adult mice is over feeding, be it yearlings, sub adults or adults. Feeding twice the recommended amount would be best suited to females who have just deposited a clutch. Your doing a good job so stick with it :)
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I think you're feeding just right. One prey item per week is fine for a year and a half old corn. It is very easy for captive snakes to become overweight at the hands of well intentioned, but misguided owners.
 
Well I would go the the snake girth rule....Feed the snake an food item that is 1 1/2 time the snakes widest point, girth. Age and length or head size as nothing to do with it. But you never stated what size you are feeding weans?..small mice. With the food item not leaving much of a lump, sounds like you might be able to move up a size and still feed once a week.
 
I would say that you are feeding your snake the right amount.

It's a good sign when they "hunt" a few days before a feeding...

My girl is about the same size and is on a medium sized adult mouse a week and is thriving and in beautiful condition! :santa: If your is regular like that I would say she is doing well on your routine, if its not broke, don't fix it I always say! :cheers:
 
Dave123 said:
ScottyK said:
Sounds like you're right in the zone to me.

I disagree. I feed my snakes 2-3 mice a week. Im not saying your totally wrong but i think if your snake is 1.5 years old and eats really fast when you feed him then you may need to give him more, like 2 a week. Also there should be a bulge that you can see in him for at least 24 hours. The size of the mouse sounds fine just maybe more of them.
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No disrespect, but you are seriously overfeeding your snake. If you feed 2-3 times per week with a meal big enough to leave a bulge for 24 hours, then the snake is almost always stuffed with food. Your regimin would be considered overbord even with a hatchling.
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So will the snake eat what ever i put in, Or would it only eat only what it needs? If it is too much will they still eat it? But i understand what you guys are saying. JW.
 
Dave123 said:
So will the snake eat what ever i put in, Or would it only eat only what it needs? If it is too much will they still eat it? But i understand what you guys are saying. JW.
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Snake are opportunist eaters. they will eat all the time if you let them. Some owners power feed to get them to breeding weight earlier. but it's not that healthy for the snake. How much and what size to feed depends on the size of the snake girth and age. Most snake three years old eat a large mouse once every ten days but..........this vary with the snake. What's the size of the snake girth ?
 
I have 3 snakes. They are all about 3-4 years old. They are about 3.5 feet long. I usually feed them 2-3 hoppers a week and they seem to be fine. Should i feed one big one a week or 2 hoppers. Thanks
 
Dave123 said:
I have 3 snakes. They are all about 3-4 years old. They are about 3.5 feet long. I usually feed them 2-3 hoppers a week and they seem to be fine. Should i feed one big one a week or 2 hoppers. Thanks
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Feed each one an adult mouse every 10-14 days.
 
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