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Blue and Feeding Question...

Y

yoopergal

New member
I've been lurking/reading since I introduced myself a few weeks ago. Boy theres a LOT of info on here!

I was just wondering about feeding while blue? It seems like there are conflicting opinions...

I fed my little snakey snake and she's eaten like a champ every time.

Is there a problem with feeding them while they are blue? or is it just because they get cranky?
 
If they are very little and they eat while in blue, there is a higher chance of a regurge due to the tightening skin they have yet to shed, and their bodies cannot expand the same way to accommodate the food item.
However, this is less of a concern for older or yearling corns. When mine is in blue I just go about her normal feeding schedule (she is over a year old) and offer a slightly smaller meal. I've only done this twice, and the first time she ate no problem. The second time she didn't want to - I waited 20 mins and nothing. I had to be out the door, so I couldn't wait around for her (I feed her in a bin, not her vive). It won't hurt them to wait to feed until after blue. In fact, they will probably be hungrier after a shed, thus more likely to eat!
But it's one of those individual things that you'll have to decide for yourself what you are comfortable with.
I personally just go about the routine and follow Syd's lead. I'm not heartbroken if she decides not to eat.
But I would also rather make them hungry (but they can last a long time without food) than risk a regurge.

Hope that helps! :)
 
I have had a _lot_ of regurges that occured while the snake was in blue, right before blue, or right after blue. Think about it- in nature, the snake would be hidden away, not out hunting. It's unnatural to feed the snake if you have to remove it from its blue hideaway in order to feed. Sure- you get away with it probably most of the time, but is the amount of nutrition you lose from doing a regurge protocol worth the amount you save by feeding while blue? To put it another way- if you don't feed while blue, you skip one, _maybe_ two meals. If you feed while blue, and the snake regurges, the regurge meal is lost, you skip the next meal, then feed a half size, and so on, and it is a big set back to the snake, nutritionally, to get back to the size he was eating before the regurge.

Plus- with a big adult- all our snakes are very well fed- probably too well fed. It is certainly not harmful, and we know from mouse studies, probably beneficial, to skip a meal here and there, in terms of longevity.
 
Thanks for your input! I'll definitely skip her meal next time she's blue!

I love this forum, there's so much info and everyone is nice about it. :)
 
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