Just to clarify, the breeder told me he feeds them as he does, because he'd need whole bunches of big cages otherwise. In fact, here's a quote from an email:



QUOTE

I've had indigos double in weight in about two months. I have to hold them back when they are babies, otherwise I'd have 50 to 100 animals that needed switching to bigger cages.



If they get as much food as they want and their environment supports eating a lot, Eastern Indigo males can be 4 to 5 feet after one year, six to seven feet at two years and up to eight feet at three years. Take one foot off for females. I wouldn't breed them until they were at least three years old though, and I haven't had good success with females until they are 5 years old.



I've found that couperi grow rapidly at any age until they are adults. If they become more than 2 inches in diameter at their thickest point, they are overweight. I can't give you a reliable growth curve because it depends on food supply and their environment being right. In captivity though, you do want to be aware of the possibility of any feeding regimen making an indigo overweight, especially if you are trying to achieve rapid growth. It sounds like you are doing great.



UNQUOTE



Yes, I wish I'd received them when they were younger; so I could have fed them more. But I'm hopeful that they're going to be able to make up for the deficit. Why everyone else can get their couperi to eat three times a week, and I can't seem to get mine to eat more often, I don't know. Maybe it was that lengthy, skimpy initial feeding regimen? But certainly, none of my snakes are skinny.



And they are all growing very well now....

Chris

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