Posted by:
mkper5
at Wed Jul 14 10:39:42 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by mkper5 ]
Thank you for the reply! Fast growth in the first year seems to be the general consensus...and my question is difficult considering all the variables.....but there are a few things that make me question growth potential in general.
There is a study on google scholar (have to find it) about how there is a difference between size at sexual maturity and growth potential. Also, snakes have indeterminate growth.....they simply never stop growing...the rate at which they do changes. I think sex also has a lot to do with growth. Females need to produce eggs at sexual maturity and more of their resources are allocated to reproduction instead of growth.
Secondly, I feed my snakes what I consider closer to a wild diet. Enough to grow on, but not excessive. It seems to me that in the wild snake would grow at a much slower rate....right? I think that a snake that has reached 5-6 ft in the wild would be in the 6-7 year range.
The final reason is from my own first hand experience. The snake in question still sheds every 3 weeks to a month. In my opinion, growth cannot have slowed down so dramatically as to produce such frequent sheds.
Most of what I wrote is just opinion and I would appreciate any clarification on the matter. Thanks again for responding Joey...either this is an impossible question or the forum is dead.
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RE: Feeding/Size Question - mkper5, Wed Jul 14 10:39:42 2010