Alterna are very different in terms of their biological makeup, then getula. They are primarily lizard eaters in the wild, thus the predicament of how picky the babies can be to want to eat pinky mice right from the get-go.



One thing also about alterna is that not all alterna grow to some average size. Various areas of alterna have specimens only reach lengths such as appr. 28 - 30 inches. Other areas can throw off specimens that are 3 feet on up.



If your alterna seemed small, they actually may be genetically not going to get as big as other alterna. Do you know long big/long, the parents are? Be sure to ask the breeder, if you have not already. That may be a good way to guage the size. And..maybe the breeder didn't feed them enough as well. That is always a possibility.



Obesity for alterna, a lot of the times, appears as fat deposits near their tail. Then, like other fat kings you see, can appear as folds in their skin when they are curled up.



If they seem fine now with doing it the way you have been doing, I would just keep doing that, and keep a good eye out. To say that powerfeeding doesn't exist, which the action itself, is just selfish, is just straight up denial on the way animals respond to conditions, food intake, and caloric burning, with what the keeper has been offering. Ask anyone with knowledge of the subject of reptile health, even those with degrees, and like I have experienced numerous times, they laugh at comments you may find on this forum. Those who say that powerfeeding does not exist are usually guilty of such a thing. Read about reptile health, obesity, and talk with qualified reptile vets or the like, who know really well the subject of obesity in reptiles.



Knowledge over selfishness.







Here is a grayband I own, speaking of, with the " vewy scewy " feeding regimen of once a week.



Snakes do great with once a week feedings on properly sized food items, and I know reptile breeders who have hatched out more snakes that anyone on this forum, that have had great success with such a feeding. I personally do every 5 days with my babies to yearlings, and have also had great success raising snakes to adult size with once a week feedings in 2 years, with some, sometimes 3 with others. The key is balance.



Just my opinion.
-----
Genesis 1:1

[ Show Entire Thread ]