Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In the past I have always waited a week before feeding my snakes out of hibernation,but lately some people have told me 3 days is ok. What does everyone else do???
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Amel,Green Snow,Okatee,Motley Stripe,Hypos X 2,Snow females. Anery male, and pairs of Candys,Butter,and Motley Creamsicles

Snakes, like people, are all different. I've had snakes eat the day they came out of brumation - it did them no harm. I've also had snakes wait as long as three weeks before accepting food. One of the keys to successful snake keeping is to know your animals and keep good records of their habits - they don't all follow the same "blueprint."

Tim

Third Eye

Thanks

Like Tim said, it's best to know your snakes. They are not all the same. I follow a few basic rules as general guidelines and recommend that my customers follow this advice. Of course, there are exceptions but in general. I bring my colubrids out of my cooling area and place them on an unheated shelf for one week. I change out their water bowl on the first day and give them the week to come up to room temp. After 7 days they are placed in a heated rack. I then wait 3-5 days before I offer them food. There's no harm in waiting a couple of extra days before giving them their first meal. My process avoids shock due to sudden and extreme temperature change. Also, it greatly reduces the possibility of a regurge. Sometimes a snake will kill a mouse and not eat, just instinct to kill their prey. Sometimes they will eat and because they are not up to temp, digestion is not possible so they regurge. That's a horrible way to start of the season.

The key thing that tells you when to feed, are the snakes themselves. As soon as you get them to normal temps, so they can digest, the snakes will let you know when they are ready.
goodluck
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**********Misty**********
I try to take one day at a time but sometimes several days attack me at once!