Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So I'm having a debate with a gentleman about how I am feeding my pastel.
I have a male pastel that was born in May of 06.
I offer him a f/t rat every 3-4 days.
I'm not forcing it down his throat or anything. I just dangle it in front of him and BAM, he strikes and eats.
This gentleman is saying I am power feeding.

I was under the impression that power feeding was slipping another prey item into the snake's mouth just as he finishes eating the first one.

Like I said, I am not forcing the snake to eat. He eats on his own accord.
Is this bad for him?
He's a healthy, active snake, and he should be up to breeding size come January when I plan on putting him with some females.
(He's 350 grams right now)
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

IMO, its anyone who feeds more than 1 appropriate sized food item more than once a week. So to me pretty much anyone who breeds power feeds to a certain extent. So to me, yes you are power feeding but not really to the extreme that I've seen people do it.

Jason

I think any overfeeding to the extreme can be unhealthy for your snake. Placing a prey item in the snake's mouth after finishing it's first meal is definately not healthy.

In the wild the snake would invade a rodent burrow and eat all the inhabitants (whether they are in there at the time or come back later), eatting several meals per week or on it's own, but under it's own power isn't neccesarily a bad thing for the snake. It will mildly regulate it's food intake.

Having said that there is a limit. The snake can only grow and mature so fast and there is a point at which it will become obese and will eat itself until it is unhealthy. That is where you come in. Regulating the food intake of the snake so that it's a happy medium between eatting as much as it will take on it's own and not so much that it becomes obese is really the sweet spot that people try to achieve. Hatchlings do have a much higher metabolic rate than adults just as human babies do, they will process food alot faster than the adults and as such feeding every 4-5 days shouldn't be a problem

Thats not power feeding ...thats a snake that eats good..Power feeding to me would be feeding him as much as possable,then putting that animal in luke warm water about 89 f. untill it defacates..and feeding him/her all over again,and you would have to keep that animal as warm as 84 to 86 w/ a hot spot of 90 to 92.what everyone else was talking about is chain feeding and i wouldn't recomend that.unless you had a snake that would eat small mice and it was 1000g.then maybe try and chain a rat down after it can be very tuff..there is a defference between chain and power feeding...I really hope that helps you out there

Greg VanZweden
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Forever Trust in what we are,and nothing else Matters

I agree, I chain on my big girls sometimes when all they want is one piddly mouse!! If she will take 3 or 4 mice I don't care but if she is only eating 1 mouse every couple weeks then I chain a small rat behind it so she is getting enough.
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Nita Hamilton
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Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com

I look at power feeding as being either feeding too often or feeding too much to put weight on an animal. One thing people seem to forget is weight is secondary to maturity when it comes to breeding just because your animal reaches a "safe breeding weight" doesn't mean it will necessarily breed or produce offspring.

I'd say if your snake is feeding and deficating every 3-4 days - you're ok - I personally wouldn't feed any closer together than 4-5 days for a young snake or every 5-7 for an older snake. I don't think you mentioned the size of the prey that you were feeding - if it's on the smaller side he may be digesting it in a couple of days in which case 3-4 might be ok - but if he's not deficating as often as you are feeding him then I'd cut back, maybe it's time to move him up to a larger less frequent meal.

My vet still shakes his head at me when I tell him I feed my snakes once a week - he prefers that I stick to every two weeks. He insists that feeding too close together is bad for the snake because it's in a constant state of digestion which is hard on the snakes system (imagine walking around with Thanksgiving dinner in your belly 24/7) - he says the snake needs to have some "empty" days.

I'm not sure what they call that thing were you stick another food item in after the first - I've never heard anyone do that except for switching stubborn snakes from mice to rats.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

What I consider power feeding is feeding snakes as much as they will eat to get them as big as possible in two years or less. The method used to get them to 1500g in two years or less doesn't really matter, whether they are fed every other day, give huge prey items once a week etc. or chain fed another rat/mouse after the first is swollowed.

However chain feeding by itself isn't bad when it is done to get more 'meat' into stubburn mouse eaters. I myself have two older snakes who suddenly decided a nice lively adult mouse is the only thing they will eat. As I don't want to be offering 3-5 adult mice per meal (these are snakes well over 1000g each and over two years). Both went off food for a few months so getting them to eat anything makes me happy, even though I do understand it isn't unusual for a ball python not to eat for months at a time. So to ensure these two don't loose alot of weight I give them what they will eat (ie live adult mouse) and follow it with a prekilled or frozen thawed small to medium rat. Hopefully I can get them on pre killed rats soon..would make my life easier. Annoying having to stand around waiting for the mouse to be killed, and nearly swollowed to feed in the rat afterwards.
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PHLdyPayne

LOL, all my girls this year after laying wanted nothing but live mice. After 2 weeks of giving the mouse and chain feeding the rat 2 of the girls (they usually took rats) went happily back to rats but the other two girls stuck to mice but at least they got back the normal prelay weight. Hate it when they look so skinny after laying!
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Nita Hamilton
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Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com

Hi, sorry about hijacking your thread- my 06 girl also will eat anything, last week she ate 3 pups in 2 days but then I waited for her to poop.....and nothing. She has only pooped twice in the last 2+ months. Is that something to worry about? I tried the warm water trick once but nothing. Should I cut her feedings back?

I would say a May hatchling that is 350g is pretty normal, not power fed. My may hatchlings are about that size, I only feed once a week right now but I'm probably feeding a slightly larger size food item than you are. I feed 40g rats to them and they take them no problem, some will take a pup and a 40g weaned rat. Unless you are over feeding them and bumping temps for faster digestion, etc. I have yet to see a ball python that was overweight and with the way these guys go off feed, don't think you can really 'overfeed' or 'powerfeed', cause if they don't need it they will either not eat it or crap it out!
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Nita Hamilton
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Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com

Hey,

Some well-intentioned person coined the term "power" feeding to justify alleged healthy "feeding ratios" for snakes. To see the absurdity in this argument, just look at who does NOT post to respond to these "recommendations" (big breeders).

Let's look at the responses:

"IMO, its anyone who feeds more than 1 appropriate sized food item more than once a week" - a statement based on FEELINGS and not FACT.

"I look at power feeding as being either feeding too often or feeding too much to put weight on an animal." - FEELINGS not FACTS...

"What I consider power feeding is feeding snakes as much as they will eat to get them as big as possible in two years or less."- more opinion...

Let's look at the facts:

1. Females lose a TON of weight and take most reserves to produce a clutch of eggs (ever see one right after laying- yikes!)

2. Males (according to some top breeders) can get LAZY if fed too much and not breed (or at least not as frequently)

3. If a snake will EAT, it is HUNGRY.

There were some great responses to your post. If anyone has experienced actual health issues related to over-feeding, I've love to see it posted here.

Happy Breeding Season,

Steve Harrison
Jacksonville, FL