Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click here for Dragon Serpents
Click for ZooMed
Click here to visit Classifieds

Feeding frequency with healthy growth

ExcessiveHerps Sep 19, 2008 08:57 AM

Hi,

I've had my very first milk (hondo) for 2 weeks tomorrow. He's doing great so far, active in the first few hours of night & has eaten 3 meals already. From what info I've gathered so far I felt feeding ever 4 days would be fine. Presently my snake is a yearling produced sometime last year and looks to be some where in a neighborhood of 26-30''. I've given him peach fuzzies, he got one 3 days after I picked up him from the NARBC, 3 days following that and the next 2 meals 4 days apart. What I've seen so far is him being active and searching for food every single might minus 2 days following his 2nd meal which also lined up with the first time he used the heated area hide. Last meal he had he was active the very next night and seemed to be searching for another. I could probably give him large fuzzies but I've read small more often is best. I have 9 more peach fuzzies left and was going to see how big he was at that point and maybe move him up to something slightly larger (maybe regular fuzzy mice or a intermediate stage) yet same frequency. I not sure if I'll pick up other later and decide to breed yet I like the thought of providing him what is needed to get him to 5' . I'm curious if I could do every 3 day meals yet I don't think I'll push for more. Just seeing if I could get some thought on this.

Thanks

Xavier

Replies (7)

mfoux Sep 19, 2008 10:41 AM

Xavier,
I'm not an expert, but I have been keeping snakes almost all my life and currently have several hondos. One thing I've learned, and I think alot of guys on this forum will agree, is that snakes don't feed on a schedule. Or at least not on our terms. I've tried. What I learned from my snakes is that they eat when they want to, as much or as little as they want. Rather than a schedule, I've gotten used to each of my snakes' eating habits and shed cycles and I set up a sort of loose feeding schedule that they promptly mess up.
Each snake is different, too. I have a couple of hondos that have grown like weeds into adult size in under a year and others that are almost three years old and just now approaching adulthood. Some of these hondurans (of the same size) would eat up to 9 pinky rats at a time and do it again in five-seven days, while another one would eat only one pinky rat every day for a few days, then go off feed for a week and then start over.
The best thing I can suggest is to let your snake tell you how much it wants to eat. The way I do this is to feed my snakes food items that are about as big around as the snake's body at the widest point. I offer 1 or 2 items at a time. As soon as the lump goes down or the snake defecates, I offer more. I also increase the number of items I offer. When the snake "has left-overs" I know that I've reached a point where the snake is eating its fill, at least for the time being. As the snake grows, I move up to larger food items in smaller numbers and repeat the process. I slow down a little once the snake's growth slows down to avoid obesity. So far I've only had one snake that ate so much that it started getting fat before it reached adulthood, and it wasn't a honduran.
Some keepers will disagree with my methods and others will agree. As I said, I am by no means an expert. This method, however, is what has been working for me.
One thing I want to mention (and I learned this from more experienced keepers) is that snakes' metabolisms are designed to grow quickly into adulthood and then slow down. They say a slow feeding schedule in hatchlings and juveniles may "set" the snake to grow more slowly. I tend to agree.
As for your snake, I think you could safely move up a little in size and increase the number of items you offer at each feeding. If you observe closely and keep good records, your snake will tell you what it wants.
-----
---

1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo, Het Anery
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
1.0.0 San Diego Gopher, Poss. Het Applegate
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase

http://www.cafepress.com/shedz

ExcessiveHerps Sep 19, 2008 12:08 PM

Thanks, this is help full. I think I might 2 peach fuzzies today and see how he does (Tonight is day 3 from last feeding).

Xavier

RevPat Sep 19, 2008 03:52 PM

OK!!!! I want to know-- what the heck is a "peach fuzzy"??????
Thanks!

Shalom,

Pat

milksandbeer Sep 19, 2008 05:34 PM

Peach fuzzy is the stage in-between a large pinky and a small fuzzy.

DMong Sep 20, 2008 02:57 PM

Yes, as "milksandbeer" mentioned,...they are just slightly older pinks and just starting to get hair, but not quite a bigger normal fuzzy.

The frozen rodent companies offer rodents in all these handy small increments.

best regards, ~Doug
Image
-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

tspuckler Sep 20, 2008 05:03 PM

I agree with the first response to this post and wanted to add that not all Hondurans get to five feet in length. I'd venture to say that most don't. If it's a male, he can successfully breed at three feet.

Tim
Third Eye
Third Eye

GabooNx Sep 20, 2008 07:46 PM

>>Hi,
>>
>>I've had my very first milk (hondo) for 2 weeks tomorrow. He's doing great so far, active in the first few hours of night & has eaten 3 meals already. From what info I've gathered so far I felt feeding ever 4 days would be fine. Presently my snake is a yearling produced sometime last year and looks to be some where in a neighborhood of 26-30''. I've given him peach fuzzies, he got one 3 days after I picked up him from the NARBC, 3 days following that and the next 2 meals 4 days apart. What I've seen so far is him being active and searching for food every single might minus 2 days following his 2nd meal which also lined up with the first time he used the heated area hide. Last meal he had he was active the very next night and seemed to be searching for another. I could probably give him large fuzzies but I've read small more often is best. I have 9 more peach fuzzies left and was going to see how big he was at that point and maybe move him up to something slightly larger (maybe regular fuzzy mice or a intermediate stage) yet same frequency. I not sure if I'll pick up other later and decide to breed yet I like the thought of providing him what is needed to get him to 5' . I'm curious if I could do every 3 day meals yet I don't think I'll push for more. Just seeing if I could get some thought on this.
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>>Xavier

I personally keep all my snakes on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule, my hondos are feed every Wednesday and Sunday in warmer months then typically once a week in colder months. My snakes don't grow as fast as some but I dislike “pumping”a snake to get them to a certain weight to breed. Weight is the one of the easiest/quickest way to know when your snake is ready to breed, around 400 grams for females and around 300 for males. Or around two years for males and 3 years for females. Others will say that the snakes will tell you, the only problem with that is knowing when and what to look for..
Hope this helps..
-----
Jason A.
"Long time Herper, first year Breeder `07."
My 2008 Care Sheet & The BRB Stats. Username: brb@kingsnake.com

Site Tools