Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all. I'm new to snakes with a new baby gopher snake. His name is Aodhfin which is Celtic for "white fire" (Pronounced EH-fin.) I will post pics next week. As soon as I feel like I have an understanding of what I'm doing, I find a bunch more that I don't know. The guy I bought him from said to feed him pinkies, and said he eats once a week. How do I know if I'm feeding him enough? Is it one pinkie? Is it several? How will I know it's time to increase the amount?

We have a lot of work ahead of us to tame him as he hisses and strikes pretty much anytime a hand enters his tank!

In my experience one or two pinks a week is fine, depending on how old or what size the snake is. Try not to feed so much that it makes a really large lump, just slightly larger than the diameter of the snakes thickest part of body. As far as knowing when to feed, watch the snakes activity, when you have time. You can usually get a feel as to when it's hungry. After they defecate they will start cruising the cage in search of a meal. Some individuals seem constantly hungry, but try not to push them to much. Others will have less of an appetite, you'll get the feel of it. Also keep good records(feeding, sheds, refusals, reguges, etc.) That way you can go back and see what the snakes usuall pattern is. Hope this helped.
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Matt Kauffman

Thank you Matt. That makes sense. He was a lot more active until we fed him, He has spent the last few days burrowing. No poop yet, so maybe he's still digesting.