Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What is the average length/width for a 16 month old male C. Imperator? I have been having a hard time getting mine to consistently eat rats, and I am wondering if it has impacted his growth at all. From what I have been able to find, he is right on target, but I've found very little information regarding this part of his life...

He is about 4' long, and 1.5"-2" thick at his thickest part (I need to measure to be exact...)

My 2001 Het for Albino females, which have been rushed a tiny bit more than some other animals (NOT powerfed in ANY way), are just under or just over 4 feet long...

These animals are 3 years old.. yours is not even a year and a half and is that size!

I have a group of different animals - colombian boas too - 5 of them.. 2 are 3 1/2 feet, 2 are 4 feet, one is 4 1/2 feet.

I really think you are trying to feed too much...
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

Okay. I took measurements, alst night, which I should have done before I made the post. He is closer to 3', ~41 inches or so (He was NOT liking me trying to straighten him out and measure him. )

I could not get an accurate measurment of his diameter, but his circumference was about 4"...

I apologize for wasting your time with the original post...I thought he was about 6" longer...

From what I have read, by three years old my boy should be 6-8 feet long, almost his full grown size..I have seen plenty of them which were huge at three years...Maybe they were overfed, too...
Thx

They can be pretty variable in size depending on genetics as well as feeding regimens. I have a holdback from my 2000 litter who is a bit over 3 feet long, maybe 3 1/2 feet. She takes after her mother who is about 11 years old but only 6 feet long and her father is about 13 years old and around 7 feet long. I have a pair of 2002 babies who are almost the size of my 2000, just slightly shorter and slightly more slender - their mother is 8 feet long, the father between 6-7 feet long. I also have another pair of females, both born in 1999, who are 7 feet long and every bit as large as my oldest male. I fully expect both of those girls to reach 8-9 feet in length. All of my small snakes are fed on the same schedule, but the growth is varied between that trio of 2000 & 2002 babies. My large guys are also fed on the same schedule and while I don't expect either of my adult males or the oldest female to get any larger, I do expect those two younger females to grow considerably more over the next few years. Oh, as for the feeding schedules, the 2000 & 2002 snakes are fed roughly every two weeks, the large snakes (6' or more) are fed every 3-4 weeks.

Raven

I have tried everything to get my snake to eat rats, and although he would at one time, he simply refuses them every time. I tried some suggestions from this board, and other suggestions, as well. Below, I have outlined the attempted techniques. I have been trying to feed him about every two weeks (although i try for a few days, when he refuses food.) From what I understand two weeks is good for a snake his age (~15 months). He will virtually always take a mouse. I notice that the frozen/thawed rats really stink, and I wonder if that may be part of the problem? He got bit by a live rat, a while back, and seems fearful, too. I try to avoid feeding him anything live, anymore, but I have tried smaller live rats, too, to no avail. If he is to continue on mice, he needs like 4 at a time, which is expensive, and from what I've read, not the most healthy for him, either. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

What I've tried:

1. Frozen/thawed warmed, and dangled from tongs. After refusal, left in cage overnight. Removed next moring to avoid bacterial growth.

2. Same as above, but scenting using a live mouse, and droppings.

3. same as 1, but fed a live mouse first, to get hiom going.

4. Live rats. Dangled, and left in cage for a couple of hours, surpervised.

5. Frozen/thawed rat in a pillow case with snake for a few hours.

For items 1-4, the snake has gone as long as a month without eating, although a shed was in the meantime. I tried #5 the other night for the first time, and I will give it another shot or two...

Nothing is working. I am considering getting baby chicks or ducks to feed him. I got a free hamster once, and he ate that, too. So I guess he'll eat mice and hamsters, but no longer rats.

Any other suggestions? Any recommendations on other food items, like baby chickens or ducks? Do feed stores generally have a policy against selling them for snake food? ( It would seem kinda funny, since they sell them for people food. ) Any nutritional issues with feeding him water fowls?

Thanks for your help, Kingsnake community.

Snakeman

If he's been bitten by a rat, I dare say he's afraid of them and he will associate the scent with the bite. Stick with either prekilled or frozen thawed prey, live prey moving around will most likely only frighten him further, especially if he is closed in a small space with the live prey animal. Try a frozen thawed or prekilled rat roughly the size of the mice he accepts now and make sure it's warm (but not hot) to the touch (versus room temperature). It could be that the size of the prey intimidates him if it is much larger than what he's accustomed to. Also a slightly warm prey item seems to work well compared to a room temperature one (warm as if it was a live warm animal). My yearling burm won't accept a prey item unless it is slightly warm and completely ignores anything room temperature. If he refuses to eat the rat, wait at least a few days before offering anything again...I personally wait until the next scheduled feeding. Boas and pythons can easily go a month between feedings with no harm to the animal. Once you get them to eat a rat, don't go back to offering mice again. As for chicks, ducks and other fowl, I'm personally not a fan of them. Poultry tends to carry salmonella and I don't opt for any more bacteria in prey than is absolutely necessary. From what I've read, poultry also tends to be more fatty than rodents, causing obesity in your snake. I've heard of people offering them once and a while as a treat, but don't recommend them as a steady diet. I've also heard that some snakes come to prefer poultry and then won't eat anything but poultry. Not to mention everyone I've talked to that feeds their snakes poultry state the feces is especially foul in odor.

Good luck in switching your guy over. Just remember, patience is the key...and they can definitely try our patience.

Raven

Yeah, I keep them warm, and from his demeanor, I tend to think he is scared of them, too. However, he has eaten them since the incident. I guess I went wrong, backing down and feeding him mice, again...Tahnks for your suggestions, and information...

Wow to me that seems small,for being how old and only 2and half feet,ive had females get that big in half a year,with no ill effects,there 5 feet in a year,and bred the following year,if the snake wants to eat,than feed it!!if itdoesn't then don't its that simple,,go ahead and jump on me for having my snakes grow to fast,lol, i don't care what others think ,i'll just do what works out and makes them happy,now and long term,,,some of the females are over 9 feet and 15 years old,i can't figure why people rag or jump on someone for what they do,its there animal...if there eating and having movements,lol then why not feed them when they want to eat,i keep my boas around 88% most of the year and feed them to much by most of what people say,but i don'
t care there heathy.........