Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there,
I posted on the brumese forum & only received one response so I'm hoping maybe there will be better results in here.lol
My question was regarding burm feeding & some people in here seem to have burms & retics along with having condas. So since most of you are use to feeding monsters my question is Can you feed a big snake less & have it stay in good health but just grow a little slower? I know neos need lots of food so say like after it's first year or two is it safe to feed just a couple of times a month or less instead of the average 4 times a month (once a week). I have always been curious about this because I see people pump feed their animals to gain size but can it be done the other way to get a nice steady slower growth. Also don't quote me but I thought one time DFR said he doesn't feed his weekly more like BIG meals less often. I know in the wild they don't eat once a week, they eat when they can get it. Also from seeing balls go off feed for months & then just bounce back fine always had me wonder if slower feeding can be done without harm. If it must eat once a week then it's not a question. I'm just not rushing to make a snake as big as I can so I can be the cool guy in town..My girlfriend would greatly appreciate that..lol well I would love all input on what people think.
also I know all snakes are individuals & grow differently, but I was wondering if anyone knew say what an average length you can expect from a male burm in it's first year & what I can expect in it's second year.
well thanks for taking the time to read this!
Ohh yeah almost forgot...also do you think that feeding less (if it's healthy) would cause more agression in the animal? I know burms have a strong feeding response & was wondering if they would be more inclined to taste my arm..lol

ok Ill tell ya what I think. With a larger snake such as a Burm you should feed it less often, but when you do feed it give it a couple of good sized rabbits, fill it up. As far as it makeing the snake not grow as big, I dont think it will. A burm is going to get big no matter how you look at it or what trick you try. If you try to starve the snake a little so he/she wont get that big thats when you or someone else will get hurt REAL bad. The way I see it is Id rather have a big snake that has a good disposition, than a smaller questionable one. Raise your snake to be a gental giant. Is your snake a male or female??
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GOD,I LOVE ANACONDAS!!!!! Eric aka Mr.A

` Feeding them less often is better for their health, except for neonates, and potential breeder females.
` If you keep an eye on such things, you'll notice the trend of deaths of captive giant Boids before their full span has passed.
` I don't keep mine skinny, by any means. Their metabolic rates differ, individual to individual. Some, I can feed heavily, and they don't run to fat. Others will gain much dangerous weight. So, I work with each individual. Several of my large adult Boids are fed at 6 to 8 week intervals.
` As far as the snake's behavioral response to this, again it varies from individual to individual. `
` I believe you should feed them according to each animal's needs. I don't use feeding to try to slow growth, that seems cruel to me. However, since you can certainly over feed them to larger size than normal by over feeding, there is some regulation going on. I prefer to think of it as healthful feeding / husbandry.
` Feeding snakes is fun. Many keepers want to watch their critters eat, even on pre-killed food. Watching the process is fascinating. This creates many obese animals that will die early. Their leaky old three chambered heart has trouble with too much mass to pump to.

`
` Now, this is over feeding !!

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thanks guys
to answer mr. anaconda I don't have it yet I was looking to buy a neo sometime in the near future (been wanting one for ages ) & was always just curious about the less feeding smaller snake theory..not that I want a small burm i want him to get nice & big but wondered if slower would be better health wise. I want a male
well thank you both for the input I was hoping the two of you would answer you guys always seem to have good advice.
so to answer the burm lenght does anyone know what I might expect in a year or two in growth (guesstimate) if I decide to get one I'd rather build something that will hold him for a year or two instead of changing cages every couple months..lol

thanks again!

I to am looking to get a albino burm in the future(once my condas grow up a little) a male burm will be a good choice. From what I have heard they get 10-14 foot. At two years I,d expect a 8-10 foot snake. As far as caging just get yourself a 96" Neodasha. Wood cages are SO heavy you wont be able to clean them out as well as you would a plastic cage.
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GOD,I LOVE ANACONDAS!!!!! Eric aka Mr.A

is there a good site to hit for those cages?
albinos are cool but i think i want either the classic pattern (oldie but goodie..lol) or the green, or the labrynth pattern. For some reason I don't care for the albino burm which is weird.. i like almost every other albino..lol actually not true for some reason I don't find the conda albino nice either lol if i ever get a conda it will be yellow...or maybe one of those high orange greens if anyone has pics of those please post it's been awhile since I saw one.

here is the link.
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GOD,I LOVE ANACONDAS!!!!! Eric aka Mr.A

www.neodeshacages.com
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GOD,I LOVE ANACONDAS!!!!! Eric aka Mr.A

god don't ya love it... you can get a neo between 50 to 300 dollars but after caging & supplies you're still spending like a thousand dollars..lol wish I was more interested in cheaper hobbies btu hell it's worth it... My kids can pay for their own college ha ha