Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my snake last year around May and he was only 14 inches long. Today I messured the guy and he is 26 1/3 inches in length! He shed twice in the last mth and a half and has been eatting like a pig! He ate two BIG fuzzies on Sun. then ate another big fuzzie on Wed.!This guy could eat 4-5 fuzzies a week if I let him. He is still thin of course but stout and very healthy. He is getting thick though! He was only about as thick as my pinkie when I bought him now his thickest spot is about as thick as my thumb,maybe more!

These Yellow Rats sure do grow fast!

It is growing that fast because you are over feeding your snake, and that is not good for it. Try to feed the snake once a week. You will have a healthier snake in the long run.

In my opinion, don't worry about the other post about your "overfeeding" you snake.... as long as he's putting on length and staying slender, all's good. The growth that you listed is not abnormally high for the species. I had a honduran milk reach that length in less than 6 months.

I don't think I over feed the snake. I feed him 2 fuzzies every weekend but this week I had and extra for a captive snake I found but decided to let go. I put the fuzzy in the tank and the snake ate him. Over the winter time my snake rarely ate at all even though I offered him small pinkies every weekend. Once spring came he started eatting again and 2-3 days after he eats comes out of the subtrate and goes into hunt mode.My friends black rat grew to 5 feet in two years time and he only fed him one pinkie/fuzzie/mouse every 10 days! I was just saying that these snakes grow pretty quick! He is also starting to sport a lot more yellow especially under the neck. VERY HIGH YELLOW!His stripes are starting to become more noticable but he still has very visible saddles.

I am getting a 50/50 King on Saturday and i'll share some pics of both my snakes. I had a few snakes when I was younger. I had a ball python that someone gave me.This was my first snake(besides the ribbon and garter snake my dad use to catch for us). I really don't know why a lot of people think Ball Python's are good 'starter snakes'! These guys can be a pain in the neck. My wife is gonna kill me sooner or later! I already have 5 ferrets,a doberman,a rottie,a cat,a painted turtle,some green anoles and geckos and the yellow rat. Now I am adding the king snake. I feel like I have a zoo..lol

"As long as the snake doesn't get "lumpy" and fat, I don't believe you can grow a snake too fast." Bob Applegate

Just his opinion, of course.

What is being done to the snake is called power feeding. Yes, the snake grows very quickly, but there is evidence to show that it will shorten the animal's lifespan. If you look on the web, most breaders feed their snakes about once a week. As they get older, they feed them less often.

... point us in the right direction... show me the data!

Show you the data???? Power feeding a snake to induce fast growth is COMMON KNOWLEDGE. Snakes rarely eat that often in the wild and by stuffing your snake it will without question shorten it`s lifespan. If you feed the snake once a week from years 1-3 then once every ten days after that you will have a snake with a much longer life span.

Umm.. I do only feed the snake once a week! He eats 2 fuzzies in one sitting. I don't 'power feed' any of my animals.

If you are feeding him once a week then that is ok. My Texas rat snake showed the sae type of a growth rate. he is now two years old and is close to 5 ft. long. He is also thick enough to put some ball pythons to shame. He is not lumpy, but straight, solid, and powerful looking. He eats two adult mice a week period, even though this snake would of course eat four or five if you would allow him. Just stay consistent that is the key. As I stated before they don`t "get " this consistency in the wild. Thus your good growth rate. He is also active and has a huge water tub which he gets his whole body in and "swims". These rat snakes are so cool do their attitudes. They are more active than the pythons and boa family. Good luck with your yellow rat and enjoy.

Thanks Foreman. Yeah I only give him 2 fuzzies a week and I don't think that is a lot. I know some people feed their snakes every 3 days while they are adults. Young snakes I feel should eat every 3-5 days while adults every 7-10 days. When he was a hatchling I fed him one pinkie every 5 days then decided to feed him two pinkes every Saturday. He moved up to fuzzies pretty quick and could right now IMO handle a hopper but I will stick with the two fuzzies. The problem with this guy is that the pet store I bought him from only fed him live mice so when I tried to get him on prekilled he wouldn't touch them. I have tried,and failed,many times feeding him prekilled but it doesn't work. I guess some snakes are picky eatters! Those little hoppers have teeth and I don't wanna see my snake harmed in anyway so I'll wait till he is a little bigger and thicker before I start with the hoppers. I actually offered my yellow two fuzzies this saturday and he didn't touch em at all so he eats when he wants..lol.My yellow rat will constrict the fuzzies but he doesn't kill em. He just grabs em,wraps around em then finds the head or ass and eats em,doesn't matter if they are alive or dead to him but a lil hopper will definately bite his face if he tried that..lol..

>>Thanks Foreman. Yeah I only give him 2 fuzzies a week and I don't think that is a lot. I know some people feed their snakes every 3 days while they are adults. Young snakes I feel should eat every 3-5 days while adults every 7-10 days. When he was a hatchling I fed him one pinkie every 5 days then decided to feed him two pinkes every Saturday. He moved up to fuzzies pretty quick and could right now IMO handle a hopper but I will stick with the two fuzzies. The problem with this guy is that the pet store I bought him from only fed him live mice so when I tried to get him on prekilled he wouldn't touch them. I have tried,and failed,many times feeding him prekilled but it doesn't work. I guess some snakes are picky eatters! Those little hoppers have teeth and I don't wanna see my snake harmed in anyway so I'll wait till he is a little bigger and thicker before I start with the hoppers. I actually offered my yellow two fuzzies this saturday and he didn't touch em at all so he eats when he wants..lol.My yellow rat will constrict the fuzzies but he doesn't kill em. He just grabs em,wraps around em then finds the head or ass and eats em,doesn't matter if they are alive or dead to him but a lil hopper will definately bite his face if he tried that..lol..

Sounds like you are doing a great job to me. My white Texas rat snake is struck on mice. He gets two adult mice every 7-10 days. I tryed him on a small rat once and he would not touch it. LOL a rat snake that won`t eat a rat! He is about 2 and a half years old and is well over 4 feet long. Nice and thick too. Good luck with your snakes.
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Like I said; I`m Gonna Getcha Good!

How do you KNOW this?

Maybe because I have been collecting snakes since I was 12 and I am now 47 years old. Maybe because I use to work in a pet store that had tons of snakes. Maybe because I have over the years "educated" myself on my favorite animal. May through trial and error I have discovered the correct feeding method. Maybe now you have become better educated.

I have no doubt that you believe what you say wholeheartedly. It may even be true... however, I have little respect for your intuition in this matter.

Based upon my personal experience in the keeping and breeding of several hundred snakes over the years, I hold the opinion (along with many large scale snake breeders) that one cannot grow a snake too quickly... as long as the snake continues to put on length and does not become obese.... obviously feeding must slow down beyond maturity in order to prevent obesity.

Of course, I do not have any hard data to convince others of this belief... which is why I present it as my opinion rather than as "common knowledge".

>>I have no doubt that you believe what you say wholeheartedly. It may even be true... however, I have little respect for your intuition in this matter.
>>
>>Based upon my personal experience in the keeping and breeding of several hundred snakes over the years, I hold the opinion (along with many large scale snake breeders) that one cannot grow a snake too quickly... as long as the snake continues to put on length and does not become obese.... obviously feeding must slow down beyond maturity in order to prevent obesity.
>>
>>Of course, I do not have any hard data to convince others of this belief... which is why I present it as my opinion rather than as "common knowledge".

ANY animal can be fed to often. It does not matter what type it is. Power feeding a snake WILL shorten it`s life span, at least that is what most breeders and OWNERS have told me. Just as feeding your snake two smaller meals is healthier than one large meal is "common knowledge." Also it is far more normal to be consistent in the feeding than "power feeding". To many breeders power feed so they can brag about how big and long their product is so they can sell it. Then people wonder why their big healthy looking snake just died.
No matter how big your cage is it still is not equal to the exersize the snake would get in the wild, a point that is hard to debate. If you want to power feed your snakes that is your right just don`t try to claim it is OK, because IMHO it is not.
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Like I said; I`m Gonna Getcha Good!

With no objective evidence presented in support for your postion I must continue to lean toward the belief that heavily feeding neonate snakes for rapid growth is not inherently detrimental to the snakes.

Please make me aware of any data and/or study on this issue should you happen upon it.

Thank you.

>>With no objective evidence presented in support for your postion I must continue to lean toward the belief that heavily feeding neonate snakes for rapid growth is not inherently detrimental to the snakes.
>>
>>Please make me aware of any data and/or study on this issue should you happen upon it.
>>
>>Thank you.

They have eyes but they do not see; they have ears but they will not hear. If you want to ignore the evidence that just about every herp owner knows then I guess that is your right. I suspect you are old enough to look up the data yourself without me spoon feeding it to you. You go your way with your snakes and I`ll go with what most experts say. How is that? So yes we can agree to disagree brcause w certainly do.
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Like I said; I`m Gonna Getcha Good!

"I suspect you are old enough to look up the data yourself without me spoon feeding it to you"

This suggests that you ARE aware of such data, yet are unwilling to share it (?)... please do not withold such information, it is in the interest of us all that you share.

ratsnakes are my favorite, and i got a few too that are growing like weeds yellow's are a nice ratsnake ,post a pic if you can