Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,

I normally try to feed my snakes a carefully weighed diet. For example - if my burm is due for a meal that should be about 1000 grams, I will opt to give him 600g and 400g prey items instead of a single 900g or 1100g item.

In using two smaller items I can more accurately dial into the weight of the meal he should get. I keep track of the total weight of each meal he eats so that I can gradually ramp it up over time as he grows. That way I can be sure I am not over or under feeding him (I'm a big fan of health/maintenance diets now).

This method allows me to stock up on frozen feeders without having a bunch that are too large or too small (as it is rare to find the 'ideal' prey size when I shop online for frozen feeders).

My question is this: is it preferrable to feed [a snake] a single prey item, or is it okay to feed a couple or few smaller prey items that equal the same final meal size?

Thanks for any input on this,
- Mark
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I've done both though not as meticulously as you have. I have fed smaller prey weekly to hatchlings though yearlings. The prey is usually girth size at first and gradually works it way up to 1 1/2 times the snake's girth. After a good first year or two I will feed larger prey, less often. Twice the girth every 10 days or so. Adults get as large a prey item as they will take every three weeks. For me, cleaning up on weekly feedings has gotten old. When they're younger it is no big deal but as they get larger it is no small matter My Selayars get fed every three to four weeks and they will be given as much as they will consume in one sitting (A LOT!) My adult Burms get fed up to 10 pound piglets or rabbits every 2-3 weeks. I have a rescue that will take two in one sitting, like she is catching up on lost time. Because my female O just incubated her own clutch she is being given all she can eat. Snakes are very flexible. As long as you keep an eye on their weight and keep their environment optimal, I don't think it matters much one way or the other to them. I've tried different ways and settled into the way that I'm most comfortable with.
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Marcia Pimentel
Tango River Reptiles (Off-line Temporarily)
GiantFeeders

I am no expert but all I've learned tells me feeding a snake all it will eat is not healthy. Nor is feeding it something twice the girth. It sounds like you have a good handle on watching the weight so this probably won't pertain to you but the post above mine sounds way off. As for single our multiple items, I once heard that feeding multiple items puts more fur and bones into the mix than needed. A single prey item gives you more protein and less expendables. Again, not an expert but this makes sense to me. Feeding as much as they will eat or twice the girth does not.

DZ

Since my burm is on something of a 'diet' maybe I should opt for the multiple items approach for a while. He is a little plump, and I'm starting to cut back his feeding frequency a little, to try and get him in better shape (I'm cutting down to a 10-14 day cycle, from a 7 day cycle).

- Mark

>>I am no expert but all I've learned tells me feeding a snake all it will eat is not healthy. Nor is feeding it something twice the girth. It sounds like you have a good handle on watching the weight so this probably won't pertain to you but the post above mine sounds way off. As for single our multiple items, I once heard that feeding multiple items puts more fur and bones into the mix than needed. A single prey item gives you more protein and less expendables. Again, not an expert but this makes sense to me. Feeding as much as they will eat or twice the girth does not.
>>
>>DZ

Feeding your burm more prey items, to decrease the amount of nutrition he can use, to help him lose weight is a bit out of the way. It would probably work, yes, but if you just feed him one smaller prey item at a time, it will accomplish the same thing. And it will probably save you some money.
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1.0 Albino Green Burm
0.2 Normal Burm
1.1 Java Retic

As I said in my post, it is a matter of preference. My Burmese are healthy and lean. I've never had a weight problem with them, unlike Antegy who seems to be quite meticulous and still went overboard or so it would seem by the additonal weight his male carries. As long as the keeper maintains his or her eye toward keeping a lean and healthy Burmese there are many healthy avenues to take. Fasting and maternal incubation take care of any potential weight problems. If a female is not breeding then it would be healthier to not feed as I do, but there again, my rescued Burmese will not be bred and she is far from overweight at her current intake. A female adult could swallow a 35 pound pig, which is twice her girth. This doesn't mean that they will accept large meals throughout the year. Nature allows a great deal of flexibility for reptiles and a keeper can find a schedule that is both healthy and comfortable.
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Marcia Pimentel
Tango River Reptiles (Off-line Temporarily)
GiantFeeders

You breed, I don't. You obviously are more into the sport. I don't think Antegy's Labyrinth looks overweight and I've never seen yours. To me the whole fasting thing doesn't sound like much fun for the snake but then again, some do on their own and in the wild anyway. Interesting topic, much to be learned.

Thanx

DZ

I've never thought of breeding to be a sport but I can understand the analogy. I wrestle with this every year as Burm prices spiral into the underground lair of the cast-offs. Burmese are as cheap as cornsnakes. This was my first year producing a clutch but I tried last year. O, my female went through maternal incubation and none of the eggs turned out to be viable last year. This year we had success and I see prices so low that they can only be inviting whim purchases. It is a sport played by many. You are absolutely right. In this sport the animal doesn't win often- most wins are temporary wins for the breeder, the jobber, the retailer, the distributor.... I breed because I have an excellent unrelated pair of Burmese pythons. They are easy to get along with; even by the harsh standards placed on me by my family's supersticious fears of giant constrictors. We are witnessing the saturation of a market that is narrow to begin with. Who can keep an adult giant constrictor anyway? It is a sport and we have to be careful the Burmese win. When I learned there were Burmese and retic factories mass producing pet store/ wholesaler snakes I was apalled. The thought still angers me. Factory producers looking for the cheapest feeders, the cheapest supplies, and the buyer who will pay the most for the mass produced hatchlings; it is very much a sport for the self-absorbed and short-sighted.
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Marcia Pimentel
Tango River Reptiles (Off-line Temporarily)
GiantFeeders