Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone...my first post. I just got 3 03 thayeri and was wondering how much growth i should expect this summer? 2 are about 15" and 1 is about 19", i know they don't get real big....but for a year old they seem small? Also how much and how often would be recommended for feedings? (trying to breed in 2 years)
Thanks Jim

I know what you mean. I recently bought 2 '03 Thayeri that were practically the size of hatchlings, and much smaller than the '03 I have had since winter time. Then I bought an '02 that is the size of a yearling, and much smaller than the '02s I have had for a year and a half. I think alot of breeders just keep them on a minimal diet until they are sold. I feed my younger snakes 2 small food items every 5 days. I feed them through the winter instead of brumating them. My '02 Thayeri are around 30", and grew fairly rapidly. I bought an '03 in the winter that has grown quickly on the same diet.

Greg

Pic of one of my '02s

I want my snake o get as big as I can get him without power feeding him because so many people seem against that... so if i feed him through the winter instead of brumating him he'll get bigger?
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~Banana~

In my short experience (breeding them for five years), I've come to expect thayeri to take longer to get up to breeding size than other snakes in my collection. My entire colony of adults 2.3 are no more than 30" long. They produce very well each summer, all of the females double clutch. Hatchlings are small and most first meals start out as 1/2 of a pinkie. Mine always do very well on this diet and maintain hearty appetites.

You can't push them like corns or other kings so don't waste your time trying. I have several yearlings that are only about 16" too. These snakes don't have to be big to successfully breed. The quicker you can get ethm eating rat pinks and fuzzies the faster you'll see them grow.

Enjoy,
Russ

thayeri sometimes shut down on feeding when the temps drop so don't be alarmed.

Jim,

I would not be too alarmed at the smaller size. Russ is right in what he says in his post below. Thayeri can be fussy eaters to start and really don't take off until they are eating at least medium fuzzy mice. I have over 30 here right now and my adults range between 35 and 42 inches. I have 2002s - some that I produced and some from other breeders - that range in size from 17 to 26 inches. In addition to the fact they they may start out reluctant to feed on mice, some breeders brumate all of their snakes during the winter, another factor in the smaller size.

I would be more concerned with the overall health of the snake - is its girth proportional to its lenght? You don't want an emaciated snake, nor do you want a real porker.

Most of my thayeri have taken longer to reach breeding size than my other kings, but they are healthy and produce clutches of 10 to 16 eggs. They are a rewarding species to work with and are definately worth the extra time needed to get them to adult size. Best of luck wuth yours.

Bob Johnson

Reptile Artistry

WOW that was the type of info i was looking for!.....I wasn't sure if i would get the responses that i needed.....Boy was i wrong. So since these snakes are so small i should try if possible to keep the temps up thru winter and not brumate and feed all winter? Also what should my feeding schedule be like? I just got a digital camera tonight so hopefully in the next few days i will be able to post a few pics.....Although everyone seems to have posted some AWESOME looking snakes hopefully mine come out as nice.
Jim