Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think my cornsnake is fat. He was my very first snake I bought about 7 years ago (I didn't keep good records back then so I am guessing about the time). I have many snakes now, but this guy and a snow were my first little hatchlings I bought. I started raising my own feeders from the beginning so I always had plenty of food for them. I fed 1 or 2 appropriately sized mice once a week for most of their lives. Several years ago I cut it down to one mouse a week or every other week. In the last year I have started cutting way back to maybe every 3 weeks and using smaller meals. Is my snake just fat. Is it because he is getting older and just lays around all th etime like an old man on the couch. The snow is big too, but this one is definitely the bigger of the two. Is there such a thing as a "diet" for weight loss in a snake? It seems that cutting back on his food has made no difference in over a year.
Appreciate the input,
Janel

Here is the other one. I named him "Pinky" and the other one is "The Brain".

Hi Janel, He doesn't look seriously overweight to me. He could probably use some more exercise, just like humans, diet alone is no way to get in shape. what size cage is he in? How often do you take him out?etc. all these things will help to burn the fat. By the way he is very handsome.
Mike B

Thanks for the reply.
I keep him in a 60 gallon tank with the snow. I don't take him out a lot, but that would probably help. I was planning to take them both to school with me this year and my third graders should give them plenty of exercise
Janel

I was told if you can see the skin between the scales when they are coiled..then the snake is way to fat. If they are like mine I could have them in an anaconda tank and they just lay there. I was also told that males metabolism is naturaly slower than the female...funny same as humans. LOL
Nancy
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Some of my best friends are snakes
Snakes Rule

They're Pinky and The Brain
Yes, Pinky and The Brain
One is a genius
The other's insane.
They're laboratory mic....um...pet snakes....
Their genes have been spliced
They're dinky
They're Pinky and The Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain
Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain
Brain.
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Neonate Black Rat (het for Lic Stk's) (Frankie)
1.1 Texas Bairds (Jose and Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)

Thanks for the cool jingle!LOL

Janel

np