Reptile & Amphibian Forums

As many of you know I own a wc sd gopher that is between 4 and 5 feet in length. I am not sure of the age or sex but it appears young. I would like to know how much larger they may get. Currently I feed it 1 common mouse twice per week and I want to know if that is sufficient. I will post pics when I get back home today around 4 or 5 pm. Good luck with your snake(s).

I forgot to mention I would like it to put on wieght.

of girth anyway. You don't want an obese gopher snake. Switching to small rats should help add some extra weight. Insead of twice a week with rats, I would do about every 4-5 days to start.

>>I forgot to mention I would like it to put on wieght.

I agree, I do not want a fat snake but I think mine is a bit too skinny. It is four to five feet long but only 2" in diameter. You cant see its ribs but I'm sure it could handle a wieght increase. By the way, it was a WC.

Actually I believe san diegos are supposed to be a little bit heavier than some of the other species. My female is about 40-45 inches and has a nice girth to her, though she is not fat. I feed her adult mice...normally 2 at a time, but sometimes only one. Andy
-----
Andy Maddox
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Who are you who can say it's ok to live through me? Alice In Chains

n/p

How often you should feed your snake may be played by ear. In other words.....try once a week on one small rat. That should keep your gopher on pretty good weight. Thing is with captive snakes, they don't get the exercise they would being out in the wild. Some of my snakes got fat with once a week feedings. My two adult gophers, one albino Sonoran, and one Applegate San Diego, I feed one small rat every two weeks. For them, I have found that to be great, and it works and keeps their weight in the healthy balance it needs to be in. Your snake may do fine on that regimen, or for a while may do better once a week. Try once a week for a few months and keep an eye on the snake's weight. You will be able to determine when you should feed it by seeing its' growth, weight, and size. Hope this helps! Take care bro!!!!!!!!

Billy Fraser
-----
Genesis 1:1

n/p