Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok here is the question.a guy i know is trying to sell my his 4 ft male red tail who just finished a shed and i am interested but am not allowed to keep huge snakes i doubt i will even be allowed this one but if i were to feed it every 2 weeks a good size prey would that still be healthy and how fast would it grow?i want to keep it healthy and have a slow gorwing period.so how can i go about doing this.?

you should probably not own one then. if your idea is to not feed it so you will have a small snake all you are doing is setting yourself up with an angry or malnourished snake because you never feed it. better for both you to pick another type of snake that doesnt get as big or as long (ball, rainbow, etc)

i don't think he would eb malnurished if the food item is good enough and i didn't say i wasnt going to feed it i said that i wnated to know if there is a way where he can still eb healthy.

ive always been a believer in that, do it right or dont do it at all!get a ball python if you want a 4 foot snake. what if you parents wanted you to stay small and just fed you every couple of days. bad idea man.

Males normally top out at about 6 feet. A 4 foot male can be fed once every two weeks with no problems. In fact he may live longer and be healthier than if he were powerfed.

what he is talking about isnt power feeding or chain feeding. what he is describing is completely underfeeding the snake. a healthy snake will be and should be fed one decent size per week. the only exception to this rule is during shed. if this snake is fed once every 2 weeks the snake is going to be malnourished, underfed, and pissed off. this is what society has termed as 'animal cruelty'. yes redtails are gorgeous and i kmow how much you may want one but trust me...your better with a smaller snake. oh and redtails do not top out at 6 ft. i have one that is 8 feet and in some instances (of other redtails) can attain lengths of 12'.

huge difference between keeping a snake healthy and keeping a snake alive.

We have yearlings on a 3 week schedule and they are "THRIVING"
Older ones do just as well on the same conservative schedules.
Fat snakes are not healthy snakes.
Lean mass snakes thrive and breed just like they do in the wild.

>>huge difference between keeping a snake healthy and keeping a snake alive.
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I Dont Want To Have A Hero.When a hero comes,that means human beings have a problem.Bad things happen,and the hero comes to save everybody.I really hope there are no heroes in the world.If there are no heroes,that means we are safe.

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Snakes do not have to eat every week. As a matter of fact I believe it to be better for them to eat every other week at the earliest. Some of my male breeders eat once every month and sometimes less, but sometimes more. Do you honestly think that a boa in the wild eats on a weekly "schedule". Doubt it. Boa Constrictors are primarily ambush predators, this means that they may sit and wait under a log for long periods of time before prey will come close enough to eat. Please put your snake, the 8 footer in a larger cage, turn the temps down and do some research. I love the fact that you came here asking questions, however if you are as all knowing as you have been trying to sound then why ask questions of us. You are not going to take our advice, so dont litter our forum with attitude and know-it-all statements. Thank you, good luck, and I hope I did not offend you, just my .02 cents.

Bob

Feeding a male this size, every couple of weeks is fine and he won't be underfed, or mistreated - I believe most snakes nowadays are overfed in hopes to breed sooner, or sell for more. I think these are the unhealthy ones who tend to die off before their time. I have seen an 8 foot male (only one). He was fed every 3 weeks, and was 26 years old and tame as can be - go figure.
Most males seem to max around 6 feet though, that I know of.
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--aka DMOG68