Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well today i felt like i am ready to get my snake, so after i got off work i went and picked it up. he/she seems happy and active, they told me the sane ate 9 days ago, so after i took the 2 photos i put in a thawed mouse, the snake ate it with no problem, so im thinking right now im doing good.
i named it naaza, after a snake god
while im here i was wondering, the girl in the shop told me i could "power"feed the snake, but i dont want to do that, could some one please explain what the purpose of power feeding is?

second picture, when i get my digital camera charged ill take better photos

well today i felt like i am ready to get my snake, so after i got off work i went and picked it up. he/she seems happy and active, they told me the sane ate 9 days ago, so after i took the 2 photos i put in a thawed mouse, the snake ate it with no problem, so im thinking right now im doing good.
>>i named it naaza, after a snake god
>>while im here i was wondering, the girl in the shop told me i could "power"feed the snake, but i dont want to do that, could some one please explain what the purpose of power feeding is?

Congrats on your new snake. Power feeding is basically feeding lots more often to bulk up the snake and make it grow quicker. This is generally considered unhealthy by most (I believe). Depending on the snake's size, usually feeding every 5-7 days when younger and 7-10 days when older is sufficent (yet again, guidelines I believe to be correct - if I'm wrong someone correct me). It also depends on the size of the food. For example, my adult girl didn't eat for a month and I was getting very worried. Then she ate a small rat and didn't eat again for two weeks but I wasn't concerned because of the size of her last meal (much bigger than usual). You'll learn your corn's behavior, when it's out and about looking for food. Anywho, congrats on the snake!

~Katie

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JK Pets - Online Pet Supplies

2.4 Cornsnakes (Slink, Shadow, Suzie, Snickers, Selena, Sunshine)
0.1 Columbian Red Tail Boa (Baby)
0.3 Leopard Geckos (Cutie, Lily, and Miss Piggy)
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Sam)
0.2 Pac Man Frogs (Gordito and Spud)
0.1 Suriname Toad (Squishy & the Squishettes)
0.0.2 Giant Millipede (Mega & Mila)
0.0.1 Green Iguana (Iggy)
0.0.1 Red Eared Slider (Tiny)
lots of snails and fish...

ok thats what i thought power feeding was to make the snake grow at a faster rate, this is my first snake, and so far i havent read anything about power feeding, so i kind of assmued it was something that was frowned upon. im going to stick with my schedule of every 10 days

Yes, power feeding is when you feed as much as you can to your snake (without causing a regurge) in quantity, prey size and frequency in order to get the snake to breeding size as quickly as possible. Of course, there are those who do this because they just can't wait to see their snake full grown, but mostly it is done to be able to breed sooner. This is really not healthy for the snake and can, and often does, cause obesity and obese snakes are more prone to breeding problems as well as a shortened life span.

I don't think a pet shop owner should be telling customers it is ok to power feed their snakes, but, then again, it doesn't surprise me.

I definitely suggest keeping on a feeding schedule of approx. 5 days while young and moving to 7 days when a year and a half or so. A fully-grown, large snake can even to every two weeks on one mouse and keep in great shape. Feed only as large a prey item as makes a visible "bump" in the belly after eaten and up the prey size when the bump starts becoming less noticeable, in fact, go to two of the prey size you are feeding for about 3 - 4 meals before you up to the next size. Your snake will not grow as fast as the power fed ones, but it will also not become obese and life a longer life.

Also, remember the "48 hour rule" - don't handle the snake for 48 hours after each feeding. The food is normally digested enough so no stress regurges occur. Sometimes, however, you will notice that the bump is still a bit visible after 48 hours, if this occurs, wait another day before holding. Sometimes if the prey was a bit larger than normal or the snake didn't stay in the warmer temp side, the prey will take longer to digest.

Have fun and congrats.

To add to the pet store saying "power feed", sometimes the pet shop workers are not really educated on pet subjects...often it's not their fault...if I ever see a snake in a pet shop, I am tempted to buy it and give it a great home...that can lead to 40 tanks filled with snakes!
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1 Corn Snake (Snakey)
1 Ball Python (Sosa)
1 Pine Snake (not named yet)

the problem with buying all the snakes that you see in the pet store (aside from the fact that you'll end up w hundreds!) is that it encourages the store to get more, because they are 'in demand'. If no one buys them, the store looses interest because it costs too much to keep them alive (notice I didn't say healthy) in the interim. I've worked in petstores for years, some good, some not so good, and you would be amazed at how little regard some pet stores give to the safety, health and wellbeing of the animals under their 'care'.