Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this is gone over a lot, but I have to ask one more time. I have a female JCP that is a little under three feet long. I'm feeding her f/t crawler mice. I used to feed her once a week, then once every five days. However, it seems like she will keep eating until I stop feeding her and still look around in "hunt mode" for the next few days. I fed her 8 crawler mice in one sitting 5 days ago, and she still looks like she wants to eat more. How do I know when I've feed her enough? Also, is there such a thing as negative consequences from feeding too much? It seems like she'd just stop eating when she reaches her limit. Any help will be appreciated.
I've got to get this thing on rats soon. My wallet is taking a hit with this monster eater.

She needs bigger food, I can tell from that pic. Put her on adult mice/rat pups.

Yeah, rats would be a good idea.

There are indeed possible negative consequences to overfeeding. Obesity is one problem. Kidney damage is another.

Allowing the snake to decide how much it eats is like letting your kid decide how much candy is good for them.

You mention that you have moved from once a week to every five days. Really, you should be feeding less often as the snake gets bigger, not more.

If you're worried about your snake being left hungry, think about what life would be like in the wild. These animals are built to live on much less than we give them.

Good luck making the switch to rats. If you have really greedy snake, then you may not have as hard a time as most.

G

FOr a young and growing snake it is very hard to overfeed. Once they reach adulthodd the story may change. The most important point is access to correct temperatures. If they can't digest their food properly, then you can have some serious problems. Also make sure they have a way to be cool if they want. Being always hungry is an oportunistic resopnse. In nature if they eat alot then they can find the temps they need to take care of the meal. I have a little more detail and cage design on my jungle care page on my website.
Good luck,
Justin

Australian Addiction Reptiles

I would increase the size of the meal (larger prey) and go back to once a week -- maybe even a couple days more. At three feet, I'd guess that a weaned rat would be a nice meal.

Bill