Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello i have 3 small burms and a small rock i was wondering if i am overfeeding them..they all eat 2 or 3 mice or large rat pups every 10 days or so( and it looks like they want to eat more then that). i think its fine but i was just talking to someone and they told me thats to much and 1 mouse a week is good...any comments
ps also a 2.5' retic eating a small rat every 7 days is good right

How small is small? When my burm was 3.5 feet long she was taking a small rat every 4-5 days. Did well with that. She's now about 7 ft. and taking a jumbo/two larges every 2 weeks. They may tend to over eat if given the oppertunity, but and appropriate sized prey item every 4-5 days while they are young is fine.

Quig

There are MANY factors that will dictate how much a burm should get fed (activity levels, metabolic rates, genetics, etc.). Burms are typically sedentary animals but in their natural element, despite spending long periods of time in one place, do move from one place to another for food/water/mating/etc. In a captive environment, burmse are prone to obesity so I always err on the side of a leaner diet (which is still most likely more than they would get in the wild) versus a power feeding diet where people feed their burms every few days (not even good for a fast growing hatchling).

You mentioned some observations about your snakes which shows you are in tune with their feeding response. I think you are okay based on what you are telling us and by the time they are adults (2-3 years), you should be able to cut back to one appropriately prey item (most likely a rabbit) every 3-4 weeks. I have several burms in their late 20's and 30's and they get one rabbit a month; they are lean but have excellent muscle tone, are active and alert but not aggressive and just in real good shape compared to some of the sausage burms I see in people's collections....nice recipe for a shortened life.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
Lake Forest, IL

>>hello i have 3 small burms and a small rock i was wondering if i am overfeeding them..they all eat 2 or 3 mice or large rat pups every 10 days or so( and it looks like they want to eat more then that). i think its fine but i was just talking to someone and they told me thats to much and 1 mouse a week is good...any comments
>>ps also a 2.5' retic eating a small rat every 7 days is good right
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

thanks i thought i was good until i spoke to a woman that told me she was feeding her 4 foot retic 2 mice every 10 days...to me thats not enough...