Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it possible to feed a milk snake too often? Can feeding too often cause health problems for a milk?

Thanks

Is it possible to overfeed a milk snake? Usually, no. Milk snakes usually stop eating when they are full. And if they don't want to eat, they don't.

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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
Updated 10/28 NEW PICS AND NEW SECTION!

Thanks, I've got a young CBB Eastern that eats like a pig, several fat pinkies a week, and has never refused one. He's fat and sassy but I don't want to feed him so much as to compromise his health, if that's possible.

Very nice contrast on that one. There's just something I really love about eastern milks. Does that one have locality data?

Steve

Not sure on the spelling... But they are from Oswego County, NY. lol I think.... I have a feeling I got the name way wrong.

Unfortunately, the snake in the pic I posted died... Half of my collection got infested with mites, and he may have been the first one. He had stopped eating for about 6 months, most likely because of the mites, by the time I found out about them on him it was too late.

I just sold a nice little 04 baby from the same locality. Very bright colors on that one.

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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
Updated 10/28 NEW PICS AND NEW SECTION!

Sorry to hear about the loss of your Eastern, as well as some of your other snakes Mike. That one you had was outstanding, with excellent contrast. I had an adult Virginia locality Eastern Milk, but I ended up giving her away to a friend of mine who happens to have a nice Virginia locality adult male. He'll use the two for a breeding project, so I'll end up with one or two of the hatchlings. Here is an older pic of her.

Steve

A while back I was going to ask you for her lol. Eastern milk females are rare, and I've had a hard time obtaining them, I had a nice adult female I found in West Virginia w/ an albino ringneck snake back in 99', but I gave her away a couple years back.

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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
Updated 10/28 NEW PICS AND NEW SECTION!

Well, I would have to say that feeding too often can run the risk of potential problems for your milksnake. It may be better said that obesity from too much feeding can create health problems.

This topic has been debated back and forth between snake keepers. I am of the opinion that feeding a good sized meal every 5-7 days is best for the snake in the first 2-3 years and then perhaps once a week or every other week for adults, especially males. This of course can be adjusted to how the particular snake's metabolism is, etc. There are those that feed every 2-3 days, which that practice can be called " Powerfeeding ", and a lot of people try to get their milks to breeding size in 2 years. I disagree and think it would be best to wait until 3 years. Plus, what kind of life does the snake have if he is always digesting food all the time??

Just like obesity can cause problems with humans, animals can suffer as well. I know that it has caused egg impaction, small clutches, and IMO..prevents the female from being able to produce viable eggs at an older age. I have heard so many stories of breeders not being able to use their female snakes after ages 8 or 9. I think power feeding could be attributed to that.

Good question!
Take care!

Billy

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Genesis 1:1

You said...

Plus, what kind of life does the snake have if he is always digesting food all the time??

Answer this.... What kind of life does a snake have in captivity?? In captivity they roam their enclosure if it is large enough, they hide, they drink water, they eat and they breed.

What do they do in the wild?

They eat. If they can find it.... They are CONSTANTLY digesting food in captivity until they are large enough to breed. When they are large enough to breed, they eat less often, same as in captivity.

I know of plenty of populations that feed constantly.... up to 2 times a week in the wild. Powerfeeding has little effect on them considering in the wild the same thing would happen if the food was around.

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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
Updated 10/28 NEW PICS AND NEW SECTION!

"Answer this.... What kind of life does a snake have in captivity?? In captivity they roam their enclosure if it is large enough, they hide, they drink water, they eat and they breed. What do they do in the wild?"

Besides not having to dodge predators and the dangers of wandering on the freeways, we have to remember that in the wild they have what we are not able to provide for them in captivity, and that is unlimited space. That is a big difference. They are able to roam around and get way more exercise, boosting their metabolism, and burning off their meals more efficiently. I do not recall hearing about many fat and obese snakes in the wild being found. Thus this would make the difference as well between a snake being powerfed and having a limited amount of space to work it off versus a snake that is lucky enough to get a huge supply of food in the wild. So, in all, a life in captivity vs. a life in the wild can be much different.
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Genesis 1:1

--in my experience snakes in the wild don't go roaming for exercise to burn off a meal, they retreat to a safe place and sit to digest it, because with a large meal they've lost mobility and the ability to flee/fight off a predator.

--as for the observation that it might be unnatural for an organism to be digesting food constantly, isn't that what all the readers of this forum do? (not that human diets/dietary practices are ideal, but still...)

--"power feeding" is a subjective term...i define it one way, others might define it differently. To me, it's feeding aggressively to get an animal to sexual maturity in the minimal amount of time WHILE SUSTAINING HEALTH; I've seen others use the term to describe OVERfeeding. So the term has to be used carefully.

--Frequency of feeding vs size of feeding is a complicated subject. I suspect there are people on the forum who feed very large meals but at infrequent intervals, and others who feed small meals very often. And i suspect those in both camps often raise healthy and reproductively active and successful animals.

peace
terry

>>"Answer this.... What kind of life does a snake have in captivity?? In captivity they roam their enclosure if it is large enough, they hide, they drink water, they eat and they breed. What do they do in the wild?"
>>
>>Besides not having to dodge predators and the dangers of wandering on the freeways, we have to remember that in the wild they have what we are not able to provide for them in captivity, and that is unlimited space. That is a big difference. They are able to roam around and get way more exercise, boosting their metabolism, and burning off their meals more efficiently. I do not recall hearing about many fat and obese snakes in the wild being found. Thus this would make the difference as well between a snake being powerfed and having a limited amount of space to work it off versus a snake that is lucky enough to get a huge supply of food in the wild. So, in all, a life in captivity vs. a life in the wild can be much different.
>>-----
>>Genesis 1:1

>>Is it possible to feed a milk snake too often? Can feeding too often cause health problems for a milk?
>>
>>Thanks

yes and yes. some snakes will eat everything put in front of them, which can provoke a regurg. That can upset the digestive system and disrupt a regular feeding routine. And overfeeding can result in obesity. It's not common, but every animal's metabolishm is different and some convert food to growth better than others. In my many years working with milks i've acquired one honduran that was obese--i never could eliminate the problem--and one nelsoni that was obese.
terry