Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had a new female Woma python for about a week and a half now and she's seemed to settle into her new quarters really well. She is as beautiful as all the Woma pictures I've seen on the net. Also impressive is that she's a highly visible and good 'display' snake - she seems to come out of her hides quite often and explore, soak up heat, etc.

The supplier I bought her from said she was alternating live adult mice and live rat pups, feeding one of those rodents to the snake once a week. I have already fed her a live "rat pup" and she ate it with gusto. I have also seen her drink water, and she's also had a bowel movement.

I intend to convert her to pre-killed rats, then f/t. My question for now, though, has to do with the size of the rodents she is fed. Normally the rule is that you can feed a rodent a little larger than the largest diameter of the snake's body. -- Does this apply to the Woma also, being that the Woma's head is smaller in proprotion to its body - more like that of a colubrid? I wonder if I should feed something smaller than her diameter because of this.

She is about 3' long and at her largest diameter is about the size of a 50 cent piece.

Another thing I've read is that feeding Womas on a strict diet of rats-only can be bad for them. Is this a common belief?

Thanks,

David
Cary, NC

Yes, you can feed them something a little larger than the widest part of their diameter. I know what you mean about the small head, but they can take it.

I've never heard feeding just rats is bad for them. I've been feeding rats to my woma for a few years without any issues. Also note that they have a tendency to stop eating around late August all the way to March (at least mine does).

Is yours a male? In my reading, I've kind of gotten the notion that it's the males that fast for periods of the year like that.

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David
Cary, NC

Yes it's a 2005 male. I feed him one large rat every two weeks. He eats like a champ, sometimes appears possessed when he gets a whiff. He's about 5 1/2 ft. and doesn't have an ounce of fat on him. Here is a picture I took several weeks ago.

Sorry wrong picture. Here you go.

Wow, that's a beautiful snake. BIG, too!
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David
Cary, NC

I feel most keepers overfeed their animals....whether it's womas or boas.
Rats don't effect Womas like they do BHPs.....as Womas naturally have more mammals in their diet.
What you have to consider is....what do they feed like in the wild?
Womas aren't ambush snakes like a carpet or Boa....they actively hunt for food.
This means...they're on the move everyday....searching.

They do this in captivity and, this is why keepers overfeed these types of animals.
They'll think....my snake is hungry and, then proceeds to offer large rats, etc....until the snake is just sitting there....too stuffed to move.

This is exactly what you DON'T want with a woma.

Best feeding schedule I've found..... is to offer much smaller meals....more often.
For instance....5 weaned Rats is much better than one large one.
Feed them every 3 days....small meals. Their skin will look better, they will be much more active and alert, and also won't become an overweight snake like some Womas I see posted.

Cheers,
D.

D,

I was gonna jump on this one earlier, but I figured you'd come in and save the day soon enough! LOL

Thanks, everybody, for your input on my question.
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David
Cary, NC

And don't get in the way of their mouth at feeding time.