wasting rodents !!

[wyz]

Ok, we're getting really tired of wasting rodents.. So we have a question for ya !

We've been in the hobby for allmost 2 years and we buy most of our snakes as babies. Feeding them on a weekly basis was never a problem and they usualy all eat pretty well (exept when in shed, wich is normal). Since we are fairly new to the hobby and that we buy young snakes, we aren't really use to dealing with older snakes, but now our collection is getting a bit older and we our questionning feeding scedule.

I would say that in the past 5 feeding we have been wasting alot of mouse and rats, some great feeders and becoming not so good feeders. They seem really healthy, they just don't look that hungry anymore.

At what age should (boas, pythons, colubrid) be fed less often ?

We know that it's different for every specie, but we thought that a 12 to 18 months snake still growing would still need to be fed every 7 days. Should some be extended to 10 and 14 days ?

What do you guys think ?

WYZ

[Lisa]

what we've started doing is feeding in shifts, if one snake doesn't strike when offered we offer them to a different snake.

[Tim_Cranwill]

I have at least two days a week when I feed. That way there is usually someone else who didn't JUST eat that could take the leftovers. I rarely need to throw anything away... unless one of my bigger snakes doesn't eat. :)

To answer your other question, I feed my young snakes every 5 days or so until they are 12-18 months. After that I slow them to 7-10 day schedules. :)

[Katt]

In time you'll get to know your snakes individually in terms of eating habits, you'll find some will only eat every two weeks and others every time, and then some will eat like crazee, and then stop for months, and start again. I woudn't fret too much.

[The DOC]

Going though the same problem, 2 of our snakes will only take live hopper mice, (The Hognose, and Banana Cali had always taken F/T before). The 3 year old Pueblan will only eat small pinkie rats and a small mouse, and now... our Taiwan is refusing large rats, guess we'll have to "downsize" him this winter.....
We offered smaller F/T prey to the Hog and the Cali for 2 months, and would not eat, before we had to resort to the live food. Best of luck!

[chas*e]

I rotate the feeders(if I have to)...as you get to know your snakes "feeding personality", you will find that some eat like clockwork and some feed as they feel, ...when a snake doesn't take or strike right away at an offered food item, I move the Rat/rabbit to another snake's enclosure. The thing that is important is that you never leave the food item in the enclosure because the health problems that can arise from this, could be devastating for your collection. eg..if one snake has an infection of some sort it can be passed from one snake to another and another...if you must "rotate" a food item make sure you put the rat/mouse in boiling water" immediately" after exposing it to the one snake before you offer it to another; even if it was exposed to the first for 1 second. Another thing, before feeding, unthaw LESS than you need, that way there are no leftovers...remember it is unwise to re-freeze a food item (just as you wouldn't refreeze your chicken or hamburger)..... good luck and I am sure this problem will be ironed out with a little modification

[justinO]

another good idea is to pick up a monitor lizard :P.. those things are garbage disposal units! they always eat whatever our snakes refuse.


just my $.01

[Katt]

I don't understand why it's "unwise" to refreeze meat. I have asked around, and no one can really say, aside that the meat's tenderness and possibly taste is changed.

[Oliverian]

I've always wondered about that too. I think it's because the bacteria can start to grow once thawed, and once you freeze it and thaw it again, it grows very fast and could possibly poison the snake (or person). Not sure, though.
-TammyR

[eyespy]

Once thawed, bacteria starts to grow. Freezing may kill some of the bacteria, but even dead bacteria contains toxins that can cause food poisoning. Some types of bacteria are actually preserved by freezing and so thawing that food out just activates it.

[Oliverian]

Ah.. thats what I thought.
-TammyR

[reverendsterlin]

keeping growth charts helps. You can monitor you animals growth rates, when mine seem to be dropping below a 50% annual gain they move from 7 to 10 day schedules, below about 30% they get moved to a 14 day schedule or prey size is dropped and they are kept on 10 day schedules. My big breeder male corn(700grams) gets 1 little adult mouse every 10 days(except for right after the breeding season fast) and still gains 20-50grams a year.

[LadyHawke]

Originally posted by justinO
another good idea is to pick up a monitor lizard :P.. those things are garbage disposal units! they always eat whatever our snakes refuse.


just my $.01
thats exactly what i do!! except i've always had monitors around, so what ever the snakes dont eat i feed to them

[wyz]

thaks guys !

great comments and ideas :)

but this one wins the palm :)

Originally posted by justinO
another good idea is to pick up a monitor lizard :P.. those things are garbage disposal units! they always eat whatever our snakes refuse.
just my $.01

but... can I switch monitor to TEGU... I just love those guys :)

WYZ

[UpscaleBoas]

i just through the mice/rats/rabbits away...I work really hard at keeping my snakes not only clean but seperated from one another...i personally don't care about the couple bucks that get wasted......but i'm wondering how long do you guys give to let your snake take the food....I place a dead mouse/rat/rabbit in the cage and by moring its almost always gone....are most people just giving them like 1/2 hour to eat/

[wyz]

Originally posted by UpscaleBoas
are most people just giving them like 1/2 hour to eat/

really good point.

We feed all our snakes outside the enclosure, and we do this in "open containers" so we have to watch them. Wich mean we don't wait too long for the to eat.

We're presently thinking about building a small rack that will hold secured containers so we can leave the snakes and the dead rodent for the night. I'm sure this will do the trick, but it's one of the option we're thinking about.

WYZ

[Lisa]

We give some overnight, others we move on if they don't strike.

[ScreamingMisfit]

I leave the pray item in the enclosure over night and I feed in the enclosure to wich they live , I refuse to handle or interact with them b4 feeding and until about 2 days after they have eaten.
Honestly, I have probably only thrown out about 40$ worth of feeders in the past 5 years (I never refreeze feeders).
Your snakes will eat you just have to give them time alone, unless you feed live (which I never do ) there is no reason to have to stick around and watch them ......


just my 2cents

[reverendsterlin]

get a bullsnake or some eating machine similar to one.

[vanderkm]

If you find you are tossing a bunch of prey because young snakes are no longer feeding as strongly it may be a seasonal effect - most of ours (corns and kings) slow down in the fall/winter even before brumation.

While we try to keep to something of a schedule with feeding for our convenience, we do wait for some evidence that they are hungry before offering food. I expect to see them out looking for a couple days or so before feeding day or they are off the list to get anything offered that week. For those that are secretive, like the young hondurans, I want to see a couple nights in a row where there are lots of trails in their bedding before a day that they are fed. While we feed the largest prey they can readily handle, I prefer to let them get hungry between meals. If they are not out it is likely that they are coming into shed or just not in the mood to feed. Of course we check everyone daily and keep records of feeding on the tub and on a record sheet in the snake room so that if someone has an extended period where they haven't fed we are checking up on the reason.

mary v.

[Will]

I have my young(less than 3 years old) snakes split into two "groups" that get fed on 4 day scehdules on different days, and the adults are fed every 7-10 days. First advantage is that I don't have to run home from work and feed everyone all at once. Plus, this way if someone(other than the adults) refuses, there is usually someone who will eat it if offered. Ever seen a fully grown California King take a "fat" little pinky mouse...? I have and it does look as bizzare as it would seem.

If all else fails I just toss it to the cat(she's a mouser anyways, probably better quality than what she catches too).