When you can't get the right prey size

[Obsidian_Dragon]

Alright, so--I'm stuck buying Arctic Mice for the time being. I only have two snakes, so bulk online orders aren't practical for me right now. Not when they're both growing youngsters who will change sizes as time progresses, at any rate. I'll reconsider when the garter is eating whole pinks, maybe. But in the meantime...

I bumped my MBK off pinks onto fuzzies per general recommendation, but man, the fuzzies I buy seem to vary widely in size, and even some of the smaller ones are more than the 10-15% weight I see recommended.

When I'm stuck feeding a larger than recommended feed item, should I space out his feedings more? Right now he eats every 7 days, but he's gone 2 weeks while in blue without trying to eat my hand instead.

I'm not sure how old the snake in question is--but he measured ~23 grams last I measured him.

[EL Ziggy]

Hi OD- How large are your fuzzies? Most are about 4-7 grams each. I'm pretty sure your snake could handle a 4-5 gram fuzzy as long as it's not larger than 1.5x the widest part of his body. He must be fairly young if he's 23 grams. I generally feed my young colubrids every 5 days until they reach a year and then I scale back to every 7 days so you shouldn't have to space your feedings out any further.

[Obsidian_Dragon]

The smaller ones I've been cherry picking out of the boxes (I stocked up recently, yay coupons) are usually in the 5 gram range. He's been handling it pretty well, as in not regurging and not refusing food when offered, I just worry about over feeding.

I have no idea how old Noodle is but yeah, he's definitely still a youngster. I could be misremembering his weight, but it's definitely in the 20s. I have everything recorded...at home! (I'm reading these forums at work, ssh).

[EL Ziggy]

Originally Posted by Obsidian_Dragon

The smaller ones I've been cherry picking out of the boxes (I stocked up recently, yay coupons) are usually in the 5 gram range. He's been handling it pretty well, as in not regurging and not refusing food when offered, I just worry about over feeding.

I have no idea how old Noodle is but yeah, he's definitely still a youngster. I could be misremembering his weight, but it's definitely in the 20s. I have everything recorded...at home! (I'm reading these forums at work, ssh).

One of those 5g fuzzys every 7 days wouldn't be overfeeding at all. I'm not sure what kind of phone you have but there's a great app for android called Reptile Logger that's great for keeping reptile records. You should check it out. BTW I'm at work too .

[millertime89]

I keep them on the same feeding schedule if I feed a larger meal than normal. If it's significantly larger then I might give them a week off. It definitely depends on the size of the snake in relation to the food item.

[Obsidian_Dragon]

Alright, I'll stop worrying then!

(And he's actually bigger than I remembered, now nearly 30 grams!)

[EL Ziggy]

Originally Posted by Obsidian_Dragon

Alright, I'll stop worrying then!

(And he's actually bigger than I remembered, now nearly 30 grams!)

You're spot on now Dragon. Those fuzzys sound like the perfect size

[millertime89]

Aye, I would be feeding in the 5-8 gram range at that size.

[Obsidian_Dragon]

It just...looks...comical!