When To Feed?

wm460 · 08-23-17, 02:18 AM

We live in Northern Territory in Australia, in a hot dry climate and own two children's pythons. We are constantly wondering what time is the right time to start feeding them

. Are there signs in their behaviour that let you know the time is right. At the moment they are now and again coming out of their sleep boxes. We usually feed them thawed frozen rats.

Mrs wm460

sattva · 08-23-17, 04:25 AM

A snake will actually hunt out a rodents trail and then lay waiting for one to cross its path.... They usually hunt at night and sleep all day... I feed my guys a couple of hours after dark... Seems to work for me!

Scubadiver59 · 08-23-17, 04:39 AM

I personally start after dusk and before it gets totally dark, when most of my charges poke their heads out of their boxes or are already out and about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sattva

A snake will actually hunt out a rodents trail and then lay waiting for one to cross its path.... They usually hunt at night and sleep all day... I feed my guys a couple of hours after dark... Seems to work for me!

**EL Ziggy** · 08-23-17, 08:01 AM

How old are your snakes? I typically feed hatchlings every 5-7 days for the first year, every 7-10 days the second year, and every 10-14 days as adults. I can usually tell when they're hungry because they'll become more active and start hanging out near the front of their enclosures more than normal. I also feed the snakes anytime after dark.

dannybgoode · 08-23-17, 09:41 AM

I think we're missing the op's question. It looks as though they're coming out of brumation - is this right WM?

wm460 · 08-24-17, 03:57 AM

Thanks for all the advice, it is all great.

I do not know how old they are but one easily consumes a large rat while the other is better with the medium size. It sounds like what Danny is saying may be right, we have mild winters here compared to what you guys get but our days are warmer now. Our snakes are indoor pets. We are now going into the season of spring. Am presuming our snakes need to become more active before we attempt to feed them. what do you think ?