Maximum amount of prey at one feed?

ChristinaM · 04-13-04, 05:08 PM

What is the max. you would feed your corn as far as number of appropriate sized prey?

My corn is a pig, and right now the best sized prey is a fuzzy mouse or pinky rat.

see above pic. That is a fuzzy mouse. She ate 1 fuzzy, 1 pink rat, and wanted more. I don't want to feed her 2 pink rats as I want her to have the nutrition of both the pink rat and more developed mouse. I don't think a size increase is appropriate as of yet ( IMHO) What would you do?

edit: I ask because she is still cruising for food, and she gets fed every 6-7days.

drewlowe · 04-13-04, 05:22 PM

IMO i think what your feeding is just fine, I feed my juvi 1 small hopper and 1 fuzzy every week and she will continue to "cruise" around looking for more. Last night i feed her one really nice size hopper that i didn't think she would get down but she did in no time and was instently looking at me saying "more please" lol (ok it seemed like she was).

My corns wouldn't stop eating if i gave them a chance, or they would eat until they regurged. I think it's good to know when enough is enough, Which i normally will only go 2 food items (max) I have fed 3 adult mice (to one of my adult corns) and the only reason was the girl didn't want to eat hers and the boy was still "cruising" after he ate 2, he looked so bloated after 3 and he didn't move from under the heat for at least 3-4 days (i won't do that again).

Jamie

HeatherK · 04-13-04, 05:49 PM

I would tend to agree with drewlowe. She seems to be growing well and should do fine on what you're offering her. You wouldn't want to get into the habit of feeding more than required. Like dogs, I'm sure there are some that would eat until they explode

Tim_Cranwill · 04-13-04, 06:04 PM

I think you aren't feeing her often enough. My '03 colubrids get fed every 4 days or so and they are fed one good sized meal. If another similarly sized snake doesn't eat, they might get the leftovers but I usually pick a pretty decent sized meal for them in the first place. Now, I am not saying you are starving your snake, but you could feed the same number of feeders per month over more feeding sessions… And that’s what I would do.

Simon · 04-13-04, 08:01 PM

2 is good enough
just make sure that she keeps the 2 well and once it feeds on the 2 prey item alright then you can move to the next size up~
maybe a hopper would be good for Karma~

ChristinaM · 04-14-04, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim_Cranwill
I think you aren't feeing her often enough. My '03 colubrids get fed every 4 days or so and they are fed one good sized meal. If another similarly sized snake doesn't eat, they might get the leftovers but I usually pick a pretty decent sized meal for them in the first place. Now, I am not saying you are starving your snake, but you could feed the same number of feeders per month over more feeding sessions… And that’s what I would do.

hmmmm, so you would suggest perhaps the same prey only instead of 2 every wk, give her 1 every 4 days perhaps?

Auskan · 04-14-04, 08:55 AM

I believe Tim was suggesting that you feed the same size meal, but increase the frequency. I feed my corns every 5 days.

Syco · 04-14-04, 09:24 AM

I have to agree, all my corns that age are being fed 2 lg fuzzy mice every 4 days, unless it looks like they haven't digested their last meal and then I wait a day or so. That doesn't happen very often though, they are usually more than ready to eat. I think they just process the food a lot faster when they are growing.

Invictus · 04-14-04, 09:37 AM

My corns get 2 large fuzzies / small hoppers every 5-7 days. I'm sorry, I'm going against the grain here and saying that I think every 4 days is too often if the meal size is large. I also disagree that corns will eat until they explode. All 10 of mine, babies and adults, never take a third prey item even if I were to slap them with it. The corn will let you know when it's had enough.

Tim_Cranwill · 04-14-04, 10:07 AM

What I was trying to say is this... I would feed one properly sized food item every 4-6 days. Not too big and not too small. I call anything about the same girth as the snake or a bit larger, a properly sized meal.

But there are tons of ways to keep corns that will work just fine. As long as your snake is healthy, do what fits your life style best.

HeatherK · 04-14-04, 12:04 PM

It's hard to believe that some snakes will not overeat if given the opportunity. Obese and overweight snakes are proof of that. It's like their hunger instinct isn't always affected by how little excersise they get in captivity vs. the wild, so we have to feed accordingly.

marisa · 04-14-04, 12:11 PM

I agree. I have two male kings and one male corn that over eat if I allow. Although I believe what Invuctus meant is they will not eat say four mice at one sitting if those four mice will cause them to "explode"

One of the two kings I have only gets fed once per three weeks. Anymore than that and his scales start spreading and he gets chunky, he also has fatty lumps from a previous owners over feeding regimine. My male corn can eat so much that eventually he looks gravid almost. LOL.

For my colubrids under a year old, I feed often. Usually a prey item that leaves a large lump every 4-7 days. For my colubrids over a year old...females get a large meal every 7 days which is usually as many items as they will eat, males get a large item every 14 days to help keep them slim. Colubrids are almost all slim slender snakes.

Marisa

Invictus · 04-14-04, 04:58 PM

My taiwan beauty snake would most DEFINITELY overeat to the point of exploding... you should see the little pig. But that's for another forum. Marisa, you're right... I seriously doubt they'd eat 4 in one sitting, but any corn would probably feed every 2 days given the opportunity. And I tells ya, there is nothing more disturbing to look at than a fat-a$$ corn or king. It's just..... wrong.

Vanan · 04-15-04, 06:50 PM

In my experience, I have found that anything over 3 food items, seems to almost always result in a regurge.

I have to agree with Tim that, being someone who doesn't condone powerfeeding myself, I did find wonderful growth rates in hatchlings which are fed a small to medium sized meal every 4 days. Katt can vouch for me as she too was amazed at the growth rates my babies had. Of course, there was ample time for digestion and defecation, especially when kept warmer than usual (85-87F). An example of prey size would be a hatchling corn being fed a small pink every 4 days. 2 days to digest (usually takes em only one at 87F) and they usually defecate on the 3rd or 4th day. I wouldn't recommend this to anything older than yrlings but it seems to give the young ones a good head start. Just my 2 cents.

blito · 04-18-04, 03:27 AM

Look at the size of that mouse next to the snakes head!
My own snake would go over, sniff it, give a tug or to on it then slither off to sulk somewhere! She just will not eat large prey items which of course has ******** her growth rate ... approaching 2 years old, 36 long and only recently moved onto larger weaners on a 7 day routine..
if i try to feed her more often she just refuses - she wont eat until she`s fully digested her last meal which is usually 4 or 5 days...
Now, she`s a small corn but she`s not dangerously underweight - i just think of her as an awkward, skinny adolescent awaiting her full blossoming LOL