size question..more questions!

ErgoProxy · 08-06-10, 05:11 PM

so.. just wondering how fast i can expect my little one to grow with proper feeding .. she is a jungle carpet as you all surely know by now.. (im a curious kitten) she is already about.. what 2 feet..not sure she is really long!

thanks!

Will0W783 · 08-06-10, 07:37 PM

They grow pretty quickly within the first two years, then slow down. My yearling jungle/jag sibling male was about a foot and a half when I got him a year ago. He has doubled in size in that time. My female jungle was 2 when I bought her back in September and is about 3.5 feet long. She has not grown that much...maybe 6 inches since I got her. Growth rate also depends on how often/what you are feeding and how often the snake sheds. I've found that my young ones experience a little growth spurt for a few months after they are moved up to the next food size, then slow down and the growth creeps on until they are still hungry when fed and need the next size. I personally feed every other week, as I prefer to grow the snakes up slowly and steadily.

percey39 · 08-07-10, 12:15 AM

As Kim has said it all depends on feeding. If you feed lots the snake grows insanely quick, but if you feed weekly while young and then fortnighly when close to yearling they can grow rather slow. It all depends on you in other words.

ErgoProxy · 08-07-10, 12:18 PM

is it bad to feed them faster? will i cause any health risks i should worry about.. my bf really wants proxy to get big i guess.. im not so sure!

Lankyrob · 08-07-10, 12:37 PM

Personally think power feeding is a bad idea -keep it consistent and appropriate for the age/size of the snake.

Feebo · 08-07-10, 04:00 PM

Very bad idea and a terrible way to look at things. It`ll get as big as that species is supposed to get. Thinking "I want a big snake so I`m going feed it until it gets massive" is known as "Power feeding" A very bad practice for a multitude of reasons both moral and practical. On the flip side of that though, it is easy to under estimate the size fo rodent these guys can put away! I`ve just taken on a couple of Corn snakes and one of them was skin and bones. I don`t think the last owner was feeding them anything like the size food they should be on, either that or it has worms! Food items should be just SLIGHTLY larger than the thickest part of the snake. Jungle Carpets get to be a good size anyway, I`ve got a twelve footer here that`s about as thick as my arm

marvelfreak · 08-07-10, 07:18 PM

Dam it! That how i got so fat. My wife been power feeding me. LOL No but seriously power freeding leads to health issues. IMO snakes that are power fed tend to be more aggressive.

percey39 · 08-07-10, 07:40 PM

Feebo i would love to see pics of 12 foot jungle. I have never heard of them even getting close to that, that would be a record for a jungle.
I have been power feeding a few young snakes for a fair few years now. I have found there to no signs of health issues, infertility in males and to be honest the ones i have power fed are the sweetest snakes you will own as they are not hungry all the time. I feed lot's to young snakes up untill the age 16-18 months as this is when your snakes metabolism slows down. I have posted this before and also pictures of one of my big boys who is 1m shy of the species average and he's only a yearling.
Feed bird items more than rats as they have more protein and less fat remember you are feeding nearly as much as the snake can take, so you want food items with little to no fat. If you can get rabbit pink's when your snakes is of size to eat them, do it. Rabbits and birds i have found bulk snakes up quick as they contain little fat and heaps of protein.
I personally dont see anything wrong with boosting your snakes growth, as long as you STOP before you see them becoming overweight and stop around 18 months old you will be fine. Dont breed snakes that are of size and not age either, always wait untill a snake is around 4 years old. These are just my opinions!!!

shaunyboy · 08-08-10, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EgroProxxy

is it bad to feed them faster? will i cause any health risks i should worry about.. my bf really wants proxy to get big i guess.. im not so sure!

they get fat fast.generally being fat is unhealthy.

i would never power feed a snake as imo its just asking for trouble later in life.

cheers shaun

shaunyboy · 08-08-10, 07:39 AM

12 foot jungle would imo be a record.

ive never heard of jungles getting to anywhere near that size mate.

would love to see pic's of the big guy.

cheers shaun