Multiple small prey items v's one large item

[Jim Smith]

When I first got back into keeping snakes, the breeder I bought my first snake from suggested that feeding a snake multiple smaller prey items rather than one large prey item will allow the snake to grow a bit faster. For example feeding two hoppers instead of one full sized mouse. His logic was that it took the snake less energy to breakdown and digest two smaller prey items than it took to do the same to one large item. I don't think he had any empirical data to support this theory, but his experience suggested that it was true. I have followed this suggestion a number of times and while my snakes tend to grow rather quickly, I don't have any way to compare their growth to snakes fed a diet of single larger prey items per meal. I thought I'd post the question here to see if anyone else has heard this and/or has any thoughts on the validity of this assumption.

Thanks and I look forward to the input on this question.

[Mikoh4792]

Why would it be easier to digest two meals the same size as a larger one? Isn't it still flesh that needs to be broken down? Couple that with more hair, more bones...etc. Or maybe it has to do with more surface area covered by the stomach acid.

[Concept9]

I have read where feeding smaller prey more often helps in growth, true or not, I don't know.

I feed my Mexican Black large food items every 7 to 10 days and it works well for him.

He was 450 grams and 4ft when I got him in April. He is now over 5ft and 1400+ grams.

[Starbuck]

Originally Posted by Mikoh4792

Why would it be easier to digest two meals the same size as a larger one? Isn't it still flesh that needs to be broken down? Couple that with more hair, more bones...etc. Or maybe it has to do with more surface area covered by the stomach acid.

mikoh you are correct i.e. the surface area theory.
The same principle is used in the processing of human foods, flour (tiny particles of grains) are much easier to digest than whole grains because of the greater surface area (among many other factors)…

HOWEVER: the general consensus i have heard on this forum is that one larger prey item is actually healthier for the snake, though i would be very interested to see published and/or peer reviewed data on either point.

[Concept9]

I would be interested as well.

I think Starbuck,if I remember what I read months ago. Larger items less often are better because eating in general stresses snakes. More meals and more items per meal means more stress.

[drumcrush]

Originally Posted by MBK Boy

I have read where feeding smaller prey more often helps in growth, true or not, I don't know.

I feed my Mexican Black large food items every 7 to 10 days and it works well for him.

He was 450 grams and 4ft when I got him in April. He is now over 5ft and 1400+ grams.

Really, 5 ft?? That's awesome! didn't think of mine reaching that length

[shaunyboy]

i prefer feeding 1 large prey item less often...

i feed hatchlings up to sub adult hood every 7 days,after that its 1 large prey item every 2 to 4 weeks

if my Carpets start to look fat i feed less often,as i like to keep my Carpets lean and muscular

cheers shaun

[Aaron_S]

I feed one(1) appropriate prey item once a week. I wouldn't consider this to be large.

Brian at BHB did an experiment with a clutch of cornsnakes. I cannot remember the size of each group of babies but he had a number of them and fed each group differently.

One was fed one large prey item per week.
One was fed a smaller meal per week.
One was fed a smaller meal per week with some reptile vitamin or something added to them.

The best performing babies were the one large item per week. It's on his snakebytes videos. Someone can look it up.

He did state it's a small sample size but was something for Snakebytes because people were asking.

[KORBIN5895]

I have found one very large item less often tends to really kick start growth. There is also an article out there that says larger prey items cause the snakes organs (like heart) to actually expand and is therefore healthier.

[Chris72]

On top of the added stress there is the added effort. (And calories)

All my animals are different but most of the females are now squeezing the day lights out of their meals. Some seem to constrict for so long (on f/t) you would almost think they enjoy it. Couple that with the effort of getting it all the way down and that's a fair bit of effort and calories that don't need to be burned twice in one evening.

(One meal, once a week, properly sized)

A study would be interesting to read if it exists.


.

[Starbuck]

Chris 72, often if I have to feed my snakes an extra mouse (because.someone didn't eat or i thawed too many etc) they are already in feed mode and do not do any of the constricting "killing" behavior.

I wonder if it has something.to.do with the prey itseld, I.e. a larger animal is more likely to be at a better plane of nutrition with less fat et, so you.want to.feed an animal that is lean and muscular (say a med rat vs several rat pups or.several adult mice) but you don't want to.go too big (I.e. jumbo rats) because those animals tend to be too fat?

[formica]

snakes are well adapted to eating large prey items, and then spending some time digesting them, seems logical to me that we should consider this when thinking about how to feed a snake in captivity

i'd be interested to know if this has been studied, I have noticed, especially in younger snakes, that large meals frequently trigger a shed and growth cycle, where as smaller meals, even when the total amount of food may outweigh a single large meal, doesnt seem to have the same effect....perhaps snakes are not as efficient at turning food into growth as they could be, the amount of energy required needs to be balanced with the amount of nutrients available, for efficient growth; perhaps larger meals are the only way to get this balance right, speculation of course, but they have evolved to eat large meals at long and irregular intervals

[formica]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

I feed one(1) appropriate prey item once a week. I wouldn't consider this to be large.

Brian at BHB did an experiment with a clutch of cornsnakes. I cannot remember the size of each group of babies but he had a number of them and fed each group differently.

One was fed one large prey item per week.
One was fed a smaller meal per week.
One was fed a smaller meal per week with some reptile vitamin or something added to them.

The best performing babies were the one large item per week. It's on his snakebytes videos. Someone can look it up.

He did state it's a small sample size but was something for Snakebytes because people were asking.

unless the large meals and small meals where offered at diffrent time intervals aswell, it seems fairly obvious what the outcome would have been? would definitly be an interesting study if done properly, with controls included

[Hannibalcanibal]

For me, it depends on the snake.

The higher the metabolism, the smaller and more often it gets fed.

For example, i feed my hognose one smaller prey items twice a week, Many hognose keepers do the same.

I also feed my ball python one large meal every ten days, and my corn snake and sand boa once a week with a good-sized meal.

Some snakes can't digest ridiculously large meals, i think it was the chondros? I know that most hoggie breeders i've talked too think that feeding smaller twice is better than bigger once (for hoggies, anyways)..

Well, that's just how i do it. If anyone has any improvements for me, i'm all ears.

[drumcrush]

I will feed one large item a week, then gradually work them to two, once I know they can take that, I will up the size and repeat.