Feeding regimen for a retic???

[trailblazer295]

Personally I'll be following Tsubaki schedule for my retic. Seems to work well for various sized giants.

[dannybgoode]

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

I'm very curious to see how the different feeding regiments pan out over the next 5,10 and 15 years. Time will tell.

What regime do you have planned for yours? Mine are being pushed along at the moment and are on weekly feeds and will stay weekly I think for 8-12 months (with the occasional push to 2 weeks) and then they'll gradually spaced out from there.

I don't expect them to be on 4-6 weeks for a few years.

I have found a breeder here in the UK though and this is roughly their recommendation so I'll see how it goes.

Generally I feel captive snakes are overfed and my regimes are on the frugal side. Of course I'll play it a bit by ear and adjust accordingly.

[EL Ziggy]

@ Danny- My snakes usually eat every 5-7 days for the first year, every 7-10 days the 2nd year, and every 10-14 days thereafter depending on the meal size. The Olive and larger carpets will eat every 14 days as adults when they eat rats and every 4 weeks if they eat a rabbit.

[Azrt]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

I would say for any large adult constricting snake (boas, the larger pythons etc) 7-10 days is way too often. Once on rabbits anything under 3 weeks I'd consider excessive and for some species positively power feeding.

My olive pythons will be on a 4-6 week schedule when fully grown as will my scrubs. All food machines but that doesn't mean they should be fed often.

worked just fine for me..never had any sick or obese snakes. Will stick with my schedule as i have had it always work great for me

[dannybgoode]

Originally Posted by Azrt

worked just fine for me..never had any sick or obese snakes. Will stick with my schedule as i have had it always work great for me

It may not make them ill its just unnecessary imo. They do just fine on longer feeds as well so why feed more frequently? Genuinely interested if you feel or know of a benefit to feeding more often.

[Azrt]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

It may not make them ill its just unnecessary imo. They do just fine on longer feeds as well so why feed more frequently? Genuinely interested if you feel or know of a benefit to feeding more often.

I don't power feed if that's what's your getting at. You feed your way and I'll feed my way. No big deal

[dannybgoode]

Originally Posted by Azrt

I don't power feed if that's what's your getting at. You feed your way and I'll feed my way. No big deal

No that's not what I was getting at all. I'm genuinely interested why you feed so often - if you feel or have research to show that it is necessary.

I'm always open to discussion and debate about all aspects of husbandry and am interested in exploring other people's thinking - especially when it is somewhat different to mine.

[EL Ziggy]

Same here Danny. I probably feed my critters more liberally than some, especially when they're young, but I love hearing how others do things differently. I like comparing the growth rates and the overall health of similar animals that are raised differently.

[Azrt]

I guess when I first got into the hobby would feed neos every 5 days and then I was told 7-10 days was always a good pattern to put them on until they got to much larger prey items. When I got to jumbo rats and bigger it was generally 10-14 days but before then every 7 days. It has to this day worked well. Not obesity or lazy animals etc, and they always seem happy so I just stuck with it

[dannybgoode]

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

Same here Danny. I probably feed my critters more liberally than some, especially when they're young, but I love hearing how others do things differently. I like comparing the growth rates and the overall health of similar animals that are raised differently.

And we have like species to compare

Yours is a little ahead of mine at the moment though. May get the scales out to weigh them. The boy ate last night and the girl use in shed so it'll have to wait a few days.

[dannybgoode]

Originally Posted by Azrt

I guess when I first got into the hobby would feed neos every 5 days and then I was told 7-10 days was always a good pattern to put them on until they got to much larger prey items. When I got to jumbo rats and bigger it was generally 10-14 days but before then every 7 days. It has to this day worked well. Not obesity or lazy animals etc, and they always seem happy so I just stuck with it

My only caution with this is that snakes don't always appear obese. Boas in particular can look and act ok but be storing fat round their vital organs which can shorten their life considerably.

Coupled with the fact that in the wild the large constrictors may only eat a few times a year is why I feed far less frequently. A burm for example will barely get a digestive break so to speak on fortnightly feeds (I posted a paper on a burm's digestion - fascinating stuff - will try and dig it out).

Colubrids are a different kettle of snakes altogether. Their metabolism is much faster and frequent meals are a requisite.

[dannybgoode]

Burm digestion

Digestive physiology of the Burmese python: broad regulation of integrated performance | Journal of Experimental Biology