Gaining weight fast enough?

Snakesitter · 09-16-16, 02:05 PM

A birth weight of 28 grams is well within the normal range. I believe my long-term window is 28-32, with a few outliers on either side.

As BSG noted, they can take larger prey from birth. In fact, I feed mine either rat pinks or mouse hoppers (in all cases frozen/thawed) right from the start. (Note I also wait until first shed to feed.) The diet so far probably slowed him down...but he will eventually grow to full size anyway.

I would try moving to rat pinks once per week. The reason is that as he grows, he will eventually need larger meals than a single mouse. By the time is an adult, you can either offer a single medium rat...or four to six adult mice (the sale total weight). I'd rather feed once and be done.

Good luck!

bigsnakegirl785 · 09-16-16, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakesitter

A birth weight of 28 grams is well within the normal range. I believe my long-term window is 28-32, with a few outliers on either side.

As BSG noted, they can take larger prey from birth. In fact, I feed mine either rat pinks or mouse hoppers (in all cases frozen/thawed) right from the start. (Note I also wait until first shed to feed.) The diet so far probably slowed him down...but he will eventually grow to full size anyway.

I would try moving to rat pinks once per week. The reason is that as he grows, he will eventually need larger meals than a single mouse. By the time is an adult, you can either offer a single medium rat...or four to six adult mice (the sale total weight). I'd rather feed once and be done.

Good luck!

I did figure it was within normal range, just on the smaller end. Most of the babies I see with their weight listed are 30-36 grams at birth, but I've seen teeny babies a lot - just not with their birth weights.

As long as it switches, starting out with mice would be better. A hopper mouse is more nutritious than a rat pink, and plus you have that milk belly to contend with, which is mostly fat and boas don't metabolize fat well. A mouse that's more developed will also have a higher calcium content, better for a growing snake.

Even if the snake is difficult to switch later, all you need is persistence and they will eventually switch. Switching a bit sooner than weaned rats may make the switch easier, like switched at rat pups (which are about the size of a small or medium adult mouse, or a small jumbo mouse, weaned rats are the size of a large jumbo mouse and get a little bigger than that). They generally have good appetites, so it's likely it shouldn't be hard to switch at all.

Snakesitter · 09-19-16, 02:33 PM

I *rarely* see babies at 36 grams. That's huge for a baby rainbow. I can look up my stats of you like, but I've tracked each and every birth weight for at least ten litters....

I agree with you they grow a bit faster on hoppers, and I do feed those every now and then, but I see getting them on rats pre-sale as a benefit to the customer.

And I've seen some *really* stubborn snakes. ;-)

bigsnakegirl785 · 09-19-16, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakesitter

I *rarely* see babies at 36 grams. That's huge for a baby rainbow. I can look up my stats of you like, but I've tracked each and every birth weight for at least ten litters....

I agree with you they grow a bit faster on hoppers, and I do feed those every now and then, but I see getting them on rats pre-sale as a benefit to the customer.

And I've seen some *really* stubborn snakes. ;-)

That would be cool! You don't have to go out of your way if it's too much trouble, though.

I think Sanji was born at 35 or 36 grams (don't have his card anymore and didn't record it on iHerp so he could have been lighter but was definitely over 30 grams), Homura was 32, Morzan was 31, and Guin was 36 grams. I could probably ask Dave to look up Sanji's records, I think he keeps all of them but not sure.

Dave sends cards with all recorded feedings, weights, and sheds since birth. I think it's really cool to know birth weights so I'm thinking of doing the same thing when I start breeding boa constrictors.

lol Me, too, believe me. I have a ball python! Took me 1.5 years to get him switch to f/t. Probably wouldn't have taken so long if I hadn't kept giving in and giving him live, though.

sattva · 09-19-16, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

That would be cool! You don't have to go out of your way if it's too much trouble, though.

I think Sanji was born at 35 or 36 grams (don't have his card anymore and didn't record it on iHerp so he could have been lighter but was definitely over 30 grams), Homura was 32, Morzan was 31, and Guin was 36 grams. I could probably ask Dave to look up Sanji's records, I think he keeps all of them but not sure.

Dave sends cards with all recorded feedings, weights, and sheds since birth. I think it's really cool to know birth weights so I'm thinking of doing the same thing when I start breeding boa constrictors.

lol Me, too, believe me. I have a ball python! Took me 1.5 years to get him switch to f/t. Probably wouldn't have taken so long if I hadn't kept giving in and giving him live, though.

I'm going to show my ignorance on the subject here, but is a hopper a living mouse? When I went to the reptile store to get some meals for Crystal, I asked the guy when I should switch her from hoppers to rats... He said now! so I went with a f/t fuzzy rat which she is eating... I never did see a hopper... The word hopper suggest... well they hop? So alive or not?

JellyBean · 09-19-16, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sattva

I'm going to show my ignorance on the subject here, but is a hopper a living mouse? When I went to the reptile store to get some meals for Crystal, I asked the guy when I should switch her from hoppers to rats... He said now! so I went with a f/t fuzzy rat which she is eating... I never did see a hopper... The word hopper suggest... well they hop? So alive or not?

*I only feed frozen/thawed

That is logical thinking, but no

A "hopper" is a stage (like pinky, fuzzy, hopper, small adult).

I order my mice on-line in bulk, and it is SO much cheaper, even after paying for shipping. Also, the boxes are huge for one price, so I share shipping with my local snake keeping friends.

Check out "rodentpro.com".
Here is an explanation of a hopper from rodentpro:

Snakesitter · 09-20-16, 01:52 PM

Will do.

I send cards too -- it's a nice touch for sure.

LOL balls are notorious for that behavior. It literally is like trying to feed a pet rock. ;-)

Snakesitter · 09-21-16, 02:05 PM

Here are those stats:

My heaviest litter came in at a stunning 44 grams. My average litter was 31 grams. My lightest litter came in at 28 grams. Excluding the heavy one, the high was 35 and the average 30.