Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

DrAdam · Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 12:14 pm Post subject: Female Royal over eating ??

Hi People

I have had this female for 3 weeks. When I first got it I left her for a week to settle, then offered her a large weaner and bang! Excellent.... About 6 days later she is really active, even a hand on the side of the tub sparks a response off her, not a bite but she headbutting the side wanting to investigate, so I offer her a really fat large weaner and again bang... job done I though, that was saturday, on sunday she is looking around the tub again and staying in the S position looking out of the top of the tub, I only have one prey item defrosted, I thought surely she can't be hungry so I tried her with an adult mouse and she hit it and took it. Its now wednesday night and she is giving everything the 'look' again..... Is it possible to over feed her ? She was 900g at the last weigh which was just as I took her off the guy, apparently she was a problem feeder ?? I have already got the message that perhaps she should now be on small rats but I thought a fat weander and an adult mouse would have lasted her more than 3 days!
Should I offer or try and stick to some sort of regime ? I know I wouldnt like to go hungry ? Is it the time of the year ??

Thanks for any help
_________________
My website isn't quite there yet, as I got bored half way through writing it.

Never take life too seriously, no-one gets out alive anyway

royalpython · Key Member Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 484

at 900g, she can probably feast on something weighing about 80-120g.. a small rat say. So 1 weaner will not really fill her out. Try and judge the food by girth of the snakes body. You can go a little over the girth. I usually only do this when stepping up the food sizes, usually after the first biggest meal of their lives their body seems to take shape (i.e. stepping from 25g weaner to 50g weaner etc)? and it's easier the second time to eat that same sized meal , but i tend to stick to the girth.

DrAdam · Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 12:59 pm Post subject:

Yeah I'm going to step up the food size.... Should I offer a small rat tonight or wait for the weekend ? At the moment there is 2 weaner rats and a mouse inside to my knowledge..... I'm not looking forward to cleaning that lot up lol
_________________
My website isn't quite there yet, as I got bored half way through writing it.

Never take life too seriously, no-one gets out alive anyway

Young_Gun · Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 2:52 pm Post subject:

Personally I would feed her as often as she would take, royals are the only snakes I do this with because I would rather overfeed for say 3 months in case they fast for the next 4-5 etc.
_________________
MORE THAN 2!

SnakeGuy · Key Member Joined: 28 Jun 2007 Posts: 371 Location: Devon

Does anyone find that overfeeding can cause them to fast? I started feeding mine more often and she went off her food after about 5 feeds and didn't eat for a month and half.
_________________
1.7.7 Royal Python
0.1.0 Corn snake
0.0.1 Albino Horned Frog
0.0.1 Lasiodora Difficilis
0.0.1 Brachypelma Smithi

royalpython · Key Member Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 484

yeah try her out on a small rat, should keep her happy for more than 3 days Very Happy

mike h · CaptiveBred Addict! Joined: 18 Mar 2006 Posts: 778

Think what you want, Do you want her to put weight on reasonably fast, then probably lots of smaller meals say 3x 60grm rats a week and as she gets bigger increase teh size. Smaller meals will digest quicker and presumably faster growth because more grms eaten per week.

OR 150Grm rat say every week, my 2k female eats 300grm rats easily so assume a 150 grm rat should easily be consumed by a 900grm royal.

Only my ideas but agree with young gun that its good to feed up when they are in feeding mode
Very Happy

mike
_________________
Check out my albino royal python website!

DrAdam · Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 9:20 pm Post subject:

I'll find out how hungry she is soon, a small rat should fill her.... It must be the time of the year...
_________________
My website isn't quite there yet, as I got bored half way through writing it.

Never take life too seriously, no-one gets out alive anyway

Bazzer · Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 9:22 pm Post subject:

royalpython · Key Member Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 484

if you feed them decent sized meals, you should find they will actually refuse mid-week offers of food (occasionally if i've split up the feeding days, i've had left over rats, and offered to those that had fed a few days previous)... i rarely get a response, but giving them the full week, i usually get a response. Depends on their size and size of meals. If you keep feeding weaners, i reckon you'll get a lot of response. I've got an 06 female weighing 1.6kg, feeding her weekly. So they still grow very fast regardless.