# Power Feeding



## fidzy (May 29, 2007)

my 9 month old 1.5 meter MD ... i just fed it a 700 gram rat ... check out the pics


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## cyclamen (May 29, 2007)

that feed looks too big for the snake
u do realise its very unhealthy to powerfeed snakes dont you


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## hornet (May 29, 2007)

mate thats not good, not healthy to power feed


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## fidzy (May 29, 2007)

hw will be fine, i feed him one every 7 days and he is shooting up


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## Splitmore (May 29, 2007)

That size meal looks fine, I've seen snakes with much bigger bulges in their stomachs than that.


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## cyclamen (May 29, 2007)

if u say so


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## hornet (May 29, 2007)

the feed is ok, but not for weekly, and 1.5m at 9months is far 2 big, my yearling coastals are about 80cm


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## cyclamen (May 29, 2007)

my 2 year carpet is only 1.5meters....


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## fidzy (May 29, 2007)

i give my rats growth hormones, so my snake will bulge up. i want him to get big quick


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## Hoppa1874 (May 29, 2007)

my 15 month old coastal is only just over a metre..


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## hornet (May 29, 2007)

i have a boy approaching 4 years old this coming season and hes only 1.2-1.3m atm, my 3 year old girl is just over 1.5m, i cant see him living very long being 1.5m at 9 months


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## cyclamen (May 29, 2007)

fidzy said:


> i give my rats growth hormones, so my snake will bulge up. i want him to get big quick



if u want a big snake, then maybe u should have brought a adult. its very obvious you are new to keeping snakes and dont have its health as its number one priority.


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## Splitmore (May 29, 2007)

melgalea said:


> if u say so



whats your reasoning then behind that meal being too big? Not picking an arguement but obviously you've had some negative experiences feeding large prey items to snakes.


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## hornet (May 29, 2007)

i think hes just *****ting us, where would a normal person get growth hormones from?


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## fidzy (May 29, 2007)

dont worry he will be fine


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## cyclamen (May 29, 2007)

Splitmore said:


> whats your reasoning then behind that meal being too big? Not picking an arguement but obviously you've had some negative experiences feeding large prey items to snakes.



that wasnt directed at you splitmore . and no i have not had negative experiences with any of my feeding.


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## hornet (May 29, 2007)

that sized meal is fine for feeding every 2-3weeks but not weekly, i think this guy is just stiring us up, either that or he shouldnt be keeping reptiles


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## cyclamen (May 29, 2007)

hornet said:


> hat sized meal is fine for feeding every 2-3weeks but not weekly, i think this guy is just stiring us up, either that or he shouldnt be keeping reptiles



agreed


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## scotchbo (May 29, 2007)

ure a dead set idiot , lets just hope the poor thing dosnt pro lapse when it comes to pooping it out


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## fidzy (May 29, 2007)

the black maket does exist buddy


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## Hoppa1874 (May 29, 2007)

*got ya...*



hornet said:


> i think hes just *****ting us, where would a normal person get growth hormones from?



who said anything about NORMAL...????????


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## Hoppa1874 (May 29, 2007)

u notice we all dived on this one quick>???


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## Hoppa1874 (May 29, 2007)

scotchbo.. u mite want to edit ur post.. or infraction will come..


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## cyclamen (May 29, 2007)

Hoppa1874 said:


> who said anything about NORMAL...????????



some people just have no clue in life.


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## Sanchez (May 29, 2007)

Off topic: Were did you get your bed cover? Go the mighty phase 3


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## Hoppa1874 (May 29, 2007)

great topic change brendanS.. well done..


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## Australis (May 29, 2007)

BrendanS said:


> Off topic: Were did you get your bed cover? Go the mighty phase 3



Yeah, not too shabby


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## whiteyluvsrum (May 29, 2007)

the size is fine, could probably go bigger. i would give em more time to digest the bigger feed though.


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## eladidare (May 29, 2007)

hornet said:


> that sized meal is fine for feeding every 2-3weeks but not weekly, i think this guy is just stiring us up, either that or he shouldnt be keeping reptiles


i agree, but not so much with the not keeping reptiles part, just needs a better understanding of a snakes eating habits and digestation capabilities. nice snake either way just a over fed.


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## Glimmerman (May 29, 2007)

Why not offer smaller prey but more frequently eg, bit under 1/2 size of that prey item but offer 1 every 4 days. That way you are getting the same food quantity into the animal with less stress on the animal's system. There are ways to speed up growth rates via feeding without putting added stress on the animals organs.

Why are you wasting your money giving your rodents growth hormones  ??? You should be taking them yourself :lol: Seriously, What do you plan on achieving by giving your rodents GH? You know snakes only have a small liver.


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## Southside Morelia (May 29, 2007)

The snake will be fine... He's taking the p**s!
I am more concerned with someone owning a bed spread like that ....
Must be single, living with Mummy and genitally challenged...
Sorry dude but you asked for it... GH for your rats... you must be a millionare, that ****** aint cheap...:lol: But it all comes back to the bed spread... OMG:lol: :lol:


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## Varanus1 (May 29, 2007)

Glimmerman said:


> Why not offer smaller prey but more frequently eg, bit under 1/2 size of that prey item but offer 1 every 4 days. That way you are getting the same food quantity into the animal with less stress on the animal's system. There are ways to speed up growth rates via feeding without putting added stress on the animals organs.



Just a quick question Glimmerman, and correct me if i'm wrong, but wouldn't being fed a small to average meal at a higher frequency put more stress on the snake organs than less frequent larger feeds? I was under the belief that doing so sped up the snakes metabolism, and did more harm to the animal than a larger meal at fewer intervals (e.g weekly or every fortnight)? Not having a go at anyone, just very interested to hear peoples input on this topic.

Cheers,
Trent


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## salebrosus (May 29, 2007)

To be honest i think alot of people don't know the difference between **** and clay and love jumping on the bandwagon about power feeding.Everybody has their own ideas about what power feeding is. I know plenty of well respected breeders who shove that amount of food into their animals and then some to get them up to breeding size and they never ever lose an animal to fatty liver disease or "powerfeeding". Much rather give my animals a decent amount of food than starving them by feeding them once very 2-3 weeks.

Nice MD by the way.

Simone.


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## Southside Morelia (May 29, 2007)

I have had one of my jungles be a pig and eat 2 rats at a sitting, it pinched one off another that was too slow... then she veged out for days without moving until it was digested.
The next week when I offered her dinner, she did not take it, it was only after a couple of days after that ie 1 1/2 weeks after the big feed that she took another rat.
So I guess taking that into consideration, my assumption would be she will only eat when she is hungry. bigger meal less frequently. I don't know what will happen to a snakes internal organs, but in the wild I am positive snakes will take large prey on occasion, they are opportunistic feeders!


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## Sanchez (May 29, 2007)

scm1 said:


> The snake will be fine... He's taking the p**s!
> I am more concerned with someone owning a bed spread like that ....
> Must be single, living with Mummy and a loos*r..
> QUOTE]
> ...


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## salebrosus (May 29, 2007)

P.S. Is that the 351 XY UTE bed quilt cover????????

Simone.


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## salebrosus (May 29, 2007)

Go the Fords!

This is my quilt cover- i only have to please myself and couldn't give sweet FA if no one else liked it but me,

Simone.


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## Sanchez (May 29, 2007)

Three hundred and fifty one cubic inches. Does this look overfed?


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## salebrosus (May 29, 2007)

Oh giddy up Brendan- that is a piece of art!

Simone.


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## Sanchez (May 29, 2007)

Yeah I miss it. It was traded in for a holden


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## Southside Morelia (May 29, 2007)

johnbowemonie said:


> Go the Fords!
> 
> This is my quilt cover- i only have to please myself and couldn't give sweet FA if no one else liked it but me,
> 
> Simone.


LOL Well you are a Westy.... Just geeing you up i'm from the coast.... you know the rivalry


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## Splitmore (May 29, 2007)

johnbowemonie said:


> To be honest i think alot of people don't know the difference between **** and clay and love jumping on the bandwagon about power feeding.Everybody has their own ideas about what power feeding is. I know plenty of well respected breeders who shove that amount of food into their animals and then some to get them up to breeding size and they never ever lose an animal to fatty liver disease or "powerfeeding". Much rather give my animals a decent amount of food than starving them by feeding them once very 2-3 weeks.
> 
> Nice MD by the way.
> 
> Simone.



Well put Simone. I don't necissarly 'power feed' my animals but they do get big food items and usually once a week. None of my snakes are obese and most breed reguarly without a problem. Rick Shine did extensive work on the water pythons of Fogg Dam and found they pretty much had an unlimited supply of food, which they utilised very well. I find it very difficult to overfeed a growing snake. Even if they do become a little overweight they grow out of it eventually.


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## Southside Morelia (May 29, 2007)

Just like Ron Jeremy, his snake used to get VERY BIG but i'm sure he eventually grew out of it after a while... :lol:


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## spilota_variegata (May 29, 2007)

*???*



fidzy said:


> my 9 month old 1.5 meter MD ... i just fed it a 700 gram rat ... check out the pics



700g?? That's a BIG rat.... Did you mean 70g? I've seen rats that weigh 500g and they are big.


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## Hoppa1874 (May 29, 2007)

simone.. u cooda made the bed for us....


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## Southside Morelia (May 29, 2007)

spilota_variegata said:


> 700g?? That's a BIG rat.... Did you mean 70g? I've seen rats that weigh 500g and they are big.


Don't forget there on Growth Hormones and benching 250Lbs....


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## spilota_variegata (May 29, 2007)




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## salebrosus (May 29, 2007)

Hoppa1874 said:


> simone.. u cooda made the bed for us....



LOL, i couldn't be bothered today- But i still have John Bowe's side skirt from his race car in the corner of my room.  I am a Ford fanatic, bit hard not to notice if you walked into my room.

Splitmore, totally agree with you mate,

Simone.


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## Chimera (May 29, 2007)

fidzy said:


> i give my rats growth hormones, so my snake will bulge up. i want him to get big quick



I just finished replying to a thread on the life expectancy of a jungle where I likened the causes for variance to that found in humans. I think in this case you'll have the serpent equivalent of an 18 year old American Football player dosed up on steroids and protein supplements who has a heart attack and dies before their 21st birthday.

Poor keeping


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## Glimmerman (May 29, 2007)

Varanus1 said:


> Just a quick question Glimmerman, and correct me if i'm wrong, but wouldn't being fed a small to average meal at a higher frequency put more stress on the snake organs than less frequent larger feeds? I was under the belief that doing so sped up the snakes metabolism, and did more harm to the animal than a larger meal at fewer intervals (e.g weekly or every fortnight)? Not having a go at anyone, just very interested to hear peoples input on this topic.
> 
> Cheers,
> Trent



G'day Trent, No correction needed mate, just my thoughts. 

I use to offer my juvies similar sized food as in the pics originally posted but found that they would sit in the corner or hide being less active longer, and that doing so at weekly interval was not enough time for this prey to digest correctly. A feed of that size would be approx every 10 days, IMO.

I offer my animals food every 3 - 4 days (Sunday & Wednesday). The prey item is enough to be visible but not excessive once consumed. I also have my temps higher to compensate for the extra feedings. Majority of the time the waste is already on the substrate come the next feed. If they do not want it, then they don't eat. All my animals also look in proportion. I think by the time they become adults and in to their breeding years, they equal themselves out anyway. 

My adult girls get fed every 4 - 5 days as I feel it bring back any conditioning lost over their gravid term. By the time the next season comes around they are back in prime condition. If they are not - then I don't breed them. I also rest them every 3rd or 4th season.

I do not continue this feeding behaviuor in my adult males as they have less to do and have no reason to loose condition. I usually feed my females:males at 2:1.

My oldest snake fed under these conditions is a female Port Mac Carpet and is approx 16 years old. I have recently given her to a close friend of mine who wanted her as a pet snake and is his only reptile.

Cheers

Damian.


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## hazzard (May 29, 2007)

"Scarf up buddy" extreme pets has rats up to and over a kilo R32's! Give some of those a try!

Happy scarfing!


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## Glimmerman (May 29, 2007)

hazzard said:


> Happy scarfing!


:lol: :lol: :lol: Ya crack me up Haz :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## waruikazi (May 29, 2007)

Mate you should have seen my aphrodites when i gave her a guinea pig! It was atleast a kilo! Fattest snake in the world for atleast a week !


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## spilota_variegata (May 29, 2007)

Feed him these babies...


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## Earthling (May 29, 2007)

This size is what I feed all my adults every 3rd and 5th day, except on Sundays (Gods day)........do you think its too much?


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## Hoppa1874 (May 29, 2007)

is that a really real rat.. cos man thats humongous...


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## Earthling (May 29, 2007)

Super rat


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## Hoppa1874 (May 29, 2007)

wot i meant was its not photoshopped???
It is really real? wow


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## oxyranus (May 29, 2007)

BrendanS said:


> "Pin head Syndrome":lol:


Ive seen a snake at a pet store with pin head syndrome.Not a good look.


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## oxyranus (May 29, 2007)

I think that rats been on the growth hormones too by the looks of it.


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## Earthling (May 29, 2007)

Gambian Giant Pouched Rat


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## Davem54 (May 29, 2007)

That rat looks like a Cricetomys gambianus (Gambian Giant Pouched Rat) LOL Bit slow wasn't I


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## Rennie (May 29, 2007)

spilota_variegata said:


> 700g?? That's a BIG rat.... Did you mean 70g? I've seen rats that weigh 500g and they are big.



I'm surprised no-one else mentioned this, its hard to tell from a photo I know but I wouldn't say that rat is much over 100g, 200g max.

The meal doesn't look too big to me either, I give my snakes large meals too, just a lot less often.


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## Davem54 (May 29, 2007)

Yep, the meal doesn't look too big but the MD looks real big for 9 months??


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## Davem54 (May 29, 2007)

Thinking about it the young python would have been hatched at an odd time if it was 9 months now, how is this possible fidzy????


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## learning snake man (May 30, 2007)

Earthling said:


> Gambian Giant Pouched Rat


like is that a protected marsupila i have not seen them for sale any where and if not i might look in to breeding them but some how i think thay are on a list


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## learning snake man (May 30, 2007)

*i should had read more it,s a pouched criter ok can,t sell them*


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## Chris1 (May 30, 2007)

.....just cos no one else has posted it, (that i noticed, sorry if i missed it)

http://www.aussiepythons.com/showthread.php?t=37526&page=6


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## Pythons Rule (May 30, 2007)

mate if you really wanted a big snake why buy a MD they grow to 2 metres and they are slow growers surpose to be! you should at least feed them once a fortnight with a feed that size and a happy snake is a healthy snake unless your really wanting to breed something thats aggressive. I feel real sorry for your snake and it won't live for as long as they normally do in captivity.  You should of probably bought a coastal to the fact they grow faster and much bigger, my 2 Capies at 3.5years old ea and the biggest one is 8" 2.5metres I feed them 2 large rats a fortnight, Yes my goal is to get them bigger but all in good time, and going to try my luck breeding this year. 

it doesn't make sence you trying to powerfeed a snake that doesn't grow that big anyway, why didn't you by a snake that was an adult already you would have saved so much monie from not buying gh.

what are you going to get out of it in the long run? and are you trying to see it they will grow bigger than what there surposed to? would you be very disapointed when you check on your snake one day and its dead from being over dosed? If not shame on you you shouldn't be aloud to own a snake or any reptiles ever that is called cruelty

just my appinion 

Jody


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## hornet (May 30, 2007)

i think he was just stiring us up, i wouldnt feed any pythons ever 3-4days, not even hatchies. Adults should be fed a good meal ever 2-3 weeks. I have heard all of this from experienced breeders.


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## cyclamen (May 30, 2007)

i agree with you 110% Jody


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (May 30, 2007)

> *i should had read more it,s a pouched criter ok can,t sell them
> *


you can sell pouched critters here but this one is from africa, so...
powerfeeding is bad, mmmk
oh yeh, the name refers to the cheek pouches,not marsupial type pouches


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## Just_Joshin (May 30, 2007)

hornet said:


> i think he was just stiring us up, i wouldnt feed any pythons ever 3-4days, not even hatchies. Adults should be fed a good meal ever 2-3 weeks. I have heard all of this from experienced breeders.


He's definately stirring. If you look at the rest of the snakes body it looks to be in healthy proportion, so either his snakes has the worlds fastest metabolism or it is getting fed at a normal/sensible rate as it is not fat and out of proportion.


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## hornet (May 30, 2007)

yea i was thinking that, my 1.2m snakes when getting a 200g rat the lump is alot bigger then that one.


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## cement (May 30, 2007)

some one put up a picture of pinhead please. I am interested to see what it looks like.
That MD doesn't look fat to me.


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## hornet (May 30, 2007)

doesnt look fat because its probably 2-3years old, hes just stiring


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## Ozzie Python (May 30, 2007)

i hope he's just stirring. Alot of this guys previous threads have been about how to make a snake grow quicker. Makes one think.


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (May 30, 2007)

cement said:


> some one put up a picture of pinhead please. I am interested to see what it looks like.
> That MD doesn't look fat to me.


Might just be a fat olive but i have often though this snake could be a good example of a pinhead.


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## Ozzie Python (May 30, 2007)

looks like a monster of an olive, do you have a full photo of that?


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