speed growing snakes

[Origamislice]

i have a 2 year old coastal and i would like to breed her next year but she is a bit small, is there anything i should do to make her grow faster? i was thinking that mabey leaving the light on 24/7 to speed up her digestion, i allready know to feed her more so i don't want any replies saying feed her more often

 

[callumsikone]

i say just wait an extra year because power feeding snakes can lead them to have shorter lives and its more natural to let them grow a bit slower

 

[Origamislice]

ok, could i possibly create an artificial season and breed her later in the season? i wouldn't mind wating an extra year but i've got some of the hatchlings promised to a couple of people. she is also 1 meter long, how small is this?

 

[J-A-X]

1 metre long for a 2 yo ? mine was a slow starter and she's just turned 2 and just hit 1.6m .......! and i thought she may be small, but reading your post maybe she's doing just fine ! !

sorry no suggestions except maybe you shouldn't have counted your hatchlings before they were layed !

 

[Tsubakai]

You could provide heat 24 hours but I wouldn't do it with an illuminating source. Too stressful for an animal that can't close its eyes. Try a heat mat or something similar.

Sounds like she will be too small to breed. Maybe a bit premature to promise hatchies that don't exist yet?

 

[Dipcdame]

ok, could i possibly create an artificial season and breed her later in the season? i wouldn't mind wating an extra year but i've got some of the hatchlings promised to a couple of people. she is also 1 meter long, how small is this?

FARRRR TOOOOOOOOOOOO SMAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLl.
DONT even TRY it till she's at least four or five years old, they aren't sexually mature till then anyway!!!!!!!

 

[Dipcdame]

Never [romise hatchies till they are hatched and eaten at LEAST the first two or three feeds, and completed SUCESSFULLY at least the first shed FAR too soon lad!

 

[Aiigaru]

I'd say sorry, your animal's health is more important then giving these people a hatchling.

 

[snakeman478]

yeah i agree with the replies so far. way too small. i wouldnt even try till she is atleast 6ft or you risk doing permanent damage or even worse, death. how would you feel then? just out of curiosity what are you feeding a 2 year old 1 meter long coastal? in my experince it should be atleast 5 foot at this age. as jaxrtfm said, i also have had slow starters that are pushing 1.5 meters on their 2nd birthday.

 

[J-A-X]

in my experince it should be atleast 5 foot at this age. as jaxrtfm said, i also have had slow starters that are pushing 1.5 meters on their 2nd birthday.

Woohoo , my girl is normal :lol:

 

[Dipcdame]

DO NOT try ond force feed, it shortens life span, and so breeding years................ if the snake is only purchased for breeding purposes, and not as a pet, |I would be more inclined on concentrating on the health of the 'breeding stock', as clinical as it sounds, and |ONLY breed at the times it is SAFE to do so for the sake of the female in question. NO reptile will breed before time anyway, I believe........ LEAVE IT till she is at LEAST four years old.

 

[TigerCoastal]

i've got a coastal thats just passed 1.4m and she's almost 2.5years, then my darwin is 1 year and 1.2m. I'm not planning on breeding my coastal for at least another year- 2 years to try to get a bit more size on her. She was underfed by her previous owner and just by increasing her food size, not frequency, she is starting to grow nicely, roughly 8- 10cm a month

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

power feeding does NO harm to your animal in the first 2 years,there has been a scientific study into this at the Uni of western Sydney which i have been involved with .

 

[JrFear]

She seems very small for 2 years definitely wait until she has decent size on her..
My MD is now 2 years and has hit 6ft and i dont wanna breed her for another year or so even tho she is the size to breed now...
Also i keep my heat on all my snakes under 2years 24/7 which is turns off and on when it gets to the rite temperature...

 

[-Matt-]

What size food are you feeding this coastal and how often? It is a long way off breeding yet...there is no hurry to get them up to size just so you can breed them. I have a 2 year old coastal here that didn't eat for almost 6 months in his first year and hasn't been powerfed and he has just cracked the 2 metre mark.

 

[Troy K.]

When I'm wanting to get certian snakes up to breeding size in a hurry I don't feed them big food items, I prefer to feed them smaller food items 3-4 times a week (first week being mon, wed, fri, second week being sun, tues, thur, sat). I find that feeding them smaller food items every second day that they can handle a lot more and put on the weight a lot quicker. I don't feed while the snakes are coming up for a shed but after they shed I start them back on 3 times a week.

I don't belive that you will be able to get you girl up to size this year but you've got plenty of time to prepare her for next season.

I also have to agree with snake pimp, I've never had one problem with any of our breeders.

Hope this helps.
Troy K

 

[Chris1]

tell ur friends the market is sooo flooded with hatchies and they should look at a for sale section,.....

very ambitious wanting to breed a 1metre coastal, lol,..! ;P

 

[Jungletrans]

Tell your friends that instead of hatchies you will give them some money when you win tattslotto . There is about the same chance .

 

[WomaPythons]

my costal is now 1.5years and hasnt eaten for bout 7 months of me gettin her and now it sitting around the 1.2-1.4 mark and has just got on2 medium rats

 

[Origamislice]

ok lots of replies,
first off, why is she so small? i'm not 100% sure but i think its something hormonal, no matter how much i feed her she won't grow (untill recently) whatever she ate just went straight to fat causing her to become rather obese,but recently she has burnt off alot of fat and has been growing rather fast so thts why i wanted to take advantage of it and speed grow her.
second, promosing to freinds. they are close friends, so close that i was going to give te hatchies for free (yes i dont care about money just my freinds have got really into snakes after seeing mine.). they are only just over 100 anyways.
third,i DO care about the welfare of my snake, that is another reason why i wanted her to catch up to the others.

any other questions?