Ok so... I know feeding smaller meals is easier to digest and better for the snake. I also heard Brian (bhb) on his snakebyte video tell Chewy to feed large meals to some of the scaleless corns? So I guess my question is what do you prefer and what's better to put some weight on them (bp's)? How often is everyone feeding? Also how can you get a feeding response up on your snakes? I would like to get some better feeding responses out of my animals. I feed my stuff once a week and one item per week and also pre-scent the room. I am thinking of cutting back to every 10 days for a better feeding response and also because of the breeding season. I talked to Dave barker at the boa symposium the other year in Daytona he mentioned that they were cycling with food? Just some info to get everyone's brain busting.

Here's how I do it, and there's no one set way to do it.

For hatchlings, up to about 300 grams, I offer food once every five days. At that age, I rarely have refusals, even in shed.

After they are over 300 grams, I offer once every 7 days. I feed my adults small medium rats (about 100 to 130 grams). Starting in August, for the females I'm planning to breed, I'll offer them a second prey item if they're interested in eating a second - to help them put on additional weight in preparation for carrying eggs.

I feed so that my animals are thick and "athletic", not so that they are lumpy sausages.

Other than one or two of about 40 ball pythons, mine all eat every week, with an occassional refusal, but back on feeding the following week.

That method has worked well for me.

I'm not technically bush league material :-), I've got nine snakes total and only three of them are balls BUT I've had two of those for 17 years and have a pattern pretty much worked out with them. If you could call it a pattern.

These two run between 2900 and 3200 grams each at the moment.This time of year they will be offered a large ( 230 - 325 gram) rat between lockups or once a week if they aren't foolin' around at all. These two are almost chronic for shutting down from late Sept. to early Oct. until sometime the following June and the female will often NOT eat the whole time but I offer just the same. THe three or four summer months they do eat I feed them when I see them cruisin' the tank. Mostly they'll take a large rat a week but often they'll take two a couple days apart. They're eating machines till it's time to play again. Mind you neither of them are over weight and actually appear thin in pictures.

OK, it's not really a regiment but it works for them and me:)


Quig

I offer food once a week, even the baby corns...if they start to look skinny in a growing spurt I just give more at one feeding. As long as it looks like they have eaten for at least a day after I am happy with the size of the prey, if they eat and you can't tell is when I bump up the size.

Now I will say that I have 2 male bp's that I am seeing if they can pack on a few extra grams right now so they are on a 4-5 day schedule but they are the only ones.

I feed hatchlings every 4-5 days. Adults I feed once a week unless they just laid in which case I'll feed them as much as they'll eat..