Poll: Adult Corn Feeding Frequency

How often do you feed your adults- those snakes over 300 grams?

I'm feeding weekly now, but I wonder if I'm turning my snakes into porkers.
everyone (except Big Jake) weighs just over 300g now, and they're 2004's-2005's. I don't _mind_ feeding them weekly, but am I feeding more often than is healthy?

I voted other....We feed our adults every 10-14 days.Depending on prey size etc.

I feed my bigger ones every 10days, otherwise they get fat. I do monitor them closely of course, They still gain weight very nicely on this feeding program!

Hmmmm, males or females? The answer would be different!

Chose "Biweekly" (assume that means "Fortnightly") and realised I should have chosen Other as it varies:

* Late Autumn to Early Spring (males and females as long as pre-breeding weight is regained) one feed, once every 3-4 weeks. I don't fully brumate, but my flat does have a drop in ambient temps as I work full time and the heating is only on for a few hours in the evenings.

* Early Spring to Late Autumn (males and non-breeding females) one feed a fortnight. Can be less if I spot those love handles creeping back, in which case they go down to one feed every three weeks. Most of my males will go on some length of fast during the breeding season anyway, which helps.

* Spring to Laying (breeding females) one feed a fortnight, with two prey items at a time for females who are in the low 300g range. For those that routinely fast before laying, smaller food sizes are offered as eggs develop, to ensure that they eat for as long as possible.

* Laying to Late Autumn (breeding females) one feed a fortnight, with two prey items at a time until pre-breeding weight is regained (one at a time once weight is regained). For those who appear to struggle with that, I switch to one slightly smaller prey item, weekly.

So no hard-and-fast rules for me. I juggle feeding regimes around as individual snakes seem to need it.

Ahhhh....I thought bi-weekly meant twice a week...bi-monthly every fortnight..etc

I voted biweekly, but it depends on the animal and the time of year. After the females come out of brumation I throw food at them twice a week until they don't want it any more. Some of my adults get fed weekly. Just like people, some snakes can eat and eat and never get fat....others can just look at a chocolate cake and gain 40 grams :grin01:.

Chris

Merriam Webster is of no help...

Main Entry:
1bi·week·ly
Pronunciation:
\(ˌ)bī-ˈwē-klē\
Function:
adjective
Date:
1832
1 : occurring twice a week
2 : occurring every two weeks : fortnightly

I meant every two weeks.

My larger snakes I feed every 10-14days.
Right now with my few females coming out of brumation, I am feeding them a little more often.

1-2 adult mice (not the "jumbo" retired breeder mice, just 20-30 gram "large adults") 7-14 days, depending on the sex and time of year...I have 6 adults (2 pairs breeding this year) so I can get them all out at some point during a week for a little "stressercise" too...

I only have the one adult male and he gets a small rat once a week... and sometimes he swears I'm trying to starve him on that schedule He's got to have the metabolism of a hummingbird as he's not getting fat on that schedule.

I voted "other" because I do different schedules depending on the snake (and gender). Girls (breeding season) get to munch to their hearts content. Generally, they get fed every 8-10 days. Males are usually between 10-14 days. I really take it based on the snake's muscle tone, activity level, etc.

My adults get fed biweekly, and I haven't had any issues from it. Mine are typically over 400 grams before I go to biweekly, though. The 300-400 gram stage I generally feed around 10 days, but due to my own personal schedule of life, it's not set in stone.

Thanks for all the explanations so far- I really appreciate the input.

I voted other, but that is because I couldn't vote for 2 answers at the same time. I often feed my adults weekly, but sometimes I don't get a chance until it has been 10 days, and then, on the odd occasion, it can be 6 days between 2 meals and at least once or twice a year, it ends up being 14 days between meals.

Voted "other" because feeding schedule varies.
Depending, it is every 7 days, or every 8 - 10 days, or every 10+ days. Each snake has their own, individualized, feed schedule.
Even that can, sometimes, vary (to slightly lesser days) ... depending on circumstances (i.e. post lay, etc., etc.).

Every 7 - 10 days over here Nanci.

I'm another "other" voter. Depending on the time of year and how quickly they're gaining weight.
My one adult male doesn't do the spring fast, so he gets fed every two weeks, year round at the moment.
My females get fed every 10-14 days late summer, autumn and winter. Then they go to weekly in January until successful mating, then once gravid I continue with the weekly feeding but decrease prey size according to their bulging stomachs. After laying I stay with weekly feeds, increasing prey size over a month or so, until back to previous prey size and pre-breeding weight. I then move them back out to the 10-14 day schedule by late summer.

I don't brumate and have so far not had a female double clutch, but if one did, then I would probably vary the schedule according to her appetite and how well she recovered from double clutching.

snakewispera snr said:

Ahhhh....I thought bi-weekly meant twice a week...bi-monthly every fortnight..etc

Click to expand...

Bi weekly, every two weeks.

Semi weekly, twice a week.

Eric