PDA

View Full Version : Healthy feeding question.


Healthy feeding question.

enl0001
09-29-2010, 04:05 PM
I've had my corn for a few months now and she's doing wonderfully. She's up to two feet, and weighs 30 grams :)

I keep hearing about the Munson plan for feeding and that it's a great way to get a large snake very quickly without causing obesity.

However, I don't necessarily want a snake with a huge diameter. I just want her to be healthy. I know the Munson plan is just a suggestion, and not one that has to be strictly followed, but does anyone have another feeding plan that they want to share that would be a better fit for the type of snake I want to raise?

I'm not saying snakes with a large diameter on the Munson plan aren't healthy. I know they are. But if it is possible to have a smaller diameter and have my snake be just as healthy, I would like that. Any suggestions?

bitsy
09-29-2010, 04:11 PM
I think the Munson Plan is pretty reasonable these days. The first version was quite aggressive by the author's own admission. He revised it down and I'd say that the current version is a safe, steady growth regime for most Corns.

That's not to say it works like clockwork for all of them, all of the time. "The rules are, there are no rules" when it comes to Corns (just to complicate matters!).

Each Corn is an individual, so regardless of what routine you adopt, you'll still need to keep an eye out for undue weight gain or loss and tweak your feeding regime accordingly. I tend to feed adults slightly less than the Munson Plan - same sized food items but not quite so often. My healthy adults go down to a three week feed routine over the winter as long as they're a sensible weight beforehand. I don't brumate, but I think this gives them a general slowdown for a few months. If I spot any of them dropping weight then I just go back to fortnightly feeds until I'm happy with them again. If necessary, I double up and offer two mice at a time.

Certainly the goal of having a Corn with a reasonable diameter and healthy, is a great place to start.

enl0001
09-29-2010, 04:27 PM
I just weighed my snake recently and will now be switching her to small fuzzies. The Munson Plan suggests that I should have already done this and by now should be on large fuzzies, however, I'm afraid to go straight from pinkies to large fuzzies, so I will give her a transition period. Now that I'm moving her up, would it be okay to feed her maybe ever week and a half instead of weekly?

bitsy
09-29-2010, 04:31 PM
If you can source intermediate food sizes then a gradual increase is a good plan.

With fuzzies I tend to feed once a week, then go to ten day feeds once they get to small mice.