Different Opinions On Feeding Ari - Need Help Bob

[SnakeKiss247]

I am getting all kinds of different answers as to how much and when to feed Ari. Crotalis 40741 said to feed him two mice every 12 days or so and someone else said to feed him one adult every 7-10-14 days. I just don't know which way I should go as I followed Bob's way and Ari took both mice within seconds. He was 646 grams when I brought him home and then between changing his feeding from a weekly small rat to a mouse he lost weight.... 149 grams to be exact. That was in between a shed too. I will weigh him tomorrow, but he seems happier with Bob's idea. Just need a little help Bob. Please reply... I don't know what I should do as Ari comes first and I just want to make sure I feed him right....

[susang]

I'm sorry your snake lost 149 grams, in how long???? Didn't you just join and start getting advice from members here. This would be a huge concern to me. Oh! you could look up the Munson Plan that is a good guide for feeding. Seriously though if it were my snake I would get to a vet.

[bitsy]

I'd be trying to work out whether the snake needs to lose weight or not. One small rat a week is going to pile on the pounds for most Corns. Without a pic, I'd be inclined to think he could maybe do with trimming down a little. It could be that the weight loss is actually a good sign - he could be losing flab and gaining muscle tone. 646g is a pretty reasonable starting weight for a Corn, depending on his length.

Is there a pic of the fella somewhere?

Rats do have a higher fat content than mice, so it follows that taking him back to the more normal mice would result in less fat being available for him to metabolise. I wouldn't be heading for the vet as long as he has good muscle tone, doesn't appear to be abnormally skinny and is otherwise healthy.

[SnakeKiss247]

Thanks bitsy. I think he was a little fat when I got him as he was kind of squishy. This was probably due to him being fed one small rat per week. Was told that rats have a higher fat content so with this being told, I imagine he was probably a little overweight to begin with. I have never seen an adult Corn so I have nothing to compare him to. Ari is 4ft 5in long. I will weigh him today and post a new picture of him too. Thanks for the feedback. I just want to make sure he's getting fed enough and with the proper time between feedings.

[Nanci]

If he lost that much weight in a short time, he was probably full of poo for the initial weight. I think at 646 grams, I wouldn't necessarily be trying to have him lose weight- but I'd be doing exercises like cornsnake treadmill, maybe swimming, plenty of crawling, maybe steps climbing. Then I would start with one adult mouse ~25g every 10 days, watch his weight, see if he is very slowly gaining, like five to eight grams per feeding period, and then adjust the feeding frequency up or down.

[snakewispera snr]

I still think two mice per week is too much for an adult snake...
At 4 1/2 feet your snake is adult for all intents and purpose...
One large mouse every 10-14 days will be enough....
keeping them lean is far healthier.....

[Naagas]

All snakes have their unique metabolisms, which is why you got so many different answers.
That is why Nanci's advice of seeing how much weight is gained per feeding is a good idea.
A lean snake is a happy snake.

[SnakeKiss247]

Thanks for all the feedback with Ari. I am going to go with snakewispera sna's opinion and see how Arizona does.... I agree, I think two mice might be too much for Ari. I think he was a bit too pudgy when we got him as he just seemed really squishy, so I am thinking too fat. He's been fed small rats his whole life. He was fed live until he was brought to the pet store and then they changed him to F/T rats and still fed him once a week. I do believe it's better to feed him an adult mouse as I don't think he needs all that extra fat from a rat. I just need to figure out a good feeding schedule and stick with that. Thanks everyone for all your help. I will take some pics today and post them along with his weight so you can then judge for yourselves and see what you think.

[crotalis40741]

You are getting a lot of good advice here, I went back and found the messages where you talked to me about the snake losing weight. Saying he went from 646 to 490, yes I told you to try him on two mice a feeding but not once a week. I know you get your mice from the petstore and most feeders purchased at a petstore run on the smaller side at least here they do. My adults are on 2 smaller adult mice every 10 to 12 days. I will say I am not really liking being called out on here like this. But I wish you the best with your snakes. There is a lot of good information on this site if you research it, not everyone will agree with what everyone else is doing. Research and find something that works best for your snakes and your situation.

[ghosthousecorns]

A bit late to the advice giving but I will say this is a tough call to make unless you post a picture of the snake in question. 646 grams might have been overweight- or it might have been an ideal weight for that particular snake if it were a bigger/ older one. Without seeing a picture of the snake's current condition I just don't feel comfortable making the call if the weight loss is something to worry about or telling you what to feed or how often.