Random Feeding?

[RyanR]

i was just surfing the web recently and i came across a "guys" website about his corn snakes.. and he stated that he found after "years" that having Random feeding days for his snakes kept them "healthy Alert and Active"

his deffinition was.. Between 6-18 days between each feed.. mind you he only did this for well established Snakes..

has anyone else tried this?

and would it hurt to try!?

any opinions appriciated!

[Tula_Montage]

Generally I feed mine when I remember. Now that I have almost 20 snakes I have a lot of defrosting to do. Of course I keep records that I check everyday to see who needs fed, but sometimes one of two are left a few days longer before they are "meant" to be fed, and others get a few days in advance. Both methods are fine every once in a while.

[DaemoNox]

A feeding like that wont hurt the snake any, as its closer to what it would be in awhile; by being more alert and active the snakes are just hungry and out hunting, other then that I dont see much difference between that and regular feedings.

[RyanR]

well i guess the "alert and active" ties into keeping them "healthy"

which would be a bonus? but im not sure if it works.. mabey ill give it a try and see how it affects my snakes.

[DaemoNox]

The only way healthy I see bringing into it is lowering the risk of obesity. You'll just see them hungry more often.

[antsterr]

I don't see why random feeding would hurt. It's not like in nature a corn snake will eat every Tuesday and only on Tuesday.

[BeckyG]

That guy wouldn't happen to live in Sweden, would he? I was on another forum with a guy who fed his snakes irregularly like that. He would just throw in from one to five live mice at totally irregular intervals. He believed that regular feeding of snakes was actually detrimental to their health. Of course, he could produce no verifiable evidence that his snakes are healthier than those fed regularly, but he went so far as to vehemently oppose scheduled feeding.

[spyderballer]

I actually do that with my Corn but my range isnt as extreme as his. Mines more like every 7-12 days. I do this because it is nice to see my snake actually be more active hunting and moving around in her viv. I think my corn has a sleeping problem, it sleeps like 23.5 hours a day...and maybe 21 when shes hunting :) . Thats not including when I hold her. But of course I love her always, besides shes just getting her beauty sleep right?

[Mrs InsaneOne]

I don't see any adverse effects from feeding a snake on a random schedule, but I don't know if I would make it that wide of a range between feeding dates. I have on one or two occasions because of external circumstances. (ie: Our swamp cooler went out over the weekend and because we live in the desert the are still experiencing extreme heat I did not feed on a scheduled feeding day because I worried that the snakes would all regurge due to the ecess heat.)

I've also seen it mentioned here and there here on the forums that adult snakes that tend to put on weight when fed every 7 days are then placed on reduced meals at every 14 days.

It is best to keep in mind, if attempting a random feeding schedule like the one mentioned, the individual snake(s) habits and health. I'd also not recommend a feeding schedule like that for snakes that are under around a year to year and half in age - hatchlings and yearlings do a considerable amount of growing and they need their nutrition.

The other thing I'd recommend is to keep regular weight records of any snakes placed on a random feeding schedule to monitor any growth. This will give you an idea if the snake is loosing too much, staying at a steady weight, or gaining in small incriments (sp?).

If you are concerned about a snake getting enough exercise, I've heard of owners and breeders both giving their snake(s) tub time. Basically allowing the critter to swim around in about an inch or two of water in the bath tub or in a large tupperware for exercise.

Jenn