CornSnakes.com Forums  
  Tired of those Google and InfoLinks ads? Register and log in!

Go Back   CornSnakes.com Forums > The CornSnake Forums > Health Issues/Feeding Problems
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

Health Issues/Feeding Problems Anything related to general or specific health problems. Issues having to do with feeding problems or tips.

Gaia Needs Some Weight Gain
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-20-2012, 09:44 PM   #1
Kate
Question Gaia Needs Some Weight Gain

Hey guys I'm not sure if this belongs in Husbandry or here, but I figured I had too post somewhere.
When we got her, she'd been in a very stressful environment, and underweight for quite a while. In her past, she was getting fed 2 mice every 2 1/2 weeks.
To up her weight, we have been feeding her a mouse every week since we got her, and she has digested them beautifully, but still hasn't filled out in any way. We finally have access to a gram scale, so we will probably start weighing her.
She is strong, but shaped more like a triangle, than a 'loaf of bread'. I just want her at a healthier body weight.

So, how would y'all feed a 3 year old skinny girl to bulk her up?
We are thinking of upping to 2 mice a week for a month and seeing what happens?

In the picture she actually looks more plump than in person, in person, I can clearly see the line of her backbone, and that her body 'peaks' there noticeably.

P.S. She's on the keyboard as a prank, that guy is terrified of snakes and was out of the office for the day, so Jonathan figured he'd send him pictures of what was on his desk while he was out

 
Old 06-21-2012, 12:16 AM   #2
Fuzzoodle
Will she take rats? Rats have higher fat content. We feed our girls appropriate sized rats if they're skinny or if they just laid.
 
Old 06-21-2012, 12:35 AM   #3
Kate
We haven't tried rats yet, I will definitely look into that, I was worried about finding an appropriate size.
 
Old 06-21-2012, 01:10 AM   #4
Fuzzoodle
We breed our own rats and mice, so we just cull ours when they're whichever weight we need. We cull ours at pup size, which is 20-30g ish for the smaller more frequently fed snakes, and hopper size 30-40g for the bigger or less frequently fed ones.
The adult rats make pretty nice pets too :P
 
Old 06-21-2012, 03:23 AM   #5
bitsy
TBH she doesn't look the slightest bit skinny from that pic, she looks exactly the right shape and size.
 
Old 06-21-2012, 07:17 AM   #6
Nanci
There's no way I'd feed a three year old two adult mice a week. One adult mouse is appropriate. She is healthier just a tad thin than pudgy. If you start weighing her, you will be able to track her weight. You _could_ slit her mice, but even that is not necessary. It's _way_ harder to take weight off of a snake than to put it on gradually.
 
Old 06-21-2012, 07:22 AM   #7
chris68
She looks fine to me also. Like has been said, one mouse a week is fine; pushing weight onto them by aggressively feeding to make up for years of underfeeding in not good for them
 
Old 06-21-2012, 02:55 PM   #8
Kate
Okay guys, thanks! We'll stick with one mouse a week then! Y'all are right, I shouldn't just expect her backbone to suddenly be cushioned, it will take time. This picture looks pretty good, but in person she really doesn't have that 'loaf of bread' look that I see on the snakes healthy enough to be bred. Don't want to breed her, I just want her healthy!
 

Join now to reply to this thread or open new ones for your questions & comments! Cornsnakes.com is the largest online community dedicated to cornsnakes . Registration is open to everyone and FREE. Click Here to Register!

Google
 
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:25 PM.





Fauna Top Sites
 

Powered by vBulletin® Version
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Page generated in 0.06176710 seconds with 11 queries
Copyright Rich Zuchowski/SerpenCo