Substanance vs. "Growth Diet" Outcome

I've seen some 2008 hatchlings offered for sale by breeders which look considerably smaller than similar 2008 hatchlings owned as pets. I surmise that if a breeder does not sell a snake in 2008', he's not going to be feeding the animal for maximum growth, as would a hobbyist who has just a few animals...

My question is this... If one were to purchase a 2008 hatchling which is super healthy, but on the small side, is the snake capable of catching up to a snake which was always fed for maximal growth, or will his size potential be compromised due to the substanance diet he was fed for a year?

Thanks:

Daniel

I have an amel motley that was a small 07 when I got her last year and she is catching up with the other 07.
I think it depends on your definition of a maintenance diet. Starving your snake will stunt its growth, but I have seen too many snakes on a "growth" diet get obese too.

Each snake is an individual and will grow at it's own rate. Some maintenance-fed '08 hatchlings will start gaining weight rapidly on a "growth" diet and some that have been on a growth diet all their lives can be smaller than those maintenance-fed ones.

I feed all my snakes once a week (or try to as best as possible) and I feed each hatchling according to it's own particular size and what size meal it can handle. Some snakes can handle meals at the maximum appropriate size while others need those at the smaller end. And their growth rate can vary depending upon genetics, size at hatching, etc. If a hatchling has a regurge or skips a meal or doesn't eat while blue can also affect it's size compared to other hatchlings of equal age, genetics, etc. I currently have '08's ranging from 10 grams to 75 grams. And you also have to consider when in 2008 these snakes were hatched...April or September can make a big difference.

I have an '07 Amel Motley that was 7 months old when I got him and only weighed 18 grams. He had been on a maintenance diet of 1 pinky mouse every 7-9 days. After 14 months on the Munson Plan, he is now up to 284 grams and looking great.

I was referring to the feeding of healthy snakes for both "substanance" and "growth" purposes. By substanance, I intended to imply that the snake was fed to keep it healthy, but not specifically to allow for maximal potential weight and length gain. On a growth diet, I would not condone allowing the snake to become obese.

Thanks for your responses...

Dan

I have a 2005 lavender, Lila, who was given to me as a gift. She came from her second owner, not her breeder. She weiged 26 grams at two years old. Her previous owner bought her, sight unseen, and had hoped to breed her as a three year old, which obviously wasn't going to happen. I've had her two years now, and she weighs in at 450. Plus she had a three or four month feeding strike/self-brumation this winter.

Another snake, a 2008 male, I bought as an almost-yearling, at 11 grams. Must have been on a maintenance diet. 14 months later, he weighs 350 grams. That's a lot of growth in a year! And I wasn't trying to hurry him up or anything.

From the same seller, I have a 2008 who I bought at the same time. I suspect she may have been brumated as a baby. She weighed 6 grams when I received her. She is only up to 125 grams now.

So- some small snakes can grow very well, others grow more slowly. I fully expect the 125 gram girl to reach breedable size only a year late, in 2012. I'd be very surprised if she is ready by next spring.