Age?

[dusterdust]

I know that size and age aren't directly correlated, but I was wondering if someone here could tell me roughly how old a 20ichling would be?

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

Maybe 6-12 mos old, depending on frequency of feeding and how fast of a grower they are.

 

[MegF.]

I'd agree with that. On average, most normal corns will be about that long at 6 months or so.

 

[dusterdust]

I got him from a pet store here in Can...He came in with 8 others...Him being the biggest... He was "redder" than the rest...
Why would he have been that much bigger/redder... Why did he come with a group of grey ones? Could he be of another breeder or something?
Are they usually sold at this age or younger?

 

[MegF.]

Mine were probably 3-4 months along when I sold the first one. They all grow at different rates so he could just be a fast grower. Petstores often take babies off breeders when they haven't had more than one meal in them. This could make them only a few weeks old. Theoretically you could get one at a month or so old. A decent breeder would make sure that they take at least 3 or 4 meals in a row before selling. If mine weren't established feeders, I wouldn't sell them until they were.

 

[dusterdust]

I got mine at the petstore 3 weeks ago, he's roughly 20 inches...
How is that possible?

 

[jaxom1957]

I got mine at the petstore 3 weeks ago, he's roughly 20 inches...How is that possible?

The petstore may have kept him until he was eating well, may have received him from a breeder who keeps them longer than most or joblotted him after he didn't sell individually, he may have been fed more frequently than most... there are many reasons a young snake may be bigger than his compatriots. I'd be quite happy to start with one already that size; you're a lot less likely to run into problems.

 

[MegF.]

My snakes were probably close to that when I sold the remaining animals to my local pet store. They were all fed every 4-5 days in my care so they had plenty of growth on them before I sold them.

 

[dusterdust]

Does initial feeding have an effect on total growth? Or will snakes always eventually reach their max...Will they keep growing...Does their rate of growth depend on their size already, or their age?

 

[MegF.]

All of the above. Regularly fed individuals will most likely have the most growth over one that is fed only on a hit and miss basis. Snakes grow throughout their lifetime, they just slow down quite a bit after their 3rd year or so. Genetics plays a part as well. I've found some of mine seem to stay the same size and weight for quite a few months and then go thru a sudden growth spurt. My amel was like that. He's now a whopping 51" at 3 1/2 years old.

 

[dusterdust]

So how a snake is fed at a young age can affect it's max size?

 

[jaxom1957]

So how a snake is fed at a young age can affect it's max size?

As with most animals, over feeding is not likely to cause the snake to grow larger than it would have on a more moderate diet, but will cause the snake to grow more quickly. That isn't necessarily a good thing, however. Rapid growth is taxing on the system.

Conversely, the stunted growth from not feeding enough to a hatchling may prove permanent, as the lack of nutrition may irrevocably alter the skeletal structure.

 

[dusterdust]

Here's to hoping the breeder fed him enough, I got him at 20 inches...I'm just hoping he's a fast grower...

 

[MegF.]

A lot of breeders who have large numbers of hatchlings probably won't be feeding every 4-5 days, but on the whole they feed at least once a week or so. It's easy to miss a feeding when you have hundreds or even thousands of hathclings. Even with only 21, it was sometimes difficult to get everyone fed at the same time.