• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Fat or not fat?

midnightgallop

midnightgallop

I can't type...
Hi,
I've been a bit non-existant for a bit, but I am back and hoping to be a bit more active on this site. I just feel because I am new, I shouldn't post advice and should just leave that to the pros. anywho...the question at hand...
I made my own gram scale (which may be slightly off for obvious reasons) so I could weigh my snake finally. He's only a pet and will not be bred, but I just want to make sure he's at a healthy weight. He (at least I think it might be a he) is an 07 hatchling, 16.1 grams and 12.5 inches long. I was feeding him one pinkie every 4-5 days, and only recently went up to two every 5 days after he shed. He looks a bit round to me...but he also seems to have grown a lot since I first got him too, so maybe I am just not used to it? He was only being fed every 6 or 7 days before I got him I think, which I thought was too big of a gap for a hatchling, from what I have read. I have been reading the posts on this and everyone seems to be saying to "post a pic" if it's a weight thing, and I figured having the weight and length would also help.


here's a picture...please excuse the messy table as it was the only surface without books on it at the moment and the lighting is horrible, but hopefully everyone can get an idea. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this and (hopefully) respond. :) Everyone has been quite helpful here.
 

Attachments

  • fat or not fat.jpg
    fat or not fat.jpg
    49.7 KB · Views: 73
Looking at him, he does not look fat. If a snake is overweight, you can usually notice fatty deposits around the vent area of the snake. Yours looks healthy. It sounds like you are feeding him properly also. At this age they grow quickly. Often shedding every 2-4 weeks. So don't worry and just keep doing what your doing.
 
Rich in KY said:
Looking at him, he does not look fat. If a snake is overweight, you can usually notice fatty deposits around the vent area of the snake. Yours looks healthy. It sounds like you are feeding him properly also. At this age they grow quickly. Often shedding every 2-4 weeks. So don't worry and just keep doing what your doing.
Click to expand...

Oh great! That's good to hear. Thank you SO much. I was worried because I know this is an important growing time for him. That makes me feel a lot better. I was a bit worried too because just before his vent is a bit of a bulge, and, like you said, the fatty deposit before the vent is a sign of over-feeding, hence the worrying a bit. But if I am right about him being male, isn't that always the case?. I will indeed keep doing what I am doing. Thanks again for responding.
 
midnightgallop said:
here's a pic of his tail too if that helps for whatever reason...
Click to expand...
That's almost identical to what my snake looks like... mine is a tiny bit narrower, but I am really changing her diet now because I was feeding her 1 pinky every 6 days and I think she's too skinny... if mine looked like yours I'd be happier. She wouldn't look so much like a super model. :p So don't worry, unless you see lumps your lil guy should be ok.

The only thing I would suggest would be healthy weight per length range check... but I don't know if such a chart exists. If it does, please someone posts! Thanks a million!
 
Sylphide said:
That's almost identical to what my snake looks like... mine is a tiny bit narrower, but I am really changing her diet now because I was feeding her 1 pinky every 6 days and I think she's too skinny... if mine looked like yours I'd be happier. She wouldn't look so much like a super model. :p So don't worry, unless you see lumps your lil guy should be ok.

The only thing I would suggest would be healthy weight per length range check... but I don't know if such a chart exists. If it does, please someone posts! Thanks a million!
Click to expand...

I agree. I would LOVE and "average" chart, but also, from reading the posts on the site made by others, it seems like it varies from snake to snake really. Since I only got him in August though, it's been hard to compare to anything. I am charting him on my own for my own records (especially because I plan to own more than one).
 
Sylphide said:
The only thing I would suggest would be healthy weight per length range check... but I don't know if such a chart exists. If it does, please someone posts! Thanks a million!
Click to expand...

I don't know of a chart like that. But here is a link to the "Munson Plan".

http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50106

It is a great rule of thumb of how much to feed your snake based on how much it weighs. If you follow it, your snake should remain a healthy weight.
 
Rich in KY said:
I don't know of a chart like that. But here is a link to the "Munson Plan".

http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50106

It is a great rule of thumb of how much to feed your snake based on how much it weighs. If you follow it, your snake should remain a healthy weight.
Click to expand...


Thank you for that as well. I was actually using that plan and it seemed about right to me (these forums are a great resource). I posted because Iwasn't sure if it went solely on weight, or on weight age and length, hence the post. Thanks again :)
 
midnightgallop said:
never thought of that. It's been there for a while though and it's not dark or shaded like it is when he is digesting something.
Click to expand...

hmm... well mine is a snow... and she never has a darker bulge before she goes to the loo... seriously, I've seen the bulge, and got the "pleasure" of seeing her stop (in my hands at that!) and actually push it out (you see the muscle pushing the feces out), so it was definitely poop, but wasn't dark colored while inside the snake.

Also, mine goes to the bathroom three times after feeding, and until the 3 times are done she had a bulge. Not a big one, but definitely more than when there's nothing ready to come out.

Munson plan should be enough to make sure your snake is healthy weight wise. So don't worry. :)
 
Sylphide said:
hmm... well mine is a snow... and she never has a darker bulge before she goes to the loo... seriously, I've seen the bulge, and got the "pleasure" of seeing her stop (in my hands at that!) and actually push it out (you see the muscle pushing the feces out), so it was definitely poop, but wasn't dark colored while inside the snake.

Also, mine goes to the bathroom three times after feeding, and until the 3 times are done she had a bulge. Not a big one, but definitely more than when there's nothing ready to come out.

Munson plan should be enough to make sure your snake is healthy weight wise. So don't worry. :)
Click to expand...



Ok. Maybe its just that then? Thank you for responding and I am using the munson plan, so i guess I am good to go. Thanks again everyone!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top