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Feed only when looking for food? What are your opinons on this?

P

Pirate Huntress

New member
I found this yesterday. I'm thinking about trying this,
but I'm kind of skeptical because I never heard of anyone else doing this.
Does this sound like a good idea?

"One major part to all snakes’ lives is feeding. In the wild, snakes will have to hunt for a wide variety of live prey. Some snakes may ambush their prey; others will use sight and chase their prey, while others will use scent. In captivity, feeding live prey is frowned upon unless in extreme circumstances where the snake simply refuses all other feeding methods. Feeding live prey to captive snakes would of course stimulate their natural feeding behaviour; however it can be dangerous and is almost certainly not necessary. It is possible though, to recreate some of the snakes’ natural feeding responses and make it exercise for food.

Unfortunately, a large percentage of reptile hobbyists are not educated enough to realise the importance of reptile stimulation through feeding. Snakes get most of their exercise through hunting and breeding, so if your snake is not used for breeding and is fed by virtually placing a dead rodent into its mouth, it will hardly get much exercise. This has caused a large number of reptiles in captivity to become overweight and obese, usually with the owners unaware. There are a number of methods you can use to both stimulate the natural senses of hunting and to also force the snake to move around the enclosure in order to feed."

http://ezinearticles.com/?Enriching-Your-Snakes-Life&id=258331
 
I can't watch my snake 24/7. How would I know when he is hunting?
Most of our pets are probably overfed, as most people are.
If you want to recreate the thrill of the chase, watch the discovery channel.
just my 2 cents....
 
Though it is hard to keep an eye on the snake at all times, I agree with the part about a lot of captive snakes being overfed and becoming obese. I feed on a conservative schedule and prefer for them to spend a couple of days cruising around the tank looking for food and getting a bit of exercise.
 
it depends on age. Hatchlings-yearlings are every 5 days usually. Past that is average of every 7 days, though it varies' from breeder to breeder beyond this point.
 
I would personally not consider every five days a very conservative schedule for a hatchling. That to me is a "grow it quickly" schedule, I tried it for about a year and then went back to weekly feedings. I feed them once a week and also juveniles once a week. Adults vary by their condition. I have a couple of big males that are perfectly OK with being fed 2 times a month. My females do usually get to eat once a week, but if they are looking too round I scale it back to every ten days.
 
I think this article does point out some important issues with snakes kept in captivity and really all other animals for that matter. It is true in the wild they get a lot more exercise finding safe places, avoiding larger animals, moving longer distances to find additional heat or cooling off, and of course hunting for food, but these other factors can't really be manipulated in captivity other than feeding. I suppose after a year allowing your snake to hunt for a few days can be beneficial in the long run as obesity really is the root of so many other health problems, but then are fewer core nutrients affected. I would wonder if additional vitamin supplementation would then be wise? Any thoughts?
 
danielle said:
I think this article does point out some important issues with snakes kept in captivity and really all other animals for that matter. It is true in the wild they get a lot more exercise finding safe places, avoiding larger animals, moving longer distances to find additional heat or cooling off, and of course hunting for food, but these other factors can't really be manipulated in captivity other than feeding. I suppose after a year allowing your snake to hunt for a few days can be beneficial in the long run as obesity really is the root of so many other health problems, but then are fewer core nutrients affected. I would wonder if additional vitamin supplementation would then be wise? Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

What kind of vitamins do you have in mind?
 
I woundn't use vitamins unless needed. I don't think it would impact that much. For exercise just hold them about 2 times a week and that is ok for exercise. just feed a consistent schedule and it will be just fine.
 
I'd say waiting for adults to roam the viv before feeding would be a good way of regulating their feedings, my big adult males get fed at 2 or 3 week intervals because I want them lean and healthy. The adult females are on 7 day feeding if they're breeding this year, 2 weekly if not, sub adults on 10 day or 2 weekly feedings depending on my work schedules and how they are growing (less often if they start to look too chunky). Hatchlings on weekly feeds.
 
Depends on how they are housed, and what kind of snake they are.
If your snake is in a too small tub or cage, or anywhere it doesn't feel secure, it will stay hidden all the time.
If you have an enclosure that's big enough it isn't scared of it's surroundings and the conditions are optimal, the snake will stay in shape because it won't hide all the time, but will cruise the tank regularly. If you interact with them they will become more active as well.
Poor muscle tone is a problem by itself, if your snake gets fat it's not because it's fed too much, it's because the snake doesn't move around.
There are many causes of inactivity, most relating to the enclosure or the conditions it's kept in.
If you got a fat snake, don't starve it thin-that's unhealthy.
Handle it once a day to get it active.
Make sure the temps are good, the animal has a nice big warm spot so it doesn't have to stay parked on the only spot that's warm.
Give it lots of obstacles-they don't have to be expensive. Empty TP rolls, cardboard boxes, and flat pieces of cardboard for a baby snake will work. 'stuff' makes them feel comfortable, even if they can't fit under it. If you can see through the enclosure your snake may feel 'exposed'. Tape something to the long wall like a backdrop or a fancy aquarium scene. If you don't care how it looks a brown paper grocery bag works just fine.
Every snakie wants a jungle gym, they just don't know how to ask for it.
 
The theory is good, but it depends on you being able to distinguish "hunting" behaviour, from "looking for water/looking for a mate/looking for an escape route/looking to see what just made that noise/looking for a better hiding place" behaviour. Has anyone got the hang of that yet? I know I haven't.

And how on earth would you manage adult males in the mating season? Most of mine run rampant round their vivs for hours a day.

Frankly, I'd rather decide when they eat, and tweak each one's feeding schedule to make sure they stay at their optimum weight. It's easy to overfeed, but with a little planning and observation, it's just as easy to get feeding right. My feeding regimes are pretty much the same as Janine has outlined above, with modifications if needed.

I wouldn't feed on demand. If I'm psychoanalysing them correctly, a couple of my males would end up looking like scaly balloons....
 
Corns just aren't very active snakes by nature.
At least not compared to a racer, a garter, or a lot of other snakes.
 
bitsy said:
The theory is good, but it depends on you being able to distinguish "hunting" behaviour, from "looking for water/looking for a mate/looking for an escape route/looking to see what just made that noise/looking for a better hiding place" behaviour. Has anyone got the hang of that yet? I know I haven't.

And how on earth would you manage adult males in the mating season? Most of mine run rampant round their vivs for hours a day.

Frankly, I'd rather decide when they eat, and tweak each one's feeding schedule to make sure they stay at their optimum weight. It's easy to overfeed, but with a little planning and observation, it's just as easy to get feeding right. My feeding regimes are pretty much the same as Janine has outlined above, with modifications if needed.

I wouldn't feed on demand. If I'm psychoanalysing them correctly, a couple of my males would end up looking like scaly balloons....
Click to expand...
Haha! I'm sure some of my adults would look like snausages if I fed them weekly. I do track their weights, but not as obsessively as when I was new to keeping them.
 
I guess I am one of the rare ones that actually has been going by this...not because I read about it but because I thought to do it to see how my snakes would be...I know in the wild it is impossible for a mouse to come along every friday night at such a time..so I don't do that for my snakes..they get their appropriate sized food once a week..but sometimes I do skip a few days so they don't become accustomed to a set feeding schedule..and with Striker I always drag the mouse around his enclosure first, rubbing it against the decor to give him a trail to follow..From what I see he enjoys the hunt and once he finds it and grabs it, it really is fascinating to watch..Maize and Artemis have it a little more easy..Maize is put into a feeding tub as is Artemis and both are handed their food basiclly by hand...Striker is the only exception since I feed him in his viv. because he becomes too stressed if I put him in a feeding tub and won't eat..So from having 2 different feeding forms I can say that giving the snake the feeling of a hunt I do find to be beneficial..It actually has helped Striker become more relaxed in his viv. and seems to calm him more after he eats..Maize and Artemis are usually wondering their tank repeatedly after they eat but I know it's probably because their still in hunt mode and are just scouting the area...

Well that is my opinion on the matter..I know there will be those that do not agree with it..but I can say...it does work for me..
 
caz223 said:
if your snake gets fat it's not because it's fed too much, it's because the snake doesn't move around.
There are many causes of inactivity, most relating to the enclosure or the conditions it's kept in.
If you got a fat snake, don't starve it thin-that's unhealthy.
Handle it once a day to get it active.
Click to expand...

A conservative feeding schedule is not "starving your snake thin". I disagree with this. If you feed too much the snake will get fat unless you can somehow exercise it enough to burn more calories than it consumes. Same way a person gets fat even if you exercise you have to burn more calories than you eat. If you got a fat snake you were absolutely feeding too much to begin with. Of course if you can exercise your snake a lot by handling, it's good for them and helps with muscle tone. But when you have a lot of animals this is not always feasible, do you think Rich Z or Don Soderberg handles all their snakes every day and makes little jungle gyms for them?
 
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