Too large a meal?

[Lori P]

Hey guys, Desdemona was out cruising her tank tonite, looking for a meal. I got her one of the "hoppers" that we bought about a week and a half ago. (Yeah-- the fact that they have GROWN in a week and a half wasn't occuring to me.) She killed it instantly, so I left her alone. And
then when I checked on her a bit later, she was really working to get it down. THAT'S when it occured to me, that this meal may have been out of her reach.

So I got a pic-- try not to yell at me and my lack of brains-- but tell me if you think she'll digest this ok...

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I would say no, it's not too big. If it was ANY bigger, it would be. Kingsnakes are gluttons, they may struggle at points on a large meal but as long as they get it down, it's fine. I've had my cali Bandit for 5 years and he very often appears hes going to burst while eating! But he consistently gets it down and even if it takes him a while, he makes progress the whole time.. jut very... very.. slowly. Generally, the rule is take the fattest part of their body and x it by 1.5 for the perfectly sized meal. Usually, they can eat twice their own width without any problems. I treat my garters a little differently though. They get pieces as wide as they are.

[adamanteus]

She'll be fine Lori... but smaller is better!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

She'll be fine Lori... but smaller is better!

james has said in 8 words what i was trying to say in an entire paragraph.

[Thamnophis]

I agree with James.

[anji1971]

I'm sure she'll be okay, but she's done remarkably well for a "problem eater"!!

[zooplan]

It look like she redoubled her weight.
don´t worry for this time but never try again
I´ve measured my snakes several times before and after feeding "ad libitum" the most that I´ve observed were 60% of thier body weight of a juvenile snake (50 grams previous to feeding)

[Loren]

I also agree with James.

They can handle some pretty unbelievable meals, but are better off with reasonable sized meals.
Kingsnakes can actually take in another snake nearly as long as they are, to give you an idea of what they can handle. I've seen a 40" or so cal king take in a 30" or so gophersnake.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

also now that shes on hoppers, they can hurt her now so you might want to give them a wack before you give them to her (so they are brain dead but still twich)

[Lori P]

Thanks guys-- I will make sure my brain is engaged before offering her a meal again. I should make myself write 1,000 times: hoppers grow. Hoppers grow. Hoppers grow.... lol

She did not regurge it last night, so while she may be needing some tums, at least she kept it down. I'm pretty sure that meal should last her two weeks, yeah?!!

Anji, isn't she amazing?!! She's come a long way from that girl who wouldn't eat, hasn't she! Now if she'd just make that move to f/t... still no luck on that one. But she literally FLIES across her tank to take down a live one. It's amazing to see!

Reed, uh, right... I am a loooooooong way off from having the stomach to whack a cute little mouse. Just not gonna happen. Here's my compromise with Desdemona: I saved your sorry butt. Now, I will feed you live mice if you absolutely insist. But if you are too stubborn to take f/t, then you run your own risk of getting bitten. I'll doctor your wounds.

Thanks all. I guess the last of the "hoppers-who-have-grown" go to the balls. Hmmm, altho, they are all female... I could try another breeding tank, out in the garage, to see if my indoor mice truly won't breed due to too much distraction... hmmm. I mean, I'd add a male, of course. lol