overfeeding

[Zigmund]

will a baby eastern garter overfeed if given the chance

[Lulu Bennett]

yup!!!! or at least mine will!

[adamanteus]

Yes, Zigmund, it can happen. But if you're keeping an eye on things you'll soon see it happening and be able to regulate the amount of food you make available. Little and often is a good rule of thumb when feeding babies.

[Zigmund]

what do tou think about 2 guppies per feeding twice a week

[adamanteus]

Doesn't sound excessive to me, Zigmund.

[Lulu Bennett]

lol that sounds fine to me too

[Thamnophis]

Is a good amount of fish to make your baby grow.

[ssssnakeluvr]

2 guppies isn't much for a baby eastern....4-5 each meal twice a week seems better...unless they are large guppies...

[enigma200316]

2 guppies isn't much for a baby eastern....4-5 each meal twice a week seems better...unless they are large guppies...

I agree, I think this seems more the norm. but I would think just about any snake would over feed if given the chance....I had a Royal Python that would eat 3 large Rats every other week....and he was only 3 Feet long...
then i thought that might be to much so I put him down to 1 large Rat, and 1 large mouse on the in between week for like a snack.....:D

[Lulu Bennett]

i think i might have been overfeeding kia. i have been giving her 3 small fuzzies a week but she has gotten quite fat lol so i have put her on a diet lol she is getting 1 twice a week lol i feel tight though because she is always sooo hungry and thats probably why she bit me lol

[enigma200316]

Lulu, I think two fuzzies twice a week should be fine, it doesn't seem like that would be to much.....:)

[Lulu Bennett]

i have just been giving her 1 on sat and 1 on wed and she still seems to be getting fatter. her scales are quite spread out. i doubt she is pregnant but there was some 'playing' around.

[enigma200316]

is she old enough to be pregnant? if so its possible, can you post pics so we all can see?

[GarterGuy]

Where is the weight on her Lulu? If it's more down towards the end, closer to her vent, then she may be gravid. If the weight is just sort of spread out she's just fat. I'd really be surprised she'd be that fat to have her scales being spread apart on only two fuzzies a week. How big is she again? Also I take it she's in a big enough cage to be able to cruise around and get some exercise?

Roy

[Lulu Bennett]

i dont know her age but she is 22inches long now and the weight is mainly towards the bottom but she has slightly fattened out towards the top too but not as much as the bottom

[KITKAT]

i dont know her age but she is 22inches long now and the weight is mainly towards the bottom but she has slightly fattened out towards the top too but not as much as the bottom

Sounds like a pregnancy to me... but we need PICS!!!!!!!!!:rolleyes:

[Lulu Bennett]

i will try and find a bluetooth dongle and send pics to comp from my phone because this is my dads comp and doesnt have the programs installed for my camera lol.

[jitami]

Hey guys, bringing this up again :) I know I read somewhere to let babies eat as much as they want... but this isn't really the advice I find in this thread... soooo, which is it? Limit them or let them eat their fill? My two little piggies eat their fill three times a week. Not surprisingly they're growing like weeds :) They don't seem fat at all, but I've started introducing bigger prey items and I'm wondering if, or when, I should start to limit their amounts. An example: between two babies they ate one small night crawler, cut into thirds & probably half of a larger night crawler cut into little bits on Monday, then today they each had half of a pinky sliced length wise & several small strips of tilapia. The amount today would have probably equaled a small pinky, maybe a tad more.

Can everyone please weigh in on this topic one more time? :o

Thanks,
Your Worried(usually over nothing) Mommy

[Zephyr]

Babies need a lot more nutrients than adults; feeding that often will ensure they're getting everything they need.
It's when you have a 2-3 year old snake that you cram full of food two times a week that it becomes a problem.
Also, fish and worms are a lot more "lean" than pinkies/fuzzies/mice. You kinda have to feed those foods more often.

[jitami]

Thanks Kyle! So did their meal examples sound ok? They usually get pinky w/ tilapia twice a week and worms one. Essentially they're each getting a pinky a week and as much tilapia & worms as they want. I'll be phasing out the worms, but will add in occasional live feeder fish when the babies get bigger or when I can manage to find guppies here.

[Zephyr]

Thanks Kyle! So did their meal examples sound ok? They usually get pinky w/ tilapia twice a week and worms one. Essentially they're each getting a pinky a week and as much tilapia & worms as they want. I'll be phasing out the worms, but will add in occasional live feeder fish when the babies get bigger or when I can manage to find guppies here.Just make sure the temps are high enough so they can properly digest; good temps help keep snakes from stockpiling fat.

[jitami]

Tank temps drop into the mid 70's at night, but daytime temps are mid to upper 80's on the warm side and low 80's on the cool side. Right now at 8:30am it's 86/78. Sound ok? I've been sitting at the computer for about an hour and I've had one little piggy cruising the tank the entire time surely looking for food even though they were just fed yesterday :) Wow, he just settled on top of the rock to bask for a minute. I love having them on my desk :D

[Zephyr]

Tank temps drop into the mid 70's at night, but daytime temps are mid to upper 80's on the warm side and low 80's on the cool side. Right now at 8:30am it's 86/78. Sound ok? I've been sitting at the computer for about an hour and I've had one little piggy cruising the tank the entire time surely looking for food even though they were just fed yesterday :) Wow, he just settled on top of the rock to bask for a minute. I love having them on my desk :DThe meals and temperatures you're providing work well for baby snakes; the temps increase the metabolism, which increases growth rate, which increases food consumption, which you then quench; all leading towards fast-growing babies. :)

[jitami]

Alrighty then :D Thank ya much :D

btw, I've got two little cruisers right now :) and the one this morning spent maybe two minutes basking before he was off again checking things out. Love, love, love em! Oh, and Wayne you were right about the tank size. They use every bit of it!