|
1-9 of 9 messages
|
Page 1 of 1
|
|
power feeding
|
Reply
|
|
by MTCvenom on April 9, 2006
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Has anybody ever experienced shorten life spans in your animals due to power feeding. I read on another forum that some experts believe power feeding can lead to a shorten life span. So if you don't mind give me your opinion and personal experiences of power feeding.
|
| |
|
RE: power feeding
|
Reply
|
|
by Chris_Harper on April 9, 2006
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
That's a fact. The longevity record for rattlesnakes was a C.horridus that was fed 2 times a year for 36 years. I just posted some more information on feeding a while back. Maybe someone could dredge up the post? I'm at work at the moment.
CH
|
| |
|
RE: power feeding
|
Reply
|
|
by keyz on April 10, 2006
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Yes I have personnally seen problems associated with power feeding Snakes in the pet industry, As they wanted some larger Royals to sell, So they could ask for more moiney per snake, 1 of the snakes died and the other two were sold, but I spoke with a person at my local the other day about royals and they explained to me that theirs died and the vet accused them of "power feeding" when infact they were just following the Feeding sheet that came with the snake, They should have known I know, but the fact is they didn't the shop didnt educate them on keeping Royals, And they certainly didn't care when they took there money!!
But this is my own personnal experience, and have heard many other accounts concerning power feeding,and I have to say I would keep well clear of it, A happy snake is a Healthy snake!!
thanks Keyz.
|
| |
|
RE: power feeding
|
Reply
|
|
by static416 on April 10, 2006
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
In alot of animals feeding volume is inversely related to lifespan. For example, by dramatically limiting a mouses food supply, but carefully maintaining the nutritional content of that food to ensure the animal is still healthy, you can extend the lifespan of an animal by as much as 50%.
Some people actually do this to themselves now in an attempt to extend their lifespan. Doctors and medical professionals are still not all that happy about it though because although you are still relatively healthy, you will get problems with osteoporosis and possibly muscle atrophy due to very low calcium and protein intake.
|
| |
|
RE: power feeding
|
Reply
|
|
by Cro on April 10, 2006
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
We have to remember that in the wild, many snakes might not feed more than a few times a year, especially if they live in a rugged area such as the mountains or a arid desert.
There are exceptions, such as a Rat Snake that happens upon a corn-crip full of mice. In that case, the snake will become an opportunistic feeder, and will feed as often as possible, sometimes stuffing himself to the point of regurgitation.
Kind of reminds me of of something I once read, that stated ``An Indian eats when there is food, because he does not know where his next meal will come from.``
I have a Timber Rattlesnake that I feed one mouse about 5 or 9 times a year. I have had the snake for 26 or 27 years now, and It was an adult when captured, of at least 7 years of age, so the snake is pushing mid-30 something years.
Another Timber I had for 19 years, and it was also an adult when captured, and probably 10 years old, so it lived to almost 30. It was fed the same as the snake above.
I also raised a Carolina Pygmy from birth that lived 26 years. It was fed a hopper mouse on average 7 or 8 times a year after it reached 3 years of age.
If you do not feed your snakes too often, they can live a long time. They will grow much more slowly than the snakes that have been fed too much.
They will also show normal body proportions as to head / neck / body size, instead of the proportions we see when a snake is power fed, which results in a large bodied snake with an un-naturaly small size head. This is especially apparent in rattlesnakes that have been power fed.
Best Regards JohnZ
|
| |
|
RE: power feeding
|
Reply
|
|
by Rob_Carmichael on April 12, 2006
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
John, those are very impressive records! I was just curious if you brumate your snakes. My thought is whether snakes that are kept active year round (such as those on display at my wildlife center) would be better off with a slightly higher or more frequent feeding schedule due to the additional calories they are burning on a continual basis. Right now, our rattlers are fed one meal every 14 days except for our older adults who are fed once a month. As a staff, we have contemplated reducing our feeding schedules yet there is still some conflicting field reports (some reports show that certain species of rattlesnakes actually feed far more often that what we previously thought).
Rob Carmichael
|
| |
|
RE: power feeding
|
Reply
|
|
by Cro on April 12, 2006
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Thanks Rob! As to brumation, I often keep native animals in an unheated room or basement during the winter months. This room will usually range in temperature from 43 to 55 degree F., and the temperature will flux somewhat with the outside day / night temperatures. If it is going to be very cold outside, I will use a small electric heater to keep the room temp from going below 37. The photoperiod is set to match the natural daylight cycle if natural light through windows is not available. This is probably not true brumation, as the snakes often become somewhat alert and active above 50 degrees. Even though they are alert, they are not fed during this time.
Snakes that are being used for lectures are kept warmer during the winter months, usually 50 to 60 degrees, and usually keep feeding, although I offer food to them only about once every 35 to 45 days.
As far as the snakes at your Wildlife Center, your feeding scedule sounds good. As you stated, the snakes on display have to remain active year round. It is not really possible to brumate a snake and keep it on display at the same time. You could cut back on feeding, but since the animals are in a stressfull enviornment, they would probably do best if you keep feeding them the same. Perhaps you could brumate some off display animals that are part of breeding projects and see what the results are.
On the reports of rattlesnakes feeding more than thought, when given the opportunity, it does not surprise me. Many of them would eat a mouse a day if you put it in the cage. If the food resources are there, they will take advantage of that and feed more often. If food is scarce, they will feed less often, when they find it. I do think that there are many habitats where food resources are very scarce, and in those areas snakes are lucky to get a few meals a year.
Best Regards JohnZ
|
| |
|
RE: power feeding
|
Reply
|
|
by Cro on April 12, 2006
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
For those interested in Longevity Records in Snakes, you might want to take a look at Frank & Kate Slaven`s web site:
http://www.pondturtle.com/welcome.html
Frank kept Breeding and Longevity Records of all the Zoos and Museums for over 25 years. He stopped updating his web site in 1999, but it is still an excellent reference.
Best Regards JohnZ
|
| |
|
RE: power feeding
|
Reply
|
|
by Buzztail1 on April 13, 2006
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Thanks for that link John.
My Colombian Rainbow Boa is 26 this year and I have been wondering about their longevity.
There is a record on that list from the Los Angeles Zoo for 31 years.
Guess I have some more time to look forward to with the old girl.
All that said, she gets 8 to 9 mice a year and never gets brumated although she has had less active periods during colder parts of the year. I definitely believe that smaller food on a less regular basis makes for overall leaner and healthier snakes. However, I also believe that smaller snakes need to eat more often, especially when they are young.
Karl
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
