u/fireytiger

Feeding advice with smaller prey items

My sweet boy Reno (Stuart's milk snake) is growing like a weed, he's gaining about 15-20 grams a month right now, and last weigh in he was up to 216 grams. These gains mean he's moved up a prey size again, but I still have 7 small frozen mice that only weigh about 14-16 grams. I picked up some larger mice that fall within the 10-15% body weight range, but I still have these smaller mice I need to use up.

Would it be preferable to A) pick up 7 fuzzies and feed him a small mouse + fuzzy as a single meal every 12-14 days, or B) feed him a single small mouse, but feed him more often (like after 8 days)? I'm thinking whichever way I go with this, I'm going to still feed a properly sized prey item every other meal because I know neither option with the smaller prey is ideal, but I just need to know which would be better for him. Thanks! Pic for snake tax.

I just can't believe that my boy Reno is officially 3 years old! He's grown so much in such a short time. I got him when he was 5 months old and was just 14 grams. Last weigh-in at the beginning of the month, he was 202 grams, and has probably gained another 15 grams since then. He's a silly and sweet boy, still shy but he's come a long way in learning to trust. He loves to climb all around his enclosure and explore, and his favorite thing in the world is eating, lol. ❤️🤍🖤 good boy Reno!

A year and a half has passed and Chai still uses her tail to hook onto things, lol.

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It's my kiddo Chai's hatch day today, she is 2 years old. I've had her since she was 5 months old, underweight and with intestinal parasites, but a fighter through and through. Today she's 32 grams and growing like a weed, her top 3 favorite things are eating, climbing on her ceiling, and hanging out in her snake plant. Love you little latte! ❤️

I know he's a milk snake but hopefully kings are close enough...

My Reno is 3 years old this month, and he's still growing like a weed! That said, I'm wondering about a change in behavior for him that started about 2-3 weeks ago. He's always been pretty active at night, climbing around and checking everything out, but now he's being active during the day too. He used to only do that when hungry, usually when he needed to go up a prey size and I hadn't realized it yet. I thought that was what was happening this time, but I fed him 4 nights ago with a mouse that is appropriate for his size (he is 202 grams, the mouse was 23 grams), he hid for 2 days to digest and now is out cruising day and night, pushing on the glass and sometimes the walls and ceiling. Is he okay? Stressed out? Maybe looking for a girlfriend?

He is in a 4x2x2 bioactive enclosure that he's been in for a year and a half, warm side is 85 during the day and 75 at night, ambient is usually between 72-75 during the day. Humidity is typically 50-60% He has at least 2 different hides on each side, and 2 that are in the middle (he likes that sweet spot). Regular vet visits with no concerns, he has a voracious appetite, and last few sheds were good.

Pics of him climbing around during the day over the past week.

Chai decided to chill out like this for a good half hour last night. You do you Chai, but looking at you makes my back hurt 😂

Caught my little Punkin chilling by her water dish getting a drink. She typically only drinks from her dish; I think she finds it hard to get enough from droplets because she has a spinal deformity that makes her less agile than most cresties. She still gets fresh water in the dish and from droplets every day though. Good girl Punkin! ❤️

I'm just worried about my little girl Punkin. You can see the sides of her belly moving when she breathes and I'm not sure if it's normal. I do know that when she's highly stressed (usually during handling) that very occasionally you can hear a click in her breathing, but it's not consistent. She went to the vet about 2 weeks ago and got a clean bill of health, but I'm still wondering if I'm overreacting or if she should go back in.