always hungry?? and another question

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Posted by Brandon Osborne on April 29, 2003 at 00:56:38:

In Reply to: always hungry?? and another question posted by greg woodie on April 28, 2003 at 01:06:26:

Man, I hope people aren't confusing me with Steve Osborn. lol. I don't have a website.......yet, and he is not a writer on the forums.

But...to answer question #1., I try to feed juviniles every 4-5 days depending on size and growth for the first 2 years. If fed APPROPRIATLY sized items in this manner, the gut is usually full and providing the protien and nutrients to keep growing. In my experience, the first two years of growth are the most critical in getting the maximum size from an adult. I have never experienced negative side-effects from this feeding schedule.....only larger adult snakes. After they reach a certain size, feeding is slowed down to once per week and sometimes less. I've got some 02 hatchlings that are around 24-30" and look great. As the snakes grow, be sure to increase the size of the food item accordingly. And yes, floridana are always hungry. lol.

2. Snakes shed cycles will speed up and slow down under different circumstances. Illness, stuck sheds, mites and other negative factors will sometimes cause a snake to shed more often than normal......but so can increased growth. It's up to you to decide if it's negative or positive shedding. Good luck.

Brandon Osborne

:i have 2 questions:
:1. anybody out there with juvenile Florida Kings...how often do you feed them? i feed mine like 2 fuzzies a week. the other day, though,(it was a couple days before feeding time) i walked up to my snake's cage and noticed he was halfway out of his hidebox. i stuck my finger up to the glass and he came rushing over with his mouth open! i wasn't teasing him and it wasn't an angry reaction. i think it was hunger. has anybody had this happen? should i feed him more often than what i'm doing?
:2. will snakes' shed cycles speed up at times? my Cali King shed just a few weeks ago and now he's in shed again. he's around 4 feet long and i think this is kind of soon for a snake his size. will they do this if they have external skin problems? i think there was a piece of skin on his nose that didn't come off on his last shed. could this be why he's shedding again so soon?
:
:thanks for any help/advice!

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