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 #1416520


SULA RETIC
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 Approprate sized meal???

hey ive got a 3’ tic what be a appropriate sized meal for him/her?

also im really sorry but could someone give the appropriate sized meal for-

4’
5’
6’
7’
8’
9’
10’
11’
12’
13’
14’
15’
16’
17’
18’
19’
20’

im really sorry but i just wanna know now so i dont have to ask in the future. THANKS SO MUCH AND THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. sula
08/23/07  07:39pm

 #1416708


BigD21
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   Message To: SULA RETIC   In reference to Message Id: 1416520


 Approprate sized meal???

you cant measure out an appropriate meal based on length alone....different snakes are different sizes(girth)...the general rule of thumb on prey items is to, make sure that the width of the item being fed is about the width of the largest part of the snake....yah see what i am saying? so you will have to gage the appropriate size meal for your particular snake as he/her grow.
08/23/07  09:53pm

 #1417166


SULA RETIC
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   Message To: BigD21   In reference to Message Id: 1416708


 Approprate sized meal???

yes i know it has to be the same size of the girth, but i just wanted to know the appropriate size food for a 3’ retic with a errr 2’’ girth?

thanks
08/24/07  06:46am

 #1417258


Marg
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   Message To: SULA RETIC   In reference to Message Id: 1417166


 Approprate sized meal???

Here’s a Link for a thread with prey Size discussion, and links...

Prey Size

What I did/do when desiding prey size is...
make a ring around the snake (thumb to finger - or use a piece of string) to measure the size of the widest part of the snake... then go to a pet store and measure a prey item the same way...
And Or read the package and see what Weight the prey is, and you could order bulk, on-line.

As stated, you can’t go by length, every snake is different...
You could have a 3 ft snake with a girth of 5"
or a 5 ft snake with a girth of 3"
That would make a big difference in the prey size



08/24/07  09:30am

 #1417494


SULA RETIC
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   Message To: Marg   In reference to Message Id: 1417258


 Approprate sized meal???

i know all of this!!! can someone just tell me the prey size for a 3’ long snake with a 2-3’’ girth???
jimmydavid could you tell me or joecoool or someone that might just answer the question lol
can i feed him/her a small rat?



08/24/07  01:40pm

 #1418336


NICKNAME
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   Message To: SULA RETIC   In reference to Message Id: 1417494


 Approprate sized meal???

we have acouple retics
try a rat pup , or large mouse . if you can only get live i`d pre-kill it first. just wiggle it in front of the snake . it`ll know what to do.you want to get them used to eating fresh killed , or better yet frozen .there`s less chance of disease or parasites , or a live rodent biting your snake
rats usually look abit fatter than they really are , and they condense quite abit the snake can eat something bigger than their widest part , but you don`t really want to start that

you`ll know quickly if it`s the right size
be prepared though , after 6 months , ours is eating jumbo rats .



08/25/07  12:58am

 #1419423


Petboy15
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1418336


 Approprate sized meal???

For a 3 foot tic a small rat should be good. Rat pu would work too. How big is the small rat? Retics can handle larger amounts of food than other species, so I doubt there would be a problem.



08/25/07  10:43pm

 #1420354


Joecoool2003
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   Message To: Petboy15   In reference to Message Id: 1419423


 Approprate sized meal???



4’ large rat
5’ small rabbit
6’ small rabbit
7’ medium rabbit
8’ medium rabbit
9’ medium rabbit
10’ large rabbit
11’ larger rabbit
12’ larger rabbit
13’ 10% of body weight
14’ 10% of body weight
15’ 10% of body weight
16’ 10% of body weight
17’ 10% of body weight
18’ 10% of body weight
19’ 10% of body weight
20’ 10% of body weight
08/26/07  06:42pm

 #1420358


Joecoool2003
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   Message To: Joecoool2003   In reference to Message Id: 1420354


 Approprate sized meal???

i do the 10% of body weight every ten days. seems to keep them nice and full.. my 18 ft retics is about 140lbs so she eats 14lbs every 10 days and she stays happy.

and a 3 ft retic can take a large rat no problem. my sunfire i got a month ago was 2 feet he ate like 4 medium rats then i switched to large and she has a hell of a lump but its almost gone in 6 days. so i feed him like 1 large rat every 7 -10 days.



08/26/07  06:46pm

 #1420362


Joecoool2003
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   Message To: Joecoool2003   In reference to Message Id: 1420358


 Approprate sized meal???

and after 6 months mine was on 1.5lb pigs...



08/26/07  06:47pm

 #1420457


Jim G.
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   Message To: SULA RETIC   In reference to Message Id: 1416520


 Approprate sized meal???

Over the years I have found that feeding food items or item equaling 25 - 30% of the retics body weight works well for young retics. My feeding schedule at this stage is once every 4 - 5 days. I have, and sometimes offer food items equaling 50% of their body weight but this is a bit much in my opinion. I’m sure that there are people that disagree but that is fine. It has worked very well for me over the years and if it works I stick with it.

Once they are 12 - 18 months I cut back on these amounts, and then offer food once a week. The food items at that time are then based on what looks right rather then weight. When they reach the age of 6 and above I really cut back.

Jim



08/26/07  07:43pm

 #1420872


Joecoool2003
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   Message To: Jim G.   In reference to Message Id: 1420457


 Approprate sized meal???

come on jim. who would be dumb enough to disagree with you . you have some of the nicest looking retics on these forums lol.......
08/27/07  12:29am


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