How often to feed my male GTP

Pedroo · 03-02-18, 12:45 PM

We have an extremely cold weather now in Germany, and i noticed that the appetite for food of my 3 years old male GTP has increased rapidly. I was feeding him one large live mouce every 8 to 9 days on average. Now he is acting hungry every 3 to 4 days and i,m feeding him currently every 4 days one large live mouce. I wonder if i should switch him to rats so i won,t have to feed him that often? And is his increased appetite has something to do with the cold weather or the meal is just too small for him?

TeamSlitherin · 03-02-18, 03:44 PM

I have no personal experience with GTP's, but I'm sure an experienced keeper will chime in soon. I think feeding every 4 days is way too frequent for most any snake, but certainly one that's 3 years old! They feed opportunistically in the wild, so he might take food as often as you offer, but it is still not healthy. My scrub would eat everyday if I let him. He just had a fat meal 3 days ago, but was hunting in his viv as soon as I put him away. Especially since GTP's are prone to prolapse, I imagine it is important to not overly tax their digestive system. I'm sure someone else will chime in soon for ya. Until then, I would return to your original feeding schedule.

**EL Ziggy** · 03-02-18, 05:14 PM

I don't keep GTPs but I do keep other Morelia species. I agree with Slitherin on the feeding frequency. Every 4 days is too often for most snakes and especially a 3 y/o critter. I feed my carpets every 10-14 days during the summer and every 2-3 weeks in the winter. I'm not sure how large your GTP is but even an adult jumbo mouse might be too small. I'd advise offering more than one mouse or making the switch to rats.

bigsnakegirl785 · 03-03-18, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

I don't keep GTPs but I do keep other Morelia species. I agree with Slitherin on the feeding frequency. Every 4 days is too often for most snakes and especially a 3 y/o critter. I feed my carpets every 10-14 days during the summer and every 2-3 weeks in the winter. I'm not sure how large your GTP is but even an adult jumbo mouse might be too small. I'd advise offering more than one mouse or making the switch to rats.

Maybe some other keepers can chime in, but from what little I've read, you feed much smaller meals to GTPs than most snakes. From what I see, most keepers are feeding meals much smaller than their girth every couple of weeks, and I think most completely avoid jumbo mice and rats altogether, electing to feed one or two regular adults. GTPs do not naturally eat rodents, so they're prone to prolapses and hanging tails when fed too much food, but I don't know the exact numbers of how/when a GTP should be fed, just that you have to be very careful with them.

Pedroo · 03-04-18, 01:29 AM

Thank you all. So you don,t own GTP,s and had experiences only with other snakes not GTP,s. This is my first GTP and i have him since 7 months. From what i have experienced i could say that jumbo mice is surely not a too big meal for an adult GTP. I can,t imagine feeding him something smaller, he will remain hungry. Small rats would be ok i think for an adult GTP, i would try feeding him small rats in a month or two. And i could feed him both jumbo mice and small rats. When my GTP is hungry he will hang his head down for hours waiting for a prey to pass by, and if he is not fed he will start searching his cage all night long for a prey until he is fed

bigsnakegirl785 · 03-04-18, 02:35 PM

Here are some links on GTP feeding, the abundance of such information pertaining to GTPs is why I made the suggestions I made. The meals may not be large for him, but he isn't adapted to eat rodents - on a regular basis at least, so something fatty like a jumbo mouse is a problem (lizards are generally very lean in fat), and rats are just simply too large and are fattier than a non-jumbo mouse.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/more...ts-t13966.html

Health Issues

Green Tree Python Husbandry

https://www.aruchondrofan.com/feeding-3-5

galangol (this one doesn't specifically pertain to a feeding regimen but may hold other useful information related to feeding and husbandry for you, since you mentioned this being your first GTP it's not information heavy though)

Some seem to say jumbos/rats in moderation are ok, but I certainly would not make it a staple.

Considering how disproportionately females are prone to health issues vs males, I would say sex-specific feeding could potentially be a factor. Many people will feed their females (snakes of any species) a lot heavier than they do males.

Keep in mind that behavior is not a basis around which you should determine feeding frequency or prey type/size. Just because they're on the hunt for more food doesn't necessarily mean they need more food. Breeding season may spark a heightened food response, but if you aren't breeding, there is no need in increasing food intake. Doing so will only lead to obesity. To the extent that it is possible, you should try to base your feeding regimen off of body tone. It isn't exact, but will yield you better health results than feeding simply because they're looking for food. Many snakes are opportunistic and would eat whenever you throw food at their face, whether they need it or not, because they don't always know how long food will remain available to them, even though in captivity it is plentiful.

Some keepers also seem to be under the impression that snakes can't get obese (no matter what species you're talking about). This is far from the truth, obesity is a very common ailment and a factor in death in captive reptiles, I would not personally knowingly feed my snakes in a way that has a high health risk. If you're careful about your approach, I'm sure you could make the rats and jumbo mice work, but obesity can be invisible until it's too late. Snakes unfortunately don't generally store fat under their skin like we do, so it can be very difficult to just look at a snake and tell if it's fit or overweight unless it's so morbidly obese it becomes obvious. Ultimately, it's up to you and what works with your animals, I merely offer words of caution.

TRD · 03-04-18, 06:15 PM

Those aren't rodent feeders, they may eat rodents but you have to feed them less off it as rodents contain far more nutrients, but mainly, far more fat...

PS. snakes are ALWAYS hungry, most will eat until they burst or until you stop giving food. Just because a snake acts "hungry" doesn't mean you should feed it...

Pedroo · 03-05-18, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

Here are some links on GTP feeding, the abundance of such information pertaining to GTPs is why I made the suggestions I made. The meals may not be large for him, but he isn't adapted to eat rodents - on a regular basis at least, so something fatty like a jumbo mouse is a problem (lizards are generally very lean in fat), and rats are just simply too large and are fattier than a non-jumbo mouse.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/more...ts-t13966.html

Health Issues

Green Tree Python Husbandry

https://www.aruchondrofan.com/feeding-3-5

galangol (this one doesn't specifically pertain to a feeding regimen but may hold other useful information related to feeding and husbandry for you, since you mentioned this being your first GTP it's not information heavy though)

Some seem to say jumbos/rats in moderation are ok, but I certainly would not make it a staple.

Considering how disproportionately females are prone to health issues vs males, I would say sex-specific feeding could potentially be a factor. Many people will feed their females (snakes of any species) a lot heavier than they do males.

Keep in mind that behavior is not a basis around which you should determine feeding frequency or prey type/size. Just because they're on the hunt for more food doesn't necessarily mean they need more food. Breeding season may spark a heightened food response, but if you aren't breeding, there is no need in increasing food intake. Doing so will only lead to obesity. To the extent that it is possible, you should try to base your feeding regimen off of body tone. It isn't exact, but will yield you better health results than feeding simply because they're looking for food. Many snakes are opportunistic and would eat whenever you throw food at their face, whether they need it or not, because they don't always know how long food will remain available to them, even though in captivity it is plentiful.

Some keepers also seem to be under the impression that snakes can't get obese (no matter what species you're talking about). This is far from the truth, obesity is a very common ailment and a factor in death in captive reptiles, I would not personally knowingly feed my snakes in a way that has a high health risk. If you're careful about your approach, I'm sure you could make the rats and jumbo mice work, but obesity can be invisible until it's too late. Snakes unfortunately don't generally store fat under their skin like we do, so it can be very difficult to just look at a snake and tell if it's fit or overweight unless it's so morbidly obese it becomes obvious. Ultimately, it's up to you and what works with your animals, I merely offer words of caution.

Thanks for those useful links. In the first link which is a 4 pages intensive discussion between GTP owners, you can see that the debate is whether to feed mice or rats or both. Almost no one suggested lizards because its simply not that available to feed in captivity specially for someone feeding live prey like me. And you can also see that the opinions are divided on what is the best to feed, mice or rats or both. At the end, you will come to the conclusion that everyone should know his animal good and try to choose what is good and works for it.

Pedroo · 03-07-18, 02:50 PM

His appetite is increasing by the day. Eating a jumbo mouse every 3 days and yesterday he ate one and today he ate another. All together he ate 8 jumbo mice within a month. It’s sounds a lot but when I got him before 7 months they told me he was eating 2 adult mice per week. Anyway, I will start as soon as possible feeding him small rats along with jumbo mice. I will post an update after I feed him the first rat

TRD · 03-07-18, 04:05 PM

On such feeding schedule you'll end up with a massively obese snake 1 year from now. Just saying.

2 normal mice, or a small rat every 2-3 weeks is enough for an adult. These are very slender snakes with a low metabolism.

TRD · 03-07-18, 04:21 PM

Please try and remember this: GTP are long and slender snakes... The head is bigger/wider than their body. Look at pictures of wild specimen.

That they always eat is because they are usually not very successful hunters. They are highly opportunistic and will ALWAYS eat when offered. They also have special adaptations in the digestive system that is build to accepting a prey item SOMETIMES and after that goes in a full energy saving mode. They can go long long times without food, they are build for that. You are trying to compare them to mammals that waste 80%+ of their caloric intake into heating their bodies. Snakes do not work this way. Do not go with "I feed it if it takes the food" because it will take the food, it will lead to obesity, and as a result to an unhealthy animal and early death.

bigsnakegirl785 · 03-07-18, 04:36 PM

Going to go with TRD here, you do not want to feed them as much as they will eat! Just because they eat, and seem to be acting hungry, doesn't mean they are hungry. They are just opportunistic, because in the wild, meals are few and far between. In the wild, a period of feast would be followed by a period of famine, in captivity that feast is often never-ending...leading to obesity, and in the case of GTPs, prolaspes, injured skeletons, and hanging tails from too heavy of feces.

TRD · 03-07-18, 04:47 PM

F.e.

Very unhealthy obese animals being fed too much

Suppose to look more like this

https://www.flickr.com/photos/336928...n/photostream/

Long, slender, WIDE HEAD in comparison.

**Aaron_S** · 03-08-18, 12:34 PM

I have a very close friend who's successfully bred his green trees multiple times. He is on the strictly mouse diet train. He feed his adults "jumbo" mice once every 7 - 14 days. The female getting closer to breeding season he will offer every 7 days.

This is simply anecdotal evidence but it's the best you've gotten so far.

If you keep feeding your snake 8 - 12 meals a month and increasing in size you will end up with a plethora of health issues and most likely a dead snake.

Pedroo · 03-08-18, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

I have a very close friend who's successfully bred his green trees multiple times. He is on the strictly mouse diet train. He feed his adults "jumbo" mice once every 7 - 14 days. The female getting closer to breeding season he will offer every 7 days.

This is simply anecdotal evidence but it's the best you've gotten so far.

If you keep feeding your snake 8 - 12 meals a month and increasing in size you will end up with a plethora of health issues and most likely a dead snake.

I don,t agree with the statement that says snakes don,t have a limit on food and they will eat whenever food is offered. I used to hear this about boas, but my boa rejected food several times when he was not hungry and he stopped eating alone since 3 months during the winter. surely if i increase the meal size i will reduce the feeding sessions. My GTP also stops eating when he is in shedding. He ate 2 large mice yesterday and the day before yesterday and today he did not act hungry. So this is a sign that he knows his limit on food. I,m still new to GTP,s and will adjust things as i learn more. I,m not going to harm him with extra food, i keep an eye on things