I have a Burmese python that is about 5 feet long that I inherited this snake from my little brother who died a year ago from germ cell cancer. Anyway, I've been feeding my snake, Dubious, one medium rat about every 2 weeks. I've been feeding Dubious the same portion for quite some time and the last time I feed her she seemed like she wanted more. I don't want her to grow any faster than necessary, because she already needs a larger enclosure then we have and I don't have a lot of $$$, but I don't want to starve her either. My question is, what is a normal, healthy portion of food and frequency of feeding for a Burmese python of this size?
Dubious just 2 years ago
http://www.**********.net/images/5048/BabyDubious.jpg

And here she is now.
http://www.**********.net/images/5048/Dubiousnow.jpg
http://www.**********.net/images/5048/dubi.jpg

Sorry about your little brother, is that him in the first picture?

She looks healthy enough to me

I would say that a 5ft burm needs more than that. Of course she can live on what you are feeding her now with no problems at all. This will also keep her growth rate down a little. She could probably handle a few medium rats every two weeks or even a large rat or two though.

5ft is fairly small for a 2 year old burm she should have a few more ft on her than that. My red tail boa is that big and he is 2. Burms grow faster than red tail boa.

Firstly - 5 ft and 2 years? That snake is probably permantly stunted due to lack of nutrition.

Secondly - you should feed one medium meal a week, or one large every 10-11 days, or an extra large once every two weeks. For this measure I use Snakes body diameter is medium, 1 and 1/3 the diameter is large, and 1.5 to 1.75 is extra large.

Also - if you dont have money to care for an animal, some times its better to give it up than to force it to suffer.

Paul

Wow! What gorgeous snake!
I think she needs more to eat than what you are feeding her though.
As for her needing a bigger cage...ask around the neighborhood for any extra wood or sliding glass doors (the house kind) that they are throwing out and build her a new cage. Just make sure it's tough enough to keep her IN there though and don't forget to ask for extra locks people have lying around You would be amazed at the stuff people are willing to give away and yet they won't throw any of it out
OR!! You can offer to mow their lawn or wash windows or something to buy the wood you need for a cage. Plus you will make enough extra $$ to buy more rats....
Where there's a will, there's always a way
Let us know how it goes k?
Hugs, Jem

Thanks for all the replys. Yea that is my brother in the first pic.

The reason I still have this snake is because I have yet to find someone that I feel is responsible enough and also willing to make a the commitment to keep a snake that will eventually grow big enough to eat a deer. I have grown attached to her, but I keep in mind that one day, if I find a better home, it might be best to give her up.
The simple act of feeding her is quite tramatic for me, but I love my snake so I do what I have to do. I can't even look at the rat that I feed her. I just open one end of the box, shake out the rat, and close the door. (I feed her in my shower which I line with newspaper.)

Has anyone had any experience with frozen rodents? I was thinking about this as an alternative to live prey, but I want to find out more about it first.

Frozen rodents are the bomb. Very easy to deal with - try www.rodentpro.com for pricing and purchasing. Secondly, I doubt she'll ever get big enough to eat a dear. a 300# snake might be able to eat 50 pounds in one sitting, and not even FLUFFY is that big. At most, she'll eat some baby goats or small sheep. (or REALLY big bunnies)

If you want to keep her, Im saying that you dont need to get rid of her, just understand your responsibility to her. If you can make her a cage that is 4' deep, 8' long and 2-4' high, she'll be set for LIFE. Trust me...

Paul

I too, as well as many keepers of various types of snakes, use frozen. It's much easier and safer for the snake. I too use Rodentpro. If feeding live is bothering you the frozen will sove that. Its also much cheaper.

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And I'll be the third to vote for rodentpro.com, the quality you get is outstanding. And I just wrote an article for everyone on feeding F/T vs Live. Here's the link. Feeding F/T vs. live

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I agreee with what BOA68 and Lord Jason said on the feeding frequency of the Burms.

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