{"id":59746,"date":"2022-04-16T10:54:52","date_gmt":"2022-04-16T10:54:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/"},"modified":"2022-04-16T10:54:52","modified_gmt":"2022-04-16T10:54:52","slug":"how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you know if a snake is hungry?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy counter-decimal ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_do_you_know_if_a_snake_is_hungry\" title=\"How do you know if a snake is hungry?\">How do you know if a snake is hungry?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_often_should_I_feed_my_ball_python\" title=\"How often should I feed my ball python?\">How often should I feed my ball python?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_much_do_you_feed_a_snake_a_day\" title=\"How much do you feed a snake a day?\">How much do you feed a snake a day?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#Can_I_overfeed_my_snake\" title=\"Can I overfeed my snake?\">Can I overfeed my snake?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_do_I_know_when_to_feed_my_snake\" title=\"How do I know when to feed my snake?\">How do I know when to feed my snake?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_do_you_know_if_your_snake_is_not_hungry\" title=\"How do you know if your snake is not hungry?\">How do you know if your snake is not hungry?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#What_does_a_hungry_snake_look_like\" title=\"What does a hungry snake look like?\">What does a hungry snake look like?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_do_I_know_if_my_ball_python_is_hungry\" title=\"How do I know if my ball python is hungry?\">How do I know if my ball python is hungry?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#Can_you_overfeed_a_ball_python\" title=\"Can you overfeed a ball python?\">Can you overfeed a ball python?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#Can_I_feed_my_ball_python_every_5_days\" title=\"Can I feed my ball python every 5 days?\">Can I feed my ball python every 5 days?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#Can_I_feed_my_ball_python_every_3_days\" title=\"Can I feed my ball python every 3 days?\">Can I feed my ball python every 3 days?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_much_does_a_snake_need_to_eat_a_day\" title=\"How much does a snake need to eat a day?\">How much does a snake need to eat a day?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_many_times_can_you_feed_a_snake_in_a_day\" title=\"How many times can you feed a snake in a day?\">How many times can you feed a snake in a day?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_do_you_know_how_much_to_feed_a_snake\" title=\"How do you know how much to feed a snake?\">How do you know how much to feed a snake?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#Can_you_overfeed_a_snake\" title=\"Can you overfeed a snake?\">Can you overfeed a snake?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#What_happens_if_you_overfeed_snake\" title=\"What happens if you overfeed snake?\">What happens if you overfeed snake?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#Can_you_feed_a_snake_too_much\" title=\"Can you feed a snake too much?\">Can you feed a snake too much?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#Will_a_snake_stop_eating_when_its_full\" title=\"Will a snake stop eating when its full?\">Will a snake stop eating when its full?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_do_you_know_if_you_overfeed_a_snake\" title=\"How do you know if you overfeed a snake?\">How do you know if you overfeed a snake?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_do_I_know_when_my_snake_is_hungry\" title=\"How do I know when my snake is hungry?\">How do I know when my snake is hungry?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_do_you_know_how_much_to_feed_your_snake\" title=\"How do you know how much to feed your snake?\">How do you know how much to feed your snake?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#When_should_I_start_feeding_my_snake\" title=\"When should I start feeding my snake?\">When should I start feeding my snake?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#How_do_I_know_if_my_snake_isnt_hungry\" title=\"How do I know if my snake isn&#8217;t hungry?\">How do I know if my snake isn&#8217;t hungry?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-24\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/how-do-you-know-if-a-snake-is-hungry\/#Will_a_snake_eat_if_its_not_hungry\" title=\"Will a snake eat if it&#8217;s not hungry?\">Will a snake eat if it&#8217;s not hungry?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_you_know_if_a_snake_is_hungry\"><\/span>How do you know if a snake is hungry?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You can tell a snake is hungry when it exhibits specific behaviors such as: Prowling the front of the tank, being more active, focussing on you whenever you are near the enclosure, flicking its tongue more often, and hunting at a similar time each day or night.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_often_should_I_feed_my_ball_python\"><\/span>How often should I feed my ball python?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You don&#8217;t need to feed a ball python every day. Generally, <b>smaller or younger ball pythons need to eat twice each week, while larger ones usually eat once every week or two. As they get older you feed them more at one time so they don&#8217;t need as many feedings.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_much_do_you_feed_a_snake_a_day\"><\/span>How much do you feed a snake a day?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Your snake may be the best one to answer this question for you but typically an adult snake (over one year of age) will eat <b>once every 10 to 14 days. Younger snakes should eat more often since they are still growing. They should eat at least once a week, or even once every 5 to 6 days while growing.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_overfeed_my_snake\"><\/span>Can I overfeed my snake?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Overfeeding is very easy with some and you will soon see physical signs. It is better to control their intake and give them time to grow. It takes a lot longer to lose the weight\/fat deposits than to gain it and the regurge that you mention is not good. Once a week, one correctly sized item is fine at 18 months.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_I_know_when_to_feed_my_snake\"><\/span>How do I know when to feed my snake?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>How often should I feed my snake? That all depends on your snake&#8217;s age, size, and activity level. <b>Smaller or younger snakes usually eat twice each week, while larger, more mature snakes typically eat once every week or two. Female snakes approaching breeding season can be fed more frequently.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_you_know_if_your_snake_is_not_hungry\"><\/span>How do you know if your snake is not hungry?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Offered food gets taken immediately A sign that immediately gives away that the snake is hungry is when the snake immediately takes offered food. If the snake is not hungry then <b>it will most likely not be interested in the food or the snake might take it but not eat it directly<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_a_hungry_snake_look_like\"><\/span>What does a hungry snake look like?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Firstly, you need to understand that <b>most snakes will eat when they are happy and hungry. Snakes are not robots and unlike mammals they don&#8217;t always feed on demand. It&#8217;s very common for all snakes, particularly ball pythons to fast and go without food by simply stopping to feed for a while.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_I_know_if_my_ball_python_is_hungry\"><\/span>How do I know if my ball python is hungry?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You can tell a snake is hungry when it exhibits specific behaviors such as: Prowling the front of the tank, being more active, focussing on you whenever you are near the enclosure, flicking its tongue more often, and hunting at a similar time each day or night.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_you_overfeed_a_ball_python\"><\/span>Can you overfeed a ball python?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>They should be fed a hopper mouse every five days for the first four weeks of their life. This is also the time when you should make sure their feeding response is strong and that they are able to strike at prey accurately. <b>Overfeeding hatchling ball pythons is not an issue because of their extremely high metabolisms<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_feed_my_ball_python_every_5_days\"><\/span>Can I feed my ball python every 5 days?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Your snake may be the best one to answer this question for you but typically an adult snake (over one year of age) will eat once every 10 to 14 days. Younger snakes should eat more often since they are still growing. <b>They should eat at least once a week, or even once every 5 to 6 days while growing<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_feed_my_ball_python_every_3_days\"><\/span>Can I feed my ball python every 3 days?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you want to keep your snake healthy and happy a 7-10 day feeding schedule should be observed. This will keep your snake from being hungry and provide enough calories for standard growth and activity. <b>A feeding schedule of every 3-4 days will push your snake to grow and mature faster<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_much_does_a_snake_need_to_eat_a_day\"><\/span>How much does a snake need to eat a day?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Your snake may be the best one to answer this question for you but typically an adult snake (over one year of age) will eat <b>once every 10 to 14 days. Younger snakes should eat more often since they are still growing. They should eat at least once a week, or even once every 5 to 6 days while growing.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_many_times_can_you_feed_a_snake_in_a_day\"><\/span>How many times can you feed a snake in a day?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You don&#8217;t need to feed a ball python every day. Generally, <b>smaller or younger ball pythons need to eat twice each week, while larger ones usually eat once every week or two. As they get older you feed them more at one time so they don&#8217;t need as many feedings.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_you_know_how_much_to_feed_a_snake\"><\/span>How do you know how much to feed a snake?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Most snakes should be fed a size of prey that is <b>about the same size around as the snake&#8217;s body at its widest point. 1 This means that as a snake grows, you will have to adjust the size of the prey fed to the snake to accommodate the snake&#8217;s increasing size.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_you_overfeed_a_snake\"><\/span>Can you overfeed a snake?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Overfeeding is very easy with some and you will soon see physical signs. It is better to control their intake and give them time to grow. It takes a lot longer to lose the weight\/fat deposits than to gain it and the regurge that you mention is not good. Once a week, one correctly sized item is fine at 18 months.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happens_if_you_overfeed_snake\"><\/span>What happens if you overfeed snake?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the vast, vast majority of cases, the snake will not finish swallowing a prey item if it&#8217;s too big  <b>it will simply spit it back out. (And a healthy snake won&#8217;t generally have issues spitting it out). If the snake does manage to swallow prey that is too large, it will either throw it back up, or may actually die.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_you_feed_a_snake_too_much\"><\/span>Can you feed a snake too much?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Yes, they can over-eat and become obese just like us. They can get full and then decide not to eat for a few weeks, months, etc. and throw off their feeding schedule. Sometimes if you overfeed them, or offer a prey item that is too large they will regurgitate it.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Will_a_snake_stop_eating_when_its_full\"><\/span>Will a snake stop eating when its full?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Obstructions and Impactions. Sometimes snakes accidentally get a mouth full of something they can&#8217;t digest and get obstructed. At other times they don&#8217;t get enough moisture in their environment to defecate regularly and become impacted. <b>Both obstruction and impaction can cause your snake to stop eating<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_you_know_if_you_overfeed_a_snake\"><\/span>How do you know if you overfeed a snake?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Signs of Overfed and Choking Snake If your snake is overweight or is already obese, they look bloated because of their bulky belly, and oftentimes, they are a formation of a mass or food bolus in their stomach that may cause paralysis in their hindquarters because their spinal cord holds a lot of pressure.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_I_know_when_my_snake_is_hungry\"><\/span>How do I know when my snake is hungry?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You can tell a snake is hungry when it exhibits specific behaviors such as: Prowling the front of the tank, being more active, focussing on you whenever you are near the enclosure, flicking its tongue more often, and hunting at a similar time each day or night.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_you_know_how_much_to_feed_your_snake\"><\/span>How do you know how much to feed your snake?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Most snakes should be fed a size of prey that is <b>about the same size around as the snake&#8217;s body at its widest point. 1 This means that as a snake grows, you will have to adjust the size of the prey fed to the snake to accommodate the snake&#8217;s increasing size.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_should_I_start_feeding_my_snake\"><\/span>When should I start feeding my snake?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>If your snake is between 0-9 months old feed an appropriately sized* item every 5 days. If your snake is between 9-12 months feed an appropriately sized* item every 6 days. If your snake is between 1-3 years feed it an appropriately sized* item every 10 days.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_I_know_if_my_snake_isnt_hungry\"><\/span>How do I know if my snake isn&#8217;t hungry?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Offered food gets taken immediately<\/b> A sign that immediately gives away that the snake is hungry is when the snake immediately takes offered food. If the snake is not hungry then it will most likely not be interested in the food or the snake might take it but not eat it directly.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Will_a_snake_eat_if_its_not_hungry\"><\/span>Will a snake eat if it&#8217;s not hungry?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Firstly, you need to understand that <b>most snakes will eat when they are happy and hungry. Snakes are not robots and unlike mammals they don&#8217;t always feed on demand. It&#8217;s very common for all snakes, particularly ball pythons to fast and go without food by simply stopping to feed for a while.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents How do you know if a snake is hungry?How often should I feed my ball python?How much do you feed a snake a day?Can I overfeed my snake?How do I know when to feed my snake?How do you know if your snake is not hungry?What does a hungry snake look like?How do&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59746"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59746\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}