Food consumption in relation to bodyweight in captive snakes

Abstract

The weekly food consumption of 25 captive snakes of nine species fed on freshly killed laboratory mice was measured for periods of three to eight weeks. Their ad libitum intake was found to vary in proportion to their initial body weight ( W) raised to an exponent close to and not significantly different from 0·75 (mean [ SE] 0·79 [0·064]). However, the food consumption in relation to W varied between animals, and the rates of change in bodyweight relative to W 0·75 during the measurement period were highly correlated with food consumption (r=0·801, P<0·001). From the regression describing the relationship between these variables, the mean food requirement for maintenance was estimated at 4·2 g day −1 kg −0·75 and the mean rate of weight loss when fasting was estimated at 2·0 g day −1 kg −0·75. The mean weight gain for each gram of food eaten above maintenance level was estimated to be 0·46 g. The limits, in relation to w, within which the ad libitum food consumption of snakes can be predicted from these results with 95 per cent probability are estimated.