Have I been starving my snake???

[fluffy3]

I feel horrible! I got my BP about 2 months ago and I fed him every 5 days fuzzy mice I hadnt been able to get to the reptile store to get my feeders so I bought frozen from pet store they had a snake that was the same size as mine so the girl gave me fuzzy mice Last time I fed he ate 3 I had only been offering 1 at a time well today I finally made it back to the reptile place I bought him from and the guy gave me a frozen rat Its HUGE compared to what I have been feeding but he said thats what he was feeding before I bought him did I do any damage to my snake by underfeeding?? He also said that its hard to get a snake to go from mice to rats because mice taste better (wondering how HE knows that ) I will be feeding once a week on Thursdays now so I am hoping he will eat this rat pup! I dont want him to go off his food I think I would feel so guilty

[purplemuffin]

The best size meal for your snake is something as wide as the widest point as your snake or up to 1.5 times max.. Fed on a good schedule that works for your snake. I feed mine rats as wide as her big tummy once a week!

I didn't have trouble getting my snake to switch to rats, but some people do!

[Skittles1101]

No your snake is not starving, multiple people on here have had theirs go off feed for months at a time, there shouldn't any lasting effects, just make sure you're feeding the right size now and he'll be fine

[dragonboy4578]

I just switched most of my bp's from f/t mice to f/t small rats. I didn't have a single one turn down the meal. I am sure that some are a lot fussier than mine. Mine will eat just about anything at any time.....

[BuckeyeBalls]

As long as its not been eating mice for years lol they generally switch. When heir younger they pound out food. Rats, mice, you name it.

Its like old people. You ever tried to change a old persons ways? their set in stone haha. Older bps that been feeding on mice tend to imprint on it.

[SlitherinSisters]

You want whatever you are feeding your BP to leave a noticeable lump in your snake. Not huge, but still noticeable. Generally a prey item that is the same thickness as the thickest part of your snake is ideal. Now that you have his prey size changed I bet you'll notice him growing in no time!

Also, I've never had an issue switching from mice to rats. Some can be picky, but most aren't.

[Raf702]

Through lots of reading and research upon here. It seems BP's are quite known for being finicky eaters. Like what most people will suggest, double check your husbandry. Temps, humidity, etc. Could be stressed, could be just that time of the season where they go off feed for a bit. Just continue to offer him food as you normally do with his feeding schedule. And eventually he'll break that cycle and get back on eating.

Switching from mice to rats tend to vary from snake to snake. I was very fortunate that my BP started off with Rats. And he's currently on rat pups, until he get's bigger and older. Good luck, keep us updated

[angllady2]

Don't feel bad about the whole fuzzy mouse/ huge rat thing.

Now, if you had never offered your snake anything at all to eat since you got it, then yes you'd be starving it. Even if it was smaller food, you were still feeding it.

Be very careful about going too big with prey. While they are quite capable of eating something MUCH bigger than what it looks like they should be able to, I have found through trial and error that feeding a little bit small is better than feeding a little bit big.

I try to feed mine prey that is just big enough that a single prey item will leave a little "full belly" bulge. Not big enough to make them look like they swallowed a football, but not so small you can't tell they ate. Think "Thanksgiving dinner", not "Pie Eating Contest".

Gale