Whats the best way to add on weight to a BP

[HostilePB11]

Hey guys, brand new to the forum here but I have an 06 bp and he's pretty skinny. I have been feeding him about twice a week for the past 3 weeks. So I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do besides power feeding him to have him gain some weight.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Alec

[rperry03]

Feed him a nice size rat every 7-10 days and he will put on weight quickly.

[mpkeelee]

What are you feeding him? He should be able to eat a small rat just fine. You shouldnt be concerned about getting ur male up to size, just feed him appropriately sized meals once a week and he will be fine.

[mues155]

You do not want to "power feed"!
There is no reason to feed a snake more than twice a week.
If you feed twice a week offer smaller meals.

If you feed once a week then offer appropriate sized meals, usually the rule of thumb is 10% of the snakes weight should be the weight of the prey. Or visually a prey item that matches the width of the widest part of your snake.

It will just take time. After a consistant feeding schedule then the snake will gain weight. I would suggest buying a digital scale that measures grams. Keep track of his weight once a month and see how it goes.

[HostilePB11]

I didnt add that he is eating adult mice, I did hear that rats have more nutrients though. Is there any truth to this?

[mues155]

There is no actual proof to that statement.
The biggest thing is just that as a BP grows its much more practical and easier to feed a large rat to an adult BP then several adult mice.
As soon as possible I would change yours to rats if you want to save yourself this hassle.

[HostilePB11]

Ok thanks for the advice guys, and btw gorgeous pie mues.

[mues155]

Thanks for the compliment.

Welcome to the forums and feel free to ask any questions. We love to help here.