Over feeding?

[adum]

So I fed my baby bp on Monday, and I was forced to buy a live hopper today (Friday).

Should I feed the live hopper to my ball tonight? Or should I try keep the hopper alive for a day or 2? I've punched a few holes in a shoebox and he's currently in it .. should I be feeding him anything or giving him some water or would he remain alive without any food or water?

Thanks for reading

[AK907]

A few questions:

How much does your snake weight?

I'm assuming its a mouse hopper and not a rat, correct? How much does it weigh?

You should be feeding your snake 10-15% of its body weight every 5-7 days. I prefer to feed our younger balls every 5 days versus 7 days. I believe most of us here do as well. You can certainly feed your snake again today since it is day 5. Also, I high recommend you switching your ball to rats. Its usually a lot easier to make the switch while they are young. Rats offer better nutrition than mice as well.

If you ever have to keep leftover feeders, definitely give them food and water. If it is just a couple days you can feed them just about anything. Dog/cat food, leftovers, etc. They aren't picky. If you were keeping them long term, then you can't beat rodent block.

AKedit: Another thing I'd like to add since you posed the question. While it is possible to "over feed" your ball python, it would take a ridiculous amount of food to do that and we've never had a ball that would overeat. They know when to play bartender and cut themselves off. I don't believe I've ever actually seen an overweight ball python, but I know they exist. They are supposed to be fat snakes. They should NOT be thin like a corn snake and you should NEVER see their spines or look "V" shaped. They should be well rounded. Underfeeding your ball python is FAR more likely and unfortunately we see it all the time.

[Vypyrz]

Personally, I would feed the mouse off tonight. It will probably chew through a shoe box and escape. If you think that you may be routinely keeping live prey for a day or two, I would suggest investing in a Critter Keeper with a water bottle. They don't cost very much and will hold live prey far better than a shoe box...

[dart]

A few questions:

How much does your snake weight?

I'm assuming its a mouse hopper and not a rat, correct? How much does it weigh?

You should be feeding your snake 10-15% of its body weight every 5-7 days. I prefer to feed our younger balls every 5 days versus 7 days. I believe most of us here do as well. You can certainly feed your snake again today since it is day 5. Also, I high recommend you switching your ball to rats. Its usually a lot easier to make the switch while they are young. Rats offer better nutrition than mice as well.If you ever have to keep leftover feeders, definitely give them food and water. If it is just a couple days you can feed them just about anything. Dog/cat food, leftovers, etc. They aren't picky. If you were keeping them long term, then you can't beat rodent block.

AKedit: Another thing I'd like to add since you posed the question. While it is possible to "over feed" your ball python, it would take a ridiculous amount of food to do that and we've never had a ball that would overeat. They know when to play bartender and cut themselves off. I don't believe I've ever actually seen an overweight ball python, but I know they exist. They are supposed to be fat snakes. They should NOT be thin like a corn snake and you should NEVER see their spines or look "V" shaped. They should be well rounded. Underfeeding your ball python is FAR more likely and unfortunately we see it all the time.

I'd like to see some evidence backing this up. I've only heard rumors about this statement being true and I'd love to finally see some cold hard facts.

OT feeding today will be fine. Feeding every 5 days is ok until adulthood.

[AK907]

I'd like to see some evidence backing this up. I've only heard rumors about this statement being true and I'd love to finally see some cold hard facts.

OT feeding today will be fine. Feeding every 5 days is ok until adulthood.

Check out Rodent Pro's website. They have nutritional info on there. It isn't a MAJOR difference, but they are still a bit more nutritious than mice. Actually, a quick google search should turn up several results if you want further proof. Also rats are a more substantial meal and switching an adult that has imprinted on mice can be a real pain. Anyone who has ever had an adult mouser knows what a pain in the butt it is feeding 3-5+ mice at a time vs. one appropriate sized rat.

[adum]

Thanks for the feedback guys

Currently keeping the mouse in the shoebox, he hasnt escaped and I doubt he will .. he's pretty small (about an inch long) and the shoebox is quite thick. Anyway ..

My snake weighs in at around 80g, and the mouse at about 8g so it is an appropriately sized meal. Not sure that where I buy my feeders they also sell rats. Can I start him on small rats from now? How does the rat scaling work? (like mice; pinky, fuzzy, hopper .. ?)

Thanks

[Fidget]

My 89 g female was started on fuzzy rats by the breeder when she was much smaller than that. His reasoning was same as an earlier post: transitioning from mice to rats can be a pain, and adults take a lot of mice.

[AK907]

Can I start him on small rats from now? How does the rat scaling work? (like mice; pinky, fuzzy, hopper .. ?)

Yup, you sure can. We start all of our balls on appropriate sized rats right out of the egg (the only exception is a ball we hatched this year that is 1/4 the size of a normal hatchling). A rat fuzzy in the 8-12g range will be perfect for your ball. People have varying terminology for feeder sizes, pet stores especially try to exploit this! That is why a lot of us go by weight and use size classes loosely. For instance, a breeder will usually sell you a rat "pup" that is a baby rat about 3 weeks old and hasn't quite been weaned yet. This is a true pup. A pet store might try to sell you a pink or fuzzy as a pup or will sell you a true pup sized rat and advertise them as a small rat. There is a BIG difference there.

[M&H]

This is how I feed all my snakes (corns, boas and ball pythons)
Hatchling-99 grams: Mouse Hopper
100-199 grams: Mouse or Rat Pup
200-349 grams: Rat Hopper
350-499 grams: Weaned Rat
500-649 grams: Small Rat
650-1199 grams: Small Rat - Medium Rat
1200-2799 grams: Medium Rat
2800 grams and up: Large Rat

Rat Pinkies (1-6 days) equals Mouse Fuzzie

Rat Fuzzies (7-13 days) equals Hopper or Weaned Mice

Rat Pups (2-3 weeks) equals Large Mouse

Weaned Rats (3-4 weeks) equals X-Large Mouse

Small Rats 4-6 weeks) equals Medium Rats

[AK907]

Small Rats 4-6 weeks) equals Medium Rats