Feeding question?

[dinger51]

My BP has been feeding like a champ. I have given him 2 F/T Rat pups every Sunday evening since I got him(about a month). I have read that it is recomended to feed a BP based on his/her girth. Is there going to be a problem feeding my BP up to 3 rat pups per feeding as he grows? I purchased a lot of rat pups and don't want to waste them.

[Marla]

It would be better to sell off the excess and move up in prey size.

[Wizill]

worry about your snakes health, not your money.

[JLC]

There is an ongoing debate about whether feeding multiple prey items is a good choice for your snake. Some people believe it can cause digestive problems. I personally haven't seen any evidence of this, but if I have a choice of multiple smaller prey, or a single "properly" sized prey, then I would choose the single prey-item. In this case, I would worry more that the pups are less nutritious than a more mature rat.

[Smulkin]

Hmmm . . . rather in need of rat pups here . . .

[gozetec02]

You cant just feed rat pups. They dont have fully developed bones and they dont have too much calcium. If i were you i would throw in an adult mouse. Also you can try a weaned rat they have a better bone density and they have more fur which is high in calcium. I have read that as a Ball Python grows they need calcium to develope strong bones and scales. I suppose its good that he is eating at all but maybe feed a rat pup and a mouse. The rat pup would be high in protein because they have more meat on them this is good for you snakes muscles and the adult mouse has fully developed bones and a full coat of fur this gives them strong bones. Or again maybe go up in prey size. And since you have so many rat pups its a great excuse to buy another baby ball python.

[dinger51]

Thanks for all of the informaion. By BP is currently 26 inches at about 7 months old. I haven't measured his girth. I will do that tonight when I get home. What would be the size of prey recomendations for about a years worth of feed? I don't want to purchase often due to shipping charges.

[JamminJonah]

There are sites that let you mix and match your orders... I don't know any off the top of my head though.

[elevatethis]

Consider the nature of the Ball Python: They roam the grasslands of equatorial africa, searching for rodent burrows. Upon finding a burrow, they will enter it and basically eat eat eat all they can. They may remain in the burrow to digest for a period of time. Given this, I don't see why it would be an issue to feed multiple prey items.

Thinking logically though, I would suspect that it is much less stress on the snake to feed a single appropriate sized prey item per feeding. Here's a few reasons I can think of:

1. Less energy spent on the snake's part.
2. Less stress due to reason above.
3. Once the snake eats, it knows nothing else edible is coming near it. You can transfer the snake back to the cage worry-free.
4. As far as digestive issues go, if you've weaned a snake eating one prey item at a time, adding another may no go over well with their system even if the snake is large enough to accomodate it.

...But then again, I am no herptologist. Just doing some critical thinking. Anyone know of any articles on this?