Snakes First Rat

[ericarditti]

I just fed my ball python a rat for the first time, it took him around 6 or 7 minutes to fully kill it. Hes prob around 3 or 4 feet and he really struggled to take the rat down, prob took him around 15-20 minutes to eat it. I was just wondering if that is all normal. there were a few times where i was worried that maybe he wouldnt be able to get it down. just double checking that its all normal

[SRMD]

Do you know how much your BP weighs? if not I would advise you to get some digital scales so you can weigh your BP and feed him accordingly.
and what was you feeding him?

[ericarditti]

i dont have a scale but i can buy one and take measurements

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didnt mean measurements lol

[SRMD]

i dont have a scale but i can buy one and take measurements

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didnt mean measurements lol

Yea, you should defiantly buy a Scale so you can weigh your snake then you will know the appropriate size meal to feed him.

[BHReptiles]

It's possible that the rat was a little big. Here's a chart about what to roughly feed your snake:

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...ging_chart.jpg

Having a scale will tell you how much your snake weighs so you ca give him the appropriate meal.

[ericarditti]

the only problem is where i live, there is only petco and petstores like that, so they have the typical rats. i got a small rat this time. thinking about switching to thawed but i tried it once and the snake had none of it

[BHReptiles]

As long as the snake is over 400-500g, a small rat is probably fine. If it's not that big, then you may need to go back to mice, feed less often, or try to google other local pet shops or rodent breeders.

[SlitherinSisters]

It does sound like the rat might have been a little big. Do you think the rat was close to the same thickness as your snake? Did it leave a huge bump in your snake? You should see a little bump in your snake after it eats.

[ericarditti]

the rat seemed to be as thick as the snake, thats why i had no problem feeding it, im skeptical on feeding him another one though i may stick to mice like twice a week.