Snapping ball python; help!

[dbuchanan31]

So I've had my ball python for about 5 months now. She's only about a year I think. She's very sweet and I handle her a fair amount; about once a week and she's never snapped at me. I've been feeding her the live male mice at Petco that are like 3.99 I think and I wait two days before and after to handle her. This week she shed and pooped on Wednesday so I had to handle her so I pushed her feeding day until Friday and she ate just fine.

Today, my boyfriend ran his finger along the outside of the cage (he thinks he's playing with her) and she totally snapped at the outside of the cage like she was going for a feeder bite. She always hangs out in her log, sometimes in the striking position and I'm not sure if she's being underfed or what. Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated!

[RuGGeR]

Feed her more.. If she is a year old, 1 mice is just not enough..


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[bcr229]

I would switch her over to rats ASAP. How much does she weigh?

[dbuchanan31]

I'm not exactly sure how much she weighs; should I start off with feeding two small mice and then going to rats? I've heard that you have to stun a rat before you drop it in there

[Slim]

Any year old BP being fed one mouse a week is being underfed. Rats do not have to be stunned before you put them in. In fact, that is a very bad idea. Your snake was purpose built to wreck rats. As long as you feed the appropriate sized rat, and supervise the feeding, your snake will do the rest.

[dbuchanan31]

Okay thanks all! Should I feed her again soon with a bigger size or wait until feeding day? And would it be safe to handle her or should I wait?

[bcr229]

Get a kitchen scale and weigh her. WalMart has them for $20-25. Tip - get one with a wide platform for stability, some snakes don't like to stay in the bowl/tub to get weighed and you don't want it to fall over if they move.

Once you know how much she weighs you can figure out the appropriate sized feeder for her using the chart below. Figure 10% of her body weight every 5-7 days until she reaches 500 grams, then a small rat once a week.

[Daybreaker]

Just wait until next feeding day to offer a more appropriately sized meal

[dbuchanan31]

Should I wait to handle her too?