Feeding After a Vet Visit (Need some help)

[Ragtag]

I recently took my BP (150g) to the vet after purchasing him from a Petsmart (I know not smart but give a snake a chance) and he was impacted pretty bad. They gave him an enema and cleared it right up, but one thing the vet told me

to do is feed him smaller prey for the time being (about a month). Now I've been on a 1 med mouse every 5 days and as requested from the vet I should feed him 2-3 fuzzies every 5 days. Something about feeding multiple mice gets me a

bit skeptical since I've read up about feeding the same size to 1 1/3 of the size of the thickest part of the BP. I'd like to get some thoughts or suggestions about feeding and some opinions on the vets comments since this is my first BP and I

care for him dearly. Thanks

[Kcl]

If he was impacted, the vet may want you to feed fuzzies at the moment because their bones are less developed and easier to digest. A healthy ball python can eat something that is 1 - 1.5x the width of their body (1x being a better goal), but you are unfortunately starting with a snake that isn't healthy.

If I were you, I'd follow the vet's advice for now. His goal for your snake seems to be to make digestion and passing feces a bit easier for a while and work the snake up to a normal routine. It won't hurt him to be fed a few fuzzies for a bit either way. Once your snake is eating and pooping regularly, I'm sure you will be able to get back to normal guidelines. You also shouldn't be afraid to call the vet's office back and ask a few clarifying questions for why he recommended this routine if you'd like.

[Ragtag]

If he was impacted, the vet may want you to feed fuzzies at the moment because their bones are less developed and easier to digest. A healthy ball python can eat something that is 1 - 1.5x the width of their body (1x being a better goal), but you are unfortunately starting with a snake that isn't healthy.

If I were you, I'd follow the vet's advice for now. His goal for your snake seems to be to make digestion and passing feces a bit easier for a while and work the snake up to a normal routine. It won't hurt him to be fed a few fuzzies for a bit either way. Once your snake is eating and pooping regularly, I'm sure you will be able to get back to normal guidelines. You also shouldn't be afraid to call the vet's office back and ask a few clarifying questions for why he recommended this routine if you'd like.

So feeding him a few at a time wouldn't be a bad thing, or would you stick to one fuzzie every 5 days? Thanks for the reply btw!

[Kcl]

A few fuzzies at a time sounds like a reasonable recommendation from your vet in my opinion, but I can't really say anything beyond the fact that I personally see no issue with complying with his recommendation as I am not a vet. In general, feeding multiple smaller prey items is not harmful to snakes. The general recommendation is to feed only one larger primarily because not all snakes will accept multiple items and the debate on which takes more effort for the snake is currently leaning towards one larger item being a bit less taxing than multiple larger, but that assumes both are fully developed rodents. In your particular case, it sounds like (in my opinion) feeding a few fuzzies would have potential real benefits without any increased risk vs feeding a larger item. I would start with the lower end of the vet's recommendation and work towards the higher end. (i.e. feed the two smallest fuzzies you have first, then two that can be a bit larger, then three fuzzies, or something similar) Keep an eye on him and make sure he's passing waste properly.

[Ragtag]

A few fuzzies at a time sounds like a reasonable recommendation from your vet in my opinion, but I can't really say anything beyond the fact that I personally see no issue with complying with his recommendation as I am not a vet. In general, feeding multiple smaller prey items is not harmful to snakes. The general recommendation is to feed only one larger primarily because not all snakes will accept multiple items and the debate on which takes more effort for the snake is currently leaning towards one larger item being a bit less taxing than multiple larger, but that assumes both are fully developed rodents. In your particular case, it sounds like (in my opinion) feeding a few fuzzies would have potential real benefits without any increased risk vs feeding a larger item. I would start with the lower end of the vet's recommendation and work towards the higher end. (i.e. feed the two smallest fuzzies you have first, then two that can be a bit larger, then three fuzzies, or something similar) Keep an eye on him and make sure he's passing waste properly.

I appriciate the advice, I'll keep a close eye on him and try feeding him in the next 2 days. I'm sure he won't have a problem eating 2 but I just don't want to cause any blockages by doing so, but thanks again for the advice.

[Kcl]

Happy to help! I'm glad you're so concerned for the little dude. Two fuzzies should be pretty easy on his digestion. Just make sure your temps are up to par and hopefully he'll be all good! Just as a forewarning - baby snakes are pretty good at using up almost all of what they eat if they're not fed that much, so he may not poop for a while during his small meal regimen. Watch for urates, which will show that he's able to pass things, and watch out for any lumps near the cloaca, which would indicate that he's not.