feeding ?

[Tammy]

hi all...
my bp (age unknown) is about 32 inches long and big around at his widest girth, maybe half dollar size. he is eating once a week, 2 mice at a feeding. i have read the threads about feeding mice or rats, and the general rule is feed what works. ok...i don't mind feeding mice, and i have no problem getting them from a local pet shop...my question is, will 2 mice at a time always be enough? when do you need to go to more than 2? i think he would eat as many as i gave him at a time...lol...he's a hungry guy, but i don't want to over feed and make him go on a hunger fast. do you think with the size i described, he could handle a small rat?
Thanks!
Tammy

[joepythons]

hi all...
my bp (age unknown) is about 32 inches long and big around at his widest girth, maybe half dollar size. he is eating once a week, 2 mice at a feeding. i have read the threads about feeding mice or rats, and the general rule is feed what works. ok...i don't mind feeding mice, and i have no problem getting them from a local pet shop...my question is, will 2 mice at a time always be enough? when do you need to go to more than 2? i think he would eat as many as i gave him at a time...lol...he's a hungry guy, but i don't want to over feed and make him go on a hunger fast. do you think with the size i described, he could handle a small rat?
Thanks!
Tammy

Tammy, has he ever seen or smelled a rat? Some will not eat them as its a differant scent. I am going by memory(lost as it is lol) and i think he could eat a small rat with ease. If you see Eddy let him know the size of your snake and he should give you the correct size.

[Tammy]

ok...and if he won't take a rat? as far as I know he has never seen or smelled a rat...is 2 mice a week enough...for how long? if he will take a rat, do i just feed one rat a week?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

ok...and if he won't take a rat? as far as I know he has never seen or smelled a rat...is 2 mice a week enough...for how long? if he will take a rat, do i just feed one rat a week?

Even if your BP does not take a rat 2 to 3 mice a week depending on their size will be enough for the rest of his life.

[joepythons]

ok...and if he won't take a rat? as far as I know he has never seen or smelled a rat...is 2 mice a week enough...for how long? if he will take a rat, do i just feed one rat a week?

I feed my ball pythons every 7 to 10 days( depends on size of meal) and they thrive. If he does not like rats its ok to give him multiple mice each week and he will be fine.

[Tammy]

ok, cool. so while he is still rather small, 2 mice should be plenty if he won't take a rat...may need to increase to 3 mice eventually. got it. if he will take a rat, a small one once a week should be ok forever?
i think I will stick to the mice for now, since he is eating them so well. i was just worried about under feeding...the mice he is eating are adult mice.

[MATT FISHER REPTILES]

and it depends on how big you want him to get. as a general rule of thumb i would rather feed one right sized meal a week then 5 small. if you get him on small rats on a schedule of every 7-10 days that should hold him for the rest of his life. but if you want a little monster. you can feed small rats till medium rats are going to work then move to large rats when the time is right. but keep in mind the smaller you keep him the longer he will live and less chance of organ failure you will have. same as people if we get relly fat we dont live as long but if we stay in shape and lean we will live longer.