Am I feeding or power-feeding? Help Please.

[cH@0s]

I have what seems to be a baby ball python, he is only about 17 inches long. He was being fed every Tue when I bought him. When I tried to feed him the next Tue he wouldn't eat, so I thought maybe it was the stress of changing homes and getting used to his new one. But he fed, on a f/t pinkie, on Sat for the first time. To my relief, and he didn't take long to snatch it.

I tried to get him back on the routine of feeding every Tue, cause thats when the pet shop gets new pinkies in. When I offered him the pinkie (live), he didn't even take 10 secs to snatch it. So I waited a while, about 15 minutes, and dropped another pinkie in, a smaller one (live), and again, he snatched it in less than 10 secs.

Is this classed as over feeding/ power feeding, or did I just have a hungry boy, that has a good appetite???

The first pinkie was just starting to get a fuzz, still see it's skin clearly, but the ears more more formed, and the second one was a real baby, only skin.

Please let me know, cause I don't want to think i'm doing good, and end up causing severe problems for my snake.

Thanks a lot...

[kellysballs]

Are you feeding rat pinkies?

[cH@0s]

no, mouse pinkies

[kellysballs]

Personally as soon as your ball ate I would increase the size of the prey item the next time you feed. I feel mouse pinks or any prey item that doesn't make a slight bulge in the belly, are to small. I would say not to worry your baby was probably just hungry and next time give him a hopper/small mouse. Our babies eat a small or hopper mouse right out of the gate .

Good luck!

[Somed00d]

he is only about 17 inches long.

sounds like underfeeding. 17 inches is fairly big. You should feed a prey item that is the same size as the snakes girth. unless you have a pencil thin snake you should be feeding bigger items.

[littleindiangirl]

Breeders start hatchling BP's on mice fuzzies. A pinkie isn't a meal to these guys. A rat pinkie isn't even a meal to these guys. That's just too little nutrition. It'd be like you eating a bowl of carrots a day, everyday. Just not enough nutrition.

I would up the prey size, skip pinkies all together. Go straight to mouse fuzzies or hoppers (which ever is as big around as the widest part of your BP) and go from there.

Remember, these little guys can stretch!

[ani15174eva]

My NAte is 17-18 inches and three months old, BUt I think that it really depends on the weight. He weighs 202g. and ate two adult mice within 45min. I would be upping prey size, it sounds like under feeding to me.

~hollie~