Feeding questions...PLEASE HELP

[Krista2004]

I have a couple questions about feeding and also the size of the rats/mice I should be feeding my snakes. My big girl, bria, is about 1300 grams and a nice size girth. I feed her a small rat every 5 to 7 days. Calix is about 620 grams and feed him a small mouse, same feeding times. My two little ones, ares(160 grams) and monte(113 grams) are only about 1 year old and I feed them hopper mice. They are all on the same feeding schedule except out little ones, we feed them twice a week if they are hungry but only use a fuzzy, just to keep them content.
Am i feeding them to little and not enough? Im not sure if we are getting the right size rats for any of them! Please help!

[kellysballs]

Honestly there are a few different methods of feeding frequency and the methods used to choose the size of the prey item.

This is what I do, I feed once per week period, I choose the size of the prey item by looking at my ball pythons and choosing a rat/mouse that is slightly larger than the thickest part of them. I usually up the size of the prey item after my ball eats and I cannot see a slight "bulge" where the rat/mouse is.

[kellysballs]

[QUOTE=My big girl, bria, is about 1300 grams and a nice size girth. I feed her a small rat every 5 to 7 days. [/QUOTE]


This one seems like she is eating an appropriate sized rat as long as there is a slight visable bulge immedeatly after feeding.

Calix is about 620 grams and feed him a small mouse, same feeding times.

Personally I would up this guy to a small rat.

My two little ones, ares(160 grams) and monte(113 grams) are only about 1 year old and I feed them hopper mice.

It seems to me that these guys are small. I would definatley up there food intake to a large adult mouse and get them up to a good yearling weight.

[Argentra]

I agree on the two little ones. Most people give young snakes food that is too small, through not knowing or fear of offering larger prey. A hatchling BP can actually take a large hopper or even a weanling mouse. Only those born really small, or having health trouble, should be fed smaller prey.

Try upping the two little snakes to adult mice and you should see some nice improvement.

[Bruce Whitehead]

I think it might help if you give the rats' size in grams.

What is a small rat to me, may not be a small rat to everyone else.

I feed by weight of the prey.

Bruce

[Krista2004]

This one seems like she is eating an appropriate sized rat as long as there is a slight visable bulge immedeatly after feeding.



Personally I would up this guy to a small rat.



It seems to me that these guys are small. I would definatley up there food intake to a large adult mouse and get them up to a good yearling weight.

What would be a proper yearling weight? ares is about 1 and 1/2 old and is 160 grams and monte is just bout a year and weighs 113 grams

[starmom]

What would be a proper yearling weight? ares is about 1 and 1/2 old and is 160 grams and monte is just bout a year and weighs 113 grams

Whoa- that's really lightweight!
My not-quite-year-olds are all between 500-1100g. My 2 year old is ~1500g. I have one problem eater, always has been, and she is a lightweight.

[Argentra]

My 13 month old normal recently topped 480g and she is a very picky eater who refused for 9 weeks during winter and was started on too small prey. I'm slowly trying to get her to take larger mice, and maybe even switch to rats, to get her weight a little higher this year.

[starmom]

My picky one is a whopping 212g and is a hypo '07. I have her in a 16qt tub with two small hides and a water bowl. She is not losing weight, but is not anywhere near the weight of the rest of my snakes. I'm thinking of maybe giving her mice and seeing if she'll take them. She sporadically accepts little rat fuzzies...

[Krista2004]

My picky one is a whopping 212g and is a hypo '07. I have her in a 16qt tub with two small hides and a water bowl. She is not losing weight, but is not anywhere near the weight of the rest of my snakes. I'm thinking of maybe giving her mice and seeing if she'll take them. She sporadically accepts little rat fuzzies...

So I'm not feeding them enough? The are dont have a huge girth or anything but they look a little on the slim side. I guess we will just up what they are eating and see the they get any bigger. Thanks everyone for the input! I appreciate it alot!