BP Prefers smaller prey?

[clapton924]

I have a year old female BP. Has been a perfect weekly feeder until this summer. She was eating small rats before she stopped eating for about 2 months. She is large enough now to eat medium rats...but refuses them. I tried giving her a weanling rat the past two weeks and she has eaten them both.

Anyone have similar experiences where their BP prefers to eat "smaller" prey items?

The size of the prey may have nothing to do with her appetite...I dont know.

[blackcrystal22]

A small rat might be too big for a yearling female that has been eating weekly.

An adult bp shouldn't ever have to eat anything larger than a medium rat and usually doesn't get more than a small rat.
You want to have a rat thats about the same thickness as the thickest point on the snake.

Too small of prey can be harmful, but a small rat I guarantee is not too small.

[Argentra]

I have one BP, my smallest and youngest normal female, that refuses to eat anything larger than an adult mouse. If it's a large adult or especially a jumbo, which she should be on now, she pulls back into her hide and totally ignores it. This, and the fact that she will randomly refuse prey, is why she's still so small and lightweight for her age (about 14 months).

I say, if they're eating regularly and the prey isn't REALLY small (like a hopper mouse), then let it be. That's just that snake's way.

[clapton924]

A small rat might be too big for a yearling female that has been eating weekly.

An adult bp shouldn't ever have to eat anything larger than a medium rat and usually doesn't get more than a small rat.
You want to have a rat thats about the same thickness as the thickest point on the snake.

Too small of prey can be harmful, but a small rat I guarantee is not too small.

I feed items that are the same size as the thickest part of the snake. My ball is actually a bit wider than a "medium rat". The snake is 970 grams....40" in length.