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  1. #1
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    BP Overeating concern

    My boyfriend and I have two BP's, one is 2 1/2 feet, one is 3 feet. They were picky eaters when we first got them, but now they love to eat. Neither will eat rats, so I thought a couple mice a week should be allright for each of them. When I'm not there, however, by boyfriend feeds them at least 3 mice a week. In the past three days he let the smaller girl have 4 mice. I'm worried that this could be unhealthy and make them fat, which would only lead to other health problems. Am I right?

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran starmom's Avatar
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    Re: BP Overeating concern

    How much do they weigh?
    Did he feed the female all of the mice in one night? 4 seems excessive, though without a weight....
    The thing about feeding tons is that it could reduce the feeding response and also lead to an overweight (and therefore unhealthy) snake.


    ~~McKinsey~~
    "Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
    ~The Little Prince; Antoine de Saint Exupery

  3. #3
    BPnet Veteran simplechamp's Avatar
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    Re: BP Overeating concern

    Is there a lot of skin showing between the scales? Sometimes after a feeding they will seem a little stretched, but if they are constantly showing skin in between scales throughout the entire body they are probably being overfed.

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  5. #4
    BPnet Veteran Spaniard's Avatar
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    Re: BP Overeating concern

    I feed my 1100 gram girl 3 mice a week. Like it was mentioned seeing skin between scales is a definite, not probable, indicator of an obese snake.
    ~*Rich
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  6. #5
    BPnet Royalty 4theSNAKElady's Avatar
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    Re: BP Overeating concern

    Why don't you try giving em' small rats instead? I mean, a three footer should be eating rats. And i don't think I've ever heard of obesity in ball pythons.
    ALL THAT SLITHERS - Ball Python aficionado/keeper
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  7. #6
    BPnet Veteran Oxylepy's Avatar
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    Re: BP Overeating concern

    If you are overfeeding then I would say cut them down to a normal feeding schedule, in time they should lose some of that weight (fat tends not to sustain itself when forced into a diet that isn't high enough to maintain said fat).

    And 3 mice a week is insane for them. I feed mine a small rat every 10~14 days (depending on if they are small, or small almost to the point of being a small medium).
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  8. #7
    BPnet Veteran starmom's Avatar
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    Re: BP Overeating concern

    I don't believe that 3 mice a week is insane for a ball python. Of course, a lot depends upon the weight of the mouse. If the adult mice are about 30g each, then that is only 90g of prey which is what I feed my 1000g ball pythons.


    ~~McKinsey~~
    "Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
    ~The Little Prince; Antoine de Saint Exupery

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    Spaniard (11-09-2008)

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