feeding help

so I have had my bp for about 4 years now and I used to feed him 2 mice every Friday and about three weeks ago I felt he was big enough for a small rat so no problems there he can swallow it with little strain... however he has become alot more aggressive on Fridays but the rest of the week even Thursday he is perfectly normal and docile.

should I be feeding him more so he's not as hungry by the next week?

he should be eating rats, mine is like 6 7 moths old and is feeding on small to medium rats!! i want my ball to grow larger than usual

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Originally Posted by jorgeruiztj

he should be eating rats, mine is like 6 7 moths old and is feeding on small to medium rats!! i want my ball to grow larger than usual

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That sounds too big.

I think a small rat would be more appropriate. Sounds like he is a bit on the hungry side!

I am feeding him a small rat... and he is still agressive

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Originally Posted by JUNKyardHOE

I am feeding him a small rat... and he is still agressive

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"small" is a relative term... how much does the rat weigh?

I am not sure how much they weigh I get them from petco they are probably 4 inches in length not including the tail

Maybe you need to move up to mediums then.

Adult males certainly do not need medium rats... My adult males get 2-3 adult mice every 12-14 days. They stay muscular and fit.

Why are you trying to handle him on feeding days? If he's not excitable any other day, it just means he recognizes the routine and is ready to eat. Just feed him that day and leave him alone for the next two days.

Also, Ball Pythons do not "need" to eat rats. They can do equally well on mice. Prey type doesn't matter whatsoever. All that matters is the weight of the prey they are eating. 65g of mouse is the same as 65g of rat.

If your snake is defecating large amounts, then you may want to back off on the feeding. They only digest what they need and the remainder is passed through as waste. If you're feeding 120g of rat, but the snake only needs 65g to grow and maintain their body weight, then the remaining weight of that rat is going to be passed right on out. That's alot of food to waste.

If your snake was doing fine on 2 mice a week and was maintaining his body weight like he should, just keep on doing what you're doing. Whatever he will eat and whatever is easiest for you to buy every week is what you should feed him. Don't fix what ain't broke! :)

by no means do I want to handle him on feeding day but I transfer him to a cardboard box that i feed him in then when he finishes and starts to look for somewhere to hide and digest I put him back in his cage

recently when I open his cage he pokes his head out from his hide and gives me the look and he has tried to strike me a few times so I started using oven mits