Feeding Bigger Balls

I always here people go with the 10-15% of weight rule when it comes to feeding balls. But I have heard that with bigger balls, maybe 2000 grams, 10-15% of the body weight is too big of a rat. So is it alright to apply the same rule to bigger balls?

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Originally Posted by Andrew Larson

I always here people go with the 10-15% of weight rule when it comes to feeding balls. But I have heard that with bigger balls, maybe 2000 grams, 10-15% of the body weight is too big of a rat. So is it alright to apply the same rule to bigger balls?

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My personal preference is to feed a rat that is 2 or 3 times larger than the snakes head. Anything larger than that and you are over doing it I think. That's just my opinion, but my snakes are all healthy and 2 of my 3 normal girls have broken 2k grams and are still putting on weight.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Andrew Larson

I always here people go with the 10-15% of weight rule when it comes to feeding balls. But I have heard that with bigger balls, maybe 2000 grams, 10-15% of the body weight is too big of a rat. So is it alright to apply the same rule to bigger balls?

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I have three girls at around 2500 before breeding season, they all get medium rat and if i see them moving around the cage a few days later they get a small rat. But that does not happen very often they usually are happy with the med rat.

So would a 200 grams rat be too big for like a 1800 gram ball?

Why isn't the 10-15% rule followed after such a weight?

I think the main reason people stop feeding lager prey items after a certain size/age is that it can and does lead to obesity.

Obese snakes do not breed well, so most breeders would take great pains to keep snakes at an even, healthy weight.

There is also the possibility, like the mistake I made, of offering a prey item that is too big, and then have the snake go off feed. {I'm still working with that snake.}

Gale

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Originally Posted by Andrew Larson

So would a 200 grams rat be too big for like a 1800 gram ball?

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No, not at all.
But that's about as big as I'd be comfortable feeding a 1800 gram snake.
That is about as big as I feed any 2000+ gram girls also, they just don't need any larger than that IMO

Instead of offering 1 large prey item, offer 2 med rats.

I don't let mine eat anything bigger than the girth of their balls. Wait a minute...my balls girth is what what they don't eat larger than. Okay, I got it...the girth of my snake is the biggest thing it is allowed to eat. Crap. Something like that. I dunno, it's late. You know what I mean. I think. Or do you?