Generic food size question

Hey everyone. I got my BP about a month ago and I've been feeding him hoppers. I tried F/T but he wouldn't take it so I just went back to live and monitor the feeding as best I can. Both times he has eaten live he waited 30-60 seconds and struck the mouse/coiled it very well. According to the owner at the Reptile Shop I got him from, he should be about 10 months now. I'm thinking I should probably up him to at least Adult Mice or maybe one of the smaller types of rats but wanted to get some insight before I head to the store tomorrow. If switching him to rats, what size would be appropriate? Here are some pictures:



http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b1...e/516805ac.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b1...e/56ea9619.jpg

Thanks for any advice!

Yeah, hoppers are way to small! You should be feeding large mice or small rats. You should feed your snake a rodent that is roughly the same size as the thickest part of the body of your snake. I would definitely try to switch to rats. They are just a hardier meal. And I might add, :welcome: to the forum.

hope this helps,

Dave

Thanks Dave! I figured as much, but my roommate picked up the first meal and ended up getting a hopper. Since it went well I figured I would just try the same thing. I'm going to try picking up an adult mouse or small rat tomorrow. Is small rat the general term or would it more specifically be a fuzzy rat or something else?

No, a small rat is called a small rat. Rat fuzzies are baby rats that are just starting to get their fur. Small rats usually weigh between 45 and 84 grams. Here is a link to RodentPro's website where it shows the rat size and age and what that size is called. Look it over, has some good info!

http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp...el=frozen_rats

hope this helps too,

Dave

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Originally Posted by Algorithm

Thanks Dave! I figured as much, but my roommate picked up the first meal and ended up getting a hopper. Since it went well I figured I would just try the same thing. I'm going to try picking up an adult mouse or small rat tomorrow. Is small rat the general term or would it more specifically be a fuzzy rat or something else?

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With a snake that size...im guessing around 400 grams? a small, just barely weaned rat would be the best choice. Rats are a much healthier meal than mice. It's best to get your bp's started on rats asap because alot of times once they get use to mice thats all they'll eat

Small rat for sure. It may seem like a huge jump in size from a hopper, and that he won't be able to take a small rat, but he'll be fine. You'll be amazed at what they can eat! :D And my guess for weight would be like 275g. Have you weighed him?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tqmidget85

Small rat for sure. It may seem like a huge jump in size from a hopper, and that he won't be able to take a small rat, but he'll be fine. You'll be amazed at what they can eat! :D And my guess for weight would be like 275g. Have you weighed him?

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And my guess on his weight is....435g! Did I win? ;)

Thank you for the answers! Unfortunately I have not weighed him and don't have anything that can do it so far that I know of. Maybe next time I stop at wal-mart I will check for a scale. I picked up some food today, got a live hopper (backup plan #2), small live rat (backup plan #1), and a small pre-killed rat. The pre-killed was kind of a coincidence. I asked for frozen but they didn't have any, so I said pre-killed was okay too. I tried the pre-killed rat first (put it in his cage on a paper towel) and he eventually went to work on it after about 10 minutes. I'm happy he accepted pre-killed though so now he can get the full nutrition with no danger to himself!