rat size question

just had a question . i am trying to switch my python to FT rats and i went and picked one up today. looked at it in the store and it seemed ok, but got it home and i think its too big. i asked for a small rat since my snake is 500grams and they only had mediums. i looked at the bag and took the smallest one. my snake should be eating around 80grams at a time and this rat weighed 137 grams on my scale. do you think it would be safe to feed or should i hold off for a smaller rat?

Hes in his cage staring at me waiting for food and im on the fence.....lol up to now he has been eating double live mice, and a few live gerbils.

For a first rat? It's almost twice as big as it should be, I myself wouldn't offer. My 500 gram girl was refusing 80 grams when I was offering them, she couldn't have handled a 100 gram and most certainly not a 140. You could try, but he'll (probably) refuse. When trying to switch it's better to offer too small than too big.

I personally would. Your snake will either take it or refuse it.... no harm done... i think its better to offer and refuse than to not offer at all. If he/she doesnt take it wait and offer smaller next time

hmmmm. i might offer then. a buddy said if i was worried i could crack the pelvis to make it easier for the snake. anyone here do that before? he looks hungry so im pretty sure hes going to at least strike/constrict it. hes never refused a meal since i got him at 80grams. he has eaten live up to now though.

ive never done it and i probably wouldnt just because broken bone have the potential to become sharp.... my boy is at 170 grams and swallows 40 gram rats every 5 days.... its not the size i would be worried about its just hard because youre trying to switch to frozen thawed.... and in that case u have the most successful chance by offering something that resembles the same exact thing he/she has been eating before

ok, well im thawing it out now, i will report back on what happens lol. it just looks big. my snake is close to as wide as it though, so i should be ok. just a lot longer then the gerbil hes been getting. he ate a 80gram gerbil the last 2 weeks no problemo. fierce feeding response.

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Originally Posted by h22a1

just had a question . i am trying to switch my python to FT rats and i went and picked one up today. looked at it in the store and it seemed ok, but got it home and i think its too big. i asked for a small rat since my snake is 500grams and they only had mediums. i looked at the bag and took the smallest one. my snake should be eating around 80grams at a time and this rat weighed 137 grams on my scale. do you think it would be safe to feed or should i hold off for a smaller rat?

Hes in his cage staring at me waiting for food and im on the fence.....lol up to now he has been eating double live mice, and a few live gerbils.

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The only thing personally I would watch for if he does take it is just how large a lump it leaves if the girth of the rat is right he may have no issue with it even though the weight is bigger than recommended but as the others have stated he will either take it or refuse it but it is always best to offer and have it refused than not offer at all.

Rats:
	Age	Weight	Length*	Equivalent
Rat Pinkies	1-6 days	3-8 grams	1-2"	Mouse Fuzzie
Rat Fuzzies	7-13 days	9-20 grams	2-2.5"	Hopper or Weaned Mice
Rat Pups	2-3 weeks	21-30 grams	2.5-3.5"	Large Mouse
Weaned Rats	3-4 weeks	31-45 grams	3.5-4.5"	X-Large Mouse
Small Rats	4-6 weeks	46-79 grams	4.5-6"
Medium Rats	6-8 weeks	80-149 grams	6-8"
Large Rats	8-10 weeks	150-265 grams	8-9"	1/2 lb Rabbit
X-Large Rats	Adult Rat	266-360 grams	9-11"	1 lb Rabbit
XX-Large Rats	Adult Rat	Over 361 grams	11" +	1.5 lb Rabbit

* Length does NOT include tails.

Here is a chart that may help next time they offer you a different size than you asked for. Let us know how he does.

well i offered the rat. he came out instantly and headbutted it a few times, but wouldnt strike with a zombie dance. i left it in his cage and he crawled over a bit almost sizing it up, then went back into his hide. im guessing he thought it was too big and backed off, so im going to have and try a small next week.

It's not the size of the rat that turned him off to it, it's switching to F/T as previously stated. Your ball python would have likely refused it it was a 60g rat, you forget that evolution has designed these guys to take larger meals then we offer, we feed smaller size prey as a optimal way to keep track of their growth and health (stool sample); a reasonable size meal on a weekly/bi-weekly feeding schedule will have a steadier growth rate then a sporatic large feeding whenever they take it, you obiously do not want to feed a crazy large meal weekly. Save some money and get a smaller F/T prey size until he takes it then get back to feeding the 80g or whatever appropiate size you are feeding at the time; if he doesn't take it wait until the next feeding to try again.

well here is a update. i gave him 2 frozen thawed adult mice last week and he took them wit hout a problem. figured he just needed a scent to get going so i got some bedding from the mice at the store and put a frozen thawed small rat in the bag and shook it around. brushed the loose bedding off the rat and offered it to the snake. he took it fairly quickly and continued to eat it backwards.....but he did eat it lol. looks like im in the clear hopefully. it was a good 75-80g rat too. im pretty excited i got him to take it fairly easily :)