Feeding Question

I have an albino ball python that i bought in August. I have fed him live hoppers since I've had him. He currently weighs 108 grams. What size meal should i feed him? He hasn't shed since i had him, that's why I'm asking if he needs a larger meal.

The food should be the same as the widest part of the body, and it should leave a lump in the belly. If its not leaving a lump, time to move up. But it should be eating weanling to adult mice I'd say. Definitely something larger than hoppers.

Also, I have a 981 gram normal that eats f/t small rats. Is that right for one that size?

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Originally Posted by kyle13404

I have an albino ball python that i bought in August. I have fed him live hoppers since I've had him. He currently weighs 108 grams. What size meal should i feed him? He hasn't shed since i had him, that's why I'm asking if he needs a larger meal.

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How often are you feeding him?

Hoppers are pretty small. At 108g he should probably be on adult mice or small-ish rat pups at this point.

If you have a scale and want to weigh things, you're aiming for 10% to 15% of his weight in food at one time for now. This guideline goes away as he gets older so don't apply it to any BP's you have that weight 1000g.

If no scale or you don't want to weigh things, you're looking for food about as big around as your snake is at his widest point.

Most people feed their hatchlings anything from every 4 days to every 7 days.

If you up his food size, and feed him every 5 to 7 days he should start to grow for you.

If you have frozen hoppers in bulk and want to use those up first, it's perfectly fine to feed him two of those at a time until you get rid of them.

I feed both of them every 7 days.

For the larger one, the small rats seem appropriate.

I said this somewhere else recently, I don't go past small rats with my males. My largest is 1200g he gets smalls, but on a regular basis, and seems to be happy, is still growing, but very slowly.

Yeah most people don't go above smalls for adult males. They just don't really need the calories. It's fine to feed once a week.

To the OP move your snake to rat pups :gj: