Efficient Feeding

Hello, I have just two questions and was wondering if you can help me out a little bitt... so first of all I would like to know how can I be sure that my bp is full after her first fuzzy? how do I know how much is enough?

And the other point I would like to know is that if you guys could recommend me an online place where I can buy frozen food for my bp... petsmart sells a 6 pack of fuzzies for $14 dollars... would you happen to know about a good online shop for frozen food? with good quality and price.. ? (including shipping, which is not cheap)

thank you :)

Generally the rule of thumb is 10-15% of your BPs weight for a food item. It also depends on the weight of the snake. If its under 500g, then 10-15% every 3-4 days. Some people do every 5 days and some do every 7 days. But generally in that area. If you don't have a scale, then a food item that is about as wide or up to 1.5 times as wide as the widest part of your snake. As for being full, babies are always hungry. Dot, my little pied girl was eating every 3-4 days food items that were about 20% her weight and she still acted hungry all the time. She is now up to 433g and mellowing out on food. She still loves to eat but doesn't act like she hasn't eaten in 2 years anymore. If your snake is over 500g then all that goes out the window as you now just need to do a maintenance diet which is usually one small rat a week or two depending how big your snake is.

As for online rodent stores, I heard good things about Big Cheese Rodents. I personally just buy live and do cervical dislocation on my rats for my BCI and BP as I view it like a home cooked meal vs frozen dinner but that's just me :)

I have used the big cheese rodent factory and they do a great job, but thinking about rodent pro because there cheaper and also heard good things about them.

prey size equal to snake girth, feed for slow growth. As long as the snake is shedding regularly and growing then it is getting enough food. This method requires the owner to keep detailed notes tracking progress. What you should never do, is over feed in an attempt to get faster growth. In fact in almost all cases slower growth is better for the snake. A snake that is growing slowly, on just enough food, will live longer than one growing faster, being power fed. I actually think the 10% or 15% percent rule is way too much food for anything bigger than neonates. First BP's are really sedentary snakes. Second, they a be prone to fatty livers. Third, in the wild they have to search for food so they do not get fed every time they are hungry. Feeding a snake whenever it is hungry leads to this. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ht=fatty+liver

In my opinion, the most important part of feeding is observing the effect feeding has on the animal. Ball pythons should be round, but not overly fat compared with the head. Watch for a concave look or visible bones, these indicate too little food. Keep accurate track of weight. This is the best way to make sure your python is growing slowly. Note: that right before sheds snakes can look malnourished/dehydrated, so if bellies are pink, colors are dull and eyes are blue, this is completely normal. Do not increase food. In fact it is best to stop feeding till after shed.

As your snake reaches sexual maturity it needs much less food. Try to keep weight relatively stable with good body tone. Note: Breeding females may need different care. That is advanced husbandry that should be explored when needed

David