Mice a few times a week instead of rats?

Hi there!

So I have a question regarding my ball python's meals. Would it be safe to feed ball pythons jumbo mice a few times a week rather than one rat once a week? Perhaps adding a chick here and there? I'm not new to ball pythons, but I am highly allergic to rats (long story) and before I sell my loved and gorgeous animals, I want to explore all areas before doing so.

My rat allergy has gotten to the point where my throat will close up with exposure to rats. YES hairless rats have the same effect on me (I am allergic to skin, pee, and saliva). ASF's are too expensive to feed, and I do not want to breed my own. I tried it. I do feed frozen thawed and it still has an effect on me.

I heard people suggesting chicks but I feel like it's more of a "treat" than anything else. They aren't made to live on birds alone.

I thought I would ask considering in the wild Ball pythons invade ASF's nest and gobble them down before moving to the next nest. These rats are actually smaller than regular rats (less "fat" than regular rats). Hence why I thought of JUMBO mice, but a few a week. Also I have read Ball pythons do better having smaller meals more often instead of a regular sized rat once a week. Also why I thought jumbo mice a few times a week would be a decent idea.

I understand it would probably cost more, and That the fat might now be high enough, and the nutrition might not meet the needs. However I am considering trying this experiemnt for a month or so, keeping a close eye on their weights and growth.

Is this worth a try? Any other suggestions regarding possible food items that they could eat instead?

Thank you in advance!

Short answer: Yes, mice are fine.

They do have a slightly higher fat/protein ratio than rats, but it's not going to cause your snakes serious problems. Mine eats only mice because she'll only take live and the only rats available live within an hour of where I live are jumbo rats, which she is too small for. I believe several people on here have BPs that eat only mice just because they're fixated on that food item and won't take rats.

That being said, rats and mice are very closely related. It would probably be a good idea to be careful with the mice; maybe even to the extent of wearing gloves and a disposable face-mask around them, so you don't develop a sensitivity to those too.

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Originally Posted by freedom21

Hi there!

So I have a question regarding my ball python's meals. Would it be safe to feed ball pythons jumbo mice a few times a week rather than one rat once a week? Perhaps adding a chick here and there? I'm not new to ball pythons, but I am highly allergic to rats (long story) and before I sell my loved and gorgeous animals, I want to explore all areas before doing so.

My rat allergy has gotten to the point where my throat will close up with exposure to rats. YES hairless rats have the same effect on me (I am allergic to skin, pee, and saliva). ASF's are too expensive to feed, and I do not want to breed my own. I tried it. I do feed frozen thawed and it still has an effect on me.

I heard people suggesting chicks but I feel like it's more of a "treat" than anything else. They aren't made to live on birds alone.

I thought I would ask considering in the wild Ball pythons invade ASF's nest and gobble them down before moving to the next nest. These rats are actually smaller than regular rats (less "fat" than regular rats). Hence why I thought of JUMBO mice, but a few a week. Also I have read Ball pythons do better having smaller meals more often instead of a regular sized rat once a week. Also why I thought jumbo mice a few times a week would be a decent idea.

I understand it would probably cost more, and That the fat might now be high enough, and the nutrition might not meet the needs. However I am considering trying this experiemnt for a month or so, keeping a close eye on their weights and growth.

Is this worth a try? Any other suggestions regarding possible food items that they could eat instead?

Thank you in advance!

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Both mice and chicks are both nutritionally adequate for a BP to live on. You'll have to feed multiples of either, but they are fine as far as nutritional content goes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20626504

You can also look at trying quails and maybe gerbils if you want.

Thank you so much for the help guys! Really appreciate it!

Feeding adult mice regularly is fine, particularly in your situation regarding your own health! Just make sure that it's not always the "jumbo" or retired breeders because they tend to be obese and have a higher fat content. Some would disagree with me, but in my experience ball pythons that are fed mice multiple times per week often grow much faster than those on rats weekly.