Prey size

Been feeding my ball pythons weaned rats and seem to be too small but not sure if their big enough for small sized rats.. took my two fingers as seen in picture the thickest part of my ball python is just a little thicker then my two fingers and the small rats from where I get them are just a little less then two fingers..


http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...5ff4895b5d.jpg

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We can't tell if you have large hands or small hands, the picture doesn't really give us a reference point. It's hard to size prey like this online, it's much easier to just get a scale and weigh the snake and then go from there. Not to mention online vendors usually have similar weight ranges for feeders but local stores are all over the place, so it's useful to weigh the rats too so you know what size to ask for.

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Originally Posted by bks2100

We can't tell if you have large hands or small hands, the picture doesn't really give us a reference point. It's hard to size prey like this online, it's much easier to just get a scale and weigh the snake and then go from there. Not to mention online vendors usually have similar weight ranges for feeders but local stores are all over the place, so it's useful to weigh the rats too so you know what size to ask for.

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Ya I kinda of of thought of that...
They range from 350-450 grams.

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Originally Posted by robert7107

They range from 350-450 grams.

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https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...use+comparison



My Local Pet Shop calls a 30 gram feeder a small rat, so I've just gone by the 10-15% of the bp's empty weight rule, and I plan to keep that up until the rats get to ~ 80-100g and stick to that size for the rest of his life. Does that seem like a reasonable feeding plan?

Here are some Ball Python Feeding Guidelines I put together this afternoon. What perfect timing!

Download the guide (PDF file)

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

Here are some Ball Python Feeding Guidelines I put together this afternoon. What perfect timing!

Download the guide (PDF file)

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Great guide Eric

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Since I use fresh killed rodents my prey size varies wildly depending on what I have in my rat rack. Usually if I try to feed a rat that's too big they refuse to grab it. And sometimes I go with several medium or large mice instead of a rat, mainly to use up those stinky mice LOL. And sometimes I'll go for nearly two weeks without feeding because I don't have rodents available. The fast seems to get all of their appetites kick started and they all start eating very well after that. I try to feed everyone twice a week but if I'm running low I'll cut it back to once a week for a few weeks. I think it's more of a natural thing for a snake to get all different kinds of rodent sizes and an occasional fast for a couple weeks, seems to be working well for me.