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if a rat is too big for a bp to eat will he not eat it?

and how big of a rat is too big?

i got my bp 2 weeks ago and the last time he ate was about 3 weeks ago.

my bp goes to the rat n looks at him, then the rat moves n my bp goes the other way.

how long will it take him b4 he will eat?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aceboogie09

if a rat is too big for a bp to eat will he not eat it?

and how big of a rat is too big?

i got my bp 2 weeks ago and the last time he ate was about 3 weeks ago.

my bp goes to the rat n looks at him, then the rat moves n my bp goes the other way.

how long will it take him b4 he will eat?

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Prey size is determined one of several ways:

1. feed your snake a rodent that is the same width as your snake at the widest point.

2. feed your snake a rodent that is 10-15% of its body weight

3. feed multiple prey items to get the 10-15%.

Personally, i feed my snakes an appropriately sized prey item. (1 above). My ball python, is 1000 grams and is fed weaned or small rats. They leave a slight lump in her after she has fed.

A snake may try to eat a prey item that is too large for it, but it may not. It really depends on the individual animal.

Also another thing that may of not been mentioned was, rats & mice smell different. If you were previously feeding him mice, and tried rats, he may not go, its not an un-common thing.

And if your enclosure is not set up properly, he also may not eat. How often have you been handling him during these two weeks? If you to to our caresheets, there's a great check list of reasons why they may not eat. Are you feeding in a separate feeding tub? Some ball pythons are too shy to eat after being moved and prefer to hunt from the safety of their hides. There's a multitude of reasons that he's not interested, but we really don't have enough information.