What Size Next? Feeding Question

I have a yearling ball python and he has been living on 2 ave size adult mice a week. I am wanting to move him on to rats as my mouse supply is dwindling and I feel it easier to feed one larger meal than two smaller ones. The feeding mice in question are approx 25-35 grams each, making a weekly meal of 50-70 grams. I can order any size rat, but I don't know what size would be best to move up to. I would prefer to buy one size that can last him awhile so I can order 100-200 of them at once since it costs less. So what do you think I should move him up to?

You want the next one abve rat pups. Weaned are usually around 50g or sometimes just called small rats but small can mean up to almost 100g. I'd order half weaned, half smalls.

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Originally Posted by nicktreb

You want the next one abve rat pups. Weaned are usually around 50g or sometimes just called small rats but small can mean up to almost 100g. I'd order half weaned, half smalls.

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Sounds like what they call hoppers? I was thinking that size, but I feel he'll really quickly outgrow them. Should I order like 25 of them and then 50 of the next size maybe?

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Originally Posted by Freaky_Ferret

Sounds like what they call hoppers? I was thinking that size, but I feel he'll really quickly outgrow them. Should I order like 25 of them and then 50 of the next size maybe?

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Hoppers are mice. They don't classify any age of rats as hoppers, because they don't "boing" like weaned mice do. Rat weans is what you're looking for.

On this site, you're probably wanting small rats:

http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp...el=frozen_rats

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Originally Posted by rabernet

They don't classify any age of rats as hoppers, because they don't "boing" like weaned mice do.

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Hahahahahahahaha, that just sounds funny! :D

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Hoppers are mice. They don't classify any age of rats as hoppers, because they don't "boing" like weaned mice do.

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I buy from Pet Ice Box and on their site they call them rat hoppers :confused:

I am actually in EXACTLY the same situation as Freaky_Ferret right now. My ball python just turned 1 year old and is just over 800g. She has been getting 2 adult mice per week at about 50-60g total. It's time she is moved up. In looking at RodentPro.com, the "small" rats seem just a little too small, and the medium seem a bit too big. I wonder if it would be a good strategy to get one batch of the small and feed every 5 days instead of once per week and then move up to the medium after that? Based on age and weight, am I correct in my thinking of how much she should be eating?

That's actually what I'm thinking I might do too.

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Originally Posted by Hissperia

I am actually in EXACTLY the same situation as Freaky_Ferret right now. My ball python just turned 1 year old and is just over 800g. She has been getting 2 adult mice per week at about 50-60g total. It's time she is moved up. In looking at RodentPro.com, the "small" rats seem just a little too small, and the medium seem a bit too big. I wonder if it would be a good strategy to get one batch of the small and feed every 5 days instead of once per week and then move up to the medium after that? Based on age and weight, am I correct in my thinking of how much she should be eating?

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Ball pythons really don't need to eat anything larger than a small/medium rat in my understanding. If you have a yearling, a small would probably be enough. If you are feeding small rats, you shouldn't be feeding more often than every 7 days.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Ball pythons really don't need to eat anything larger than a small/medium rat in my understanding. If you have a yearling, a small would probably be enough. If you are feeding small rats, you shouldn't be feeding more often than every 7 days.

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It seems I remember someone mentioning the max prey size a bp should get. Does anyone know what that rule is? I think it was something like the largest prey they are given should be no more than 150g (or something like that). For example, if you are feeding a bp that weighs 2000g, and if you are feeding it 10% of it's body weight, then you should feed it two 100g rats, as opposed to one 200g rat. Is that what you are refering to Kaorte? Just wish I remember what the max weight of prey is.

Freaky Ferret -- I think you will be fine ordering small and mediums. My bp is 450g, and I just ordered a pack of smalls, and a pack of mediums from Rodent Pro. I figure by the time he eats the 20 smalls, that hopefully the 10 mediums will be the right size. I noticed on Rodent Pro that there is quite a weight range even within sizes (eg smalls are 40-90g -- or something like that). I am going to vac seal my rats individually when I get them, so I am going to weigh each one before I package it, and then record the weight. Then, I figure I will just start with the smallest rat, and work my way up to the largest.

I really wanted to order more rats then what I did, but most people say they only last about six months in the freezer. I figured 30 for one order was about right -- even though the shipping was more than the rats!! But it still figures out to only $2.13 a rat shipped to where I live (beats $6 a piece at Petco).

Hope this helps, and isn't too much info (sometimes I get long winded) :)

Later,

George