few questions

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

I can't see your pic in this thread - is this it?


dr del

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yes thats the picture

Personally, hatchlings i feed every 4-5 days til the get to about 6-700 g then i taper them to once a week. When theyre young they have a much bigger appetite.

Def go with appropiate sized rats. Much more protein content. My freind has 2normals that are "mousers" and the size difference between his animals and mine(that are younger) is huge. Nothing wrong with mice but its like keeping them on a slim fast diet.

Yes. I think he looks like a good weight.

I'm sorry if my post was confusing. I didn't proof :( I don't feel my snakes, I feed them. Lol. And, I meant the younger they are the easier it is to switch to rats. Wait until they can hand a hopper size though. It seems to me if you switch from something that moves to something that really doesn't. :)

My little pastel is only about a month old. She must have been a runt because she is so tiny. It's hard finding her the right size prey item. So, I'm feeding her as much as she will eat (4-5 days). It's only been taking her about a day to a day and a half to digest it.

He looks pleasantly plump!

Feeding every 5 days is perfectly fine for a young growing snake.

Rats have better nutrition, but he should be fine off of mice, mine do :)

thanks for all the helpful answers and advice guys. stratus, you said wait til he can handle a hopper, do you mean a hopper mouse or rat? because hes eating full grown mice atm

sorry for double post but i was also wondering will feeding rats be more dangerous? my Mars just wont feed on f/t, so i have to feed live, never had a problem so far though, hes really good at aiming his strike i have a couple vid on youtube if you want to check out him striking :p

heres the link
YouTube - Ball Python Feeding
didnt get the feed in though just the strike, comes in around 3:55 minutes

A mouse can do just as much damage as a rat, but neither can do enough damage to matter if you supervise your feedings.

Also, I would recommend feeding the snake in its home enclosure to avoid the stress of moving before and after a meal.

ive read that the snakes can become agressive if fed in the same enclosure?

and so your saying a rat wouldnt kill my snake even if it bit or scratched?

whats the most that can happen if the rat bites or scratches?

and also how should i supervise the feeding, i usually just watch until Mars is done eating

would a rat pup be a good size for my snake?

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ive read that the snakes can become agressive if fed in the same enclosure?

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It is a myth. I feed all my snakes in their enclosures and I have never been bitten. The most bites that people sustain are from snakes during feeding time. These bites happen because someone got too close during feeding time. Handling the snake during feeding time is an example of getting too close.

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and so your saying a rat wouldnt kill my snake even if it bit or scratched?

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No. A scratch here or a bite there won't matter. The life threatening mouse and rat attacks come from keepers who have left a rodent in with a snake for long periods of time and the snake has no interest in eating. This can be fatal.

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whats the most that can happen if the rat bites or scratches?

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It might bleed a little and scab over but it shouldn't leave a scar.

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and also how should i supervise the feeding, i usually just watch until Mars is done eating

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Once the rodent is dead and not a threat to the snake.