Let's Discuss Dietary Requirements for Ball Pythons

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

When you're referring to males climbing and catching, are you referring to all life stages of males? It would make sense to me that sexually mature males would display these active behaviors. However, it also makes sense to me that younger snakes would be more prone to hiding and ambushing rodents (and likely as many as they can reasonably snag) so as not to expose themselves to predators.

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Eric, there are two studies in which birds were noted as substantial parts of a ball python's diet - mainly male. One study was based on the gastric contents (I've provided it before to people), the other was a study regarding denning behavior in which the behavior was noted as prevalent. I'd have to refresh my memory as to whether it was associated with breeding behavior - in which males forego denning and ambushing while actively seeking out mates- or some other behavior.

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Originally Posted by Lizardlicks

That reminds me to ask what most everyone's stance is on feeding the occasional chick to a BP is. As I understand it, while they do sometimes take birds in the wild, BPs are mostly designed as a burrow dwelling snake, and live primarily off of rodents. They are of course highly opportunistic in the wild; you have to eat what you can catch! But does offering different prey items have a benefit nutritionally or psychologically for the snake? Draw backs? The only one I ever see discussed is the inevitable horrendous smelling poo...

Is it just something some owners do for their own amusement/peace of mind?

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Well, while many people keep ball pythons as pets, not many people keep them long enough to fully realize how dietary choices ultimately affect these snakes.

In other words, there may be long term consequences to feeding a snake who eats several different prey items just one item. I've seen it in boomslangs and other dispholidines that I've kept until they become senior citizens. Same with some other colubrids. They develop some debilitating health problems as they age.

The behavior in males is deliberate - not necessarily casual. I'd have to re-read the papers as to the behavioral or biological necessity that drive avian predation.

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Originally Posted by gameonpython

Skiploder, I must say that I agree with you. In fact, I never even heard of the 15% of body weight rule until I joined this forum. You are completely right in that advice is being given but no reasoning is provided and sometimes it doesn't even make logical sense. I did ask "why" and the answer I got was "doesn't matter why just do it"


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It's always good to question things. If someone can't give you an answer, then you should always strive to provide your own.

Okay folks, here's an example I've been discussing with another member offline.

That member has pits and kings and was wondering about dietary intake if set at 10 to 15%. No brumating is taking place.

Studies have been done on the feeding habits of various pituophis, but remember those studies are on snakes in the wild - snakes that are actively foraging, digging burrows and brumating. These studies show that these snakes will eat prey that are anywhere from 1% to 136% of their body mass.

However the mean (average prey size) is 21%.

Now keep in mind that these snakes are brumating between October and April and actively feeding only 5 or 6 months out of the year. These snakes are also more active than anything kept in captivity.

Without going into all the detail, let's try something...let's assume you have a bull snake that weighs 1000 grams. In the wild, that snake eats 20 weeks out of the year and consumes prey items 21% of it's body weight. That means that every week it's eating a prey item that weighs 210 grams. Over the course of the year, it then consumes 4,200 grams of prey (210 grams x 20 weeks).

In captivity and in the absence of brumation, you are feeding that same snake 12.5% of it's mass every week (125 grams). That means that over 52 weeks, that same snake is getting 6,500 grams of food and it's working less to get it.

In the wild, gopher snakes for example eat a diet that consists of about 75% mammals and 25% birds, bird eggs or lizards.

In short, if the goal is to mimic what a wild and extremely active pit eats, you would adjust that percentage to get closer to the wild model. If you were to match the 4,200 grams over 52 weeks, the prey size percentage would drop from 12.5% to 8%.

Now with king snakes, the average prey size mass is 33%. So with a hypothetical wild cal king weighing 1000 grams, it would eat an average meal of 330 grams for 20 weeks or a total of 6,600 grams in a year. The same animal if fed at the target 12.5% (10 to 15 range mean) over a year in captivity would be fed 6,500 grams (125 x 52 weeks) of food and no adjustment would be needed.

Unless the lack of activity was taken into account.

That's why it is important to question. Thats why it's important to look at what these animals eat in the wild. While there may be no psychological benefits per se, I think it behooves every keeper to not overfeed their snakes and to feed them a calorically proper diet.

Thank you very much for providing that information Skiploder. It puts things into perspective. A snake kept in captivity will not be as active as one in the wild so it is only logical that we conclude that it will need to consume less calories. Also, as already stated ball pythons are not what you would consider an active species, so I think the 10-15% rule goes out the window for adults. Now what about growing baby/juvenile snakes, surely they would need to consume quite a bit more food(proportionately) than an adult since they are rapidly growing?

I personally am somewhat more interested in the requirements of young snakes over that of adults.

Came across this bit of info that relates to this discussion.............



In his book “What’s Wrong with My Snake?” John Rossi DVM, MA cites a 1982 study by noted herpetologist H. S. Fitch, which found that snakes from temperate climates require between two and four times their body weight in food per year. For a typical 3-pound ball python (Python regius) this would equate to 6 to 12 pounds of food per year. If the snake eats rats that weigh approximately a quarter of a pound, a 3-pound ball python would require about 25 to 50 rats per year. Larger prey would allow for longer times between meals; this ball python could eat a 1-pound rat every other month, and still get enough food to survive and grow. To help provide context for these figures, the average American consumes approximately 2,000 pounds of food annually, or about 10 to 12 times the average human weight.
Metabolism
Cold-blooded animals like snakes have very slow metabolisms. Though snakes may produce extra metabolic heat when digesting prey, they typically don’t produce enough to heat the animal from the inside. As snakes require less food to fuel their furnaces, they can go long periods without eating. In addition to their normally slow metabolisms, some snakes can reduce their resting metabolic rate by 72 percent when food is scarce; this allows them to function on even fewer calories.

What a great idea for a thread.

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In his book “What’s Wrong with My Snake?” John Rossi DVM, MA cites a 1982 study by noted herpetologist H. S. Fitch, which found that snakes from temperate climates require between two and four times their body weight in food per year. For a typical 3-pound ball python (Python regius) this would equate to 6 to 12 pounds of food per year. If the snake eats rats that weigh approximately a quarter of a pound, a 3-pound ball python would require about 25 to 50 rats per year

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But ball pythons are not temperate snakes. They live in a long, geographic band between the Sahara and the equator.

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Originally Posted by Alicia

What a great idea for a thread.



But ball pythons are not temperate snakes. They live in a long, geographic band between the Sahara and the equator.

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Would that mean that they have much higher rates of metabolism?

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Originally Posted by yl4870

Would that mean that they have much higher rates of metabolism?

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While I do not know if anyone has done a study on the metabolisms of ball pythons (have they??) . . . Based on my own observations, having kept temperate snakes, honestly, the opposite appears to be true.

Ball pythons appear, to me, to have a slower metabolism than the temperate snakes I've kept when using rate of pooping as a measure. I'm mostly out of temperate snakes now, but I still have my old rosy boa -- even eating sparingly, she poops more than the balls. They also poop less frequently than Angolan and carpet pythons. My BPs poop about once a month; Angolans and the rosy (other than in winter), once a week to just over a week; my carpet poops about 2-3 weeks, but is on a 4-week feeding shedule. Carpet python poop, is a lot more BP poop in relation to their body size than what the Angolans and the rosy leave. I don't have any now, but as an example of a really high metabolism, temperate snake, garters I swear go daily.

I know that's not scientific, but digestion is something I can observe at home. Maybe someone else can chime in.

I think there are some people that stick with what is "safe" when offering advice.
If it is common practice in the hobby then there can be less fallout.
I stick with certain recommendations like this as well, however I am also of the "just because it works in my house doesn't mean it will in yours."
That being said, I have not been in this hobby as long as many of the members here that I have learned a lot from.
Both what to and what not to do.

As far as feedings go, I probably do overfeed because I offer weekly though I have my own twist on it.
Hatchlings get offered every four or five days and I don't worry if they eat or not after they have taken a hopper on their own at least once.
My adults get offered till they are done. This might be over feeding but I also keep track of their poos.
If their body is using what they are eating then there should be minimal coming out of the other end.
If they are leaving huge piles then their intake get regulated back.

I know this is not very scientific as far as what Skip is looking for but it is what has been working for me.