Does this seem excessive?

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Unless you are planning on breeding, I would just go with a small rat once a week for both. If your female turns out to be a big girl, maybe a small medium rat but your boy should be fine on small rats. I have never really seen an obese ball python

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Thanks for the advice! I have some frozen small rats as well. I can save the mice for new snakes...

I actually am planning to breed this pair. How would this alter the feeding regimen? Sorry I've got so many questions! Just want to get husbandry and breeding methods down...

The breeder my albino girl came from also told me that ball pythons will not overfeed...:)

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Originally Posted by 200xth

I think I got confused.

You posted a link to site that says feed every 7 to 10 days, and asked if that was excessive. You then said you feed your snakes every 1 to 3 days.

I wouldn't feed them every day or every two days. Just feed them once a week. If you need to feed them two mice on that day.

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Sorry for the confusion! I've been feeding them jumbo mice. That site says to feed at 10-20% of the snakes' weight each 3-4 days for juvenilles, and each week for adults. That would be a 110-220 gram rat for my albino! (Do rats get that big? Lol). My jumbo mice are maybe 35 grams, hence the increased feeding frequency...:)

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Originally Posted by RoyaLoveRay

Sorry for the confusion! I've been feeding them jumbo mice. That site says to feed at 10-20% of the snakes' weight each 3-4 days for juvenilles, and each week for adults. That would be a 110-220 gram rat for my albino! (Do rats get that big? Lol). My jumbo mice are maybe 35 grams, hence the increased feeding frequency...:)

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Ah, I missed that. My adult males and smaller adult females get small rats, my largest females get mediums. I don't offer adults 20% of their body weight each feeding, LOL!

Well some say to feed every 2 weeks unless you are breeding, then feed every week or at least offer every week. I personally don't breed so someone who does might be able to offer maybe a better schedule. I mostly just meant, for BPs I would just offer food every week regardless. Conditioning for breeding is a whole new ballgame that I have no idea in as I have never bred BPs but I'm sure someone who has can chime in on that aspect. As for 10-20%, that whole rule goes out the window when they get to be adults. I personally quit even weighing food for my girl when she hit the 433g weight. Around 500g, I would just eyeball it and give them a rat that's about as thick as they are or slightly thicker. Around 500g they should be on small rats or close to it. The 10-20% every 3-4 days is for babies or anything up to around 500g but like I said, I threw it out the window at 433g on my girl as she is healthy looking. Plus I like to actually see her come out sometimes and when I was feeding her every 3-4 days, I hardly ever saw her except for her head and neck every 3 days when she would poke her head out of her hide to look for a rat.

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Originally Posted by RoyaLoveRay

Sorry for the confusion! I've been feeding them jumbo mice. That site says to feed at 10-20% of the snakes' weight each 3-4 days for juvenilles, and each week for adults. That would be a 110-220 gram rat for my albino! (Do rats get that big? Lol). My jumbo mice are maybe 35 grams, hence the increased feeding frequency...:)

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I gotcha now. I see what you're saying.

I have one who only eats jumbo mice (33g to 45g usually) and day old chicks (same approximate weight). She won't touch rats.

She gets fed once a week (7 day cycle) like everyone else. Two or three times she's gotten two prey items, but normally it's just one. She skips on shed weeks as well.

She's gone from 503g end of September to 852g as of last week feeding that way. One of those mice a week, maybe two if you want, should be more than enough. You definitely don't need to do 20% each feeding.