Re: Going from mice to rats?
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmmuscle91
Just feed one appropriate sized prey item once a week. If a small rat is about the same size as her girth, then try a small rat. Good luck.
only one prey item?
Re: Going from mice to rats?
I am trying to decide what to order -- ordering online so I cannot see the sizes of the rats and need some help out.
My girl is about 30 inches long and just at a year old. She was around 24/25 inches when I got her in Nov and skinny...now she has some girth to her (a booty as I call it).
My girl has been eating 2 rat pups a week. She actually acts like she may eat more or she is just curious but I have stuck to two. Sometimes she takes a while on the second one (to bite) and since she is growing I felt that was good until now. They go down REALLY fast now and I think they are too small so that is why I moved to feeding two. She is growing so I know that up until now...it has been the right amount. But thinking it is time to move up...
What is the next size up called? Am I on the right track you think? Since I cannot see them to compare to her width...trying to figure out what to ask for when I order.
My next question is - is it bad to move to bigger prey less often? I am keeping a friends snake who is 17 years old (another ball). She feeds him a big feeding about every 3 to 4 weeks...really he tells her when by his actions. So she gets his food when he gets into hunt mode. She still feeds him rat pups - but many of them since he does eat live - and she worries about him getting bitten.
What is the reason behind ensuring that the size of the food is the same or a little bigger than the width of the snake? Is this feeding unhealthy for him?
Re: Going from mice to rats?
I just had a though,...the general rule to determine the appropirate prey for a bp is by girth,..so how do you determine how many to feed?.,,just a though.I have a baby bp its about 20 inches i feed it one adult mice every 7-10 days. How would i know when he gets older if i should feed him more than one? or just one large prey?
Re: Going from mice to rats?
Quote:
Originally Posted by phoenix-dancing
I am trying to decide what to order -- ordering online so I cannot see the sizes of the rats and need some help out.
Use this link and click on any of the mice or rats to see the sizes
http://www.themousefactory.com/rates/rates.html
Re: Going from mice to rats?
Also have a look at www.rodentpro.com for pics and sizes so you can figure out what you need. Basically rats go this way...pinkie (age birth to about 8 or 9 days old), fuzzy (9 days to 14 days), pups (day 14 until they are weaned), weaned or weanling (after they are weaned and before they have reached the "small" size). There is more information in the stickies in the Feeder Forum describing each stage of young rat development.
Re: Going from mice to rats?
Quote:
My girl has been eating 2 rat pups a week. She actually acts like she may eat more or she is just curious but I have stuck to two. Sometimes she takes a while on the second one (to bite) and since she is growing I felt that was good until now. They go down REALLY fast now and I think they are too small so that is why I moved to feeding two.
I'd say you'd be good to go on small rats! I've had ball pythons much smaller and younger than yours get on small rats with no problem.
Quote:
My next question is - is it bad to move to bigger prey less often? I am keeping a friends snake who is 17 years old (another ball). She feeds him a big feeding about every 3 to 4 weeks
An mature adult ball python will be sustained on an appropriately sized meal every 3-4 weeks, but I would say that interval is an absolute minimum. In addition, you mentioned it was feeding on rat pups. Has this person owned the snake for 17 years? Was he aware that you are supposed to increase the size of prey as the size of the snake increases? Assure your friend that your snake will not be bitten by larger prey under an appropriately supervised feeding, and that his or her snake will benefit from eating more appropriately sized meals at a smaller interval.
Re: Going from mice to rats?
hey thanks!
I think I will move her up the food chain then and feed her one larger prey. Is it that when they are young they eat more often due to growing? Then when they get older they eat more at in one sitting and then wait? She is sooo easy to feed - weekly is easy for me. But learning here.
Yes ... my friend has had snakes (red tail boas and ball pythons) for about 30 years. She is quite experienced with them and I do not want to insult her but if I have info then she will not take it that way. She has had him for 16 years..got hime when he was 1 year old.
She does care for him well and loves him dearly -- do not want anyone to think otherwise -- but I take it that she is nervous about her boy getting bitten and has always done it this way. She completely watches over the feeding...actually it is quite time consuming since she feeds so many to ensure he get enough -- we are talking HOURS.
I am hearing that you would suggest a bigger prey, less in numbers, more like every 2 weeks or so. She feeds him according to his actions rather than the timeframe - he stays out a little more to let you know "Im hungry".
So what exactly is the reason for the size versus the number fed? Trying to understand that for myself and so I can share with her. I really want my girl to be completely healthy and SPOILED!
Re: Going from mice to rats?
What stood out to me about a 17 y/o ball eating rat pups is that I've got a 6 month old ball eating small rats. The idea is that rap pups alone probably don't fulfill the optimal nutritional requirements that a 17 y/o ball may need.
One thing that she is doing right though, is that ball pythons seem to benefit from eating multiple smaller prey items. The "benefit" is weighed on outcomes like feeding more consistently, growing at a faster rate, etc etc. I do think feeding a 17 y/o ball rat pups is extreme, I guess I'd have to see the snake before I made a definitive call on what prey size would be appropriate. Maybe refer your friend to the site.
Old-school herpers are very set in their ways and can be a source of conflict when they come to a site like this, teeming with people more current on husbandry issues.
If she's got a happy, healthy, well cared for 17 y/o ball that eats rat pups- I can't really argue with that.
Re: Going from mice to rats?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki
For whatever it's worth, my yearling (and 2 year old) adult females that are mousers are eating two adult mice per week and growing at the exact same rate my yearling females that are eating rats. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference in feeder type by looking at them. ;)
-adam
That is interesting to say the least. I have also noticed the same thing with one of my 18 month old's that is a mouser, gaining just as well as another the same age that is eating rats.
I breed rats purely because I can produce a ton of them in comparison to breeding mice that can't match it with rats when it comes to populating!
I wonder if a ball python can digest and make the most of 2 mice easier then one can by eating rats?
Re: Going from mice to rats?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sputnik
I wonder if a ball python can digest and make the most of 2 mice easier then one can by eating rats?
In my experience, gram for gram, it all works out to be about the same.
-adam
