Prey size...

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Originally Posted by CntrlF8

My little guy though, I wanna stuff him as full as I can 'cause he needs to put on some weight before the winter...

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Why does he need to put on weight before the winter?

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Originally Posted by SnakieMom

Can someone please explain to me why a medium rat is not a good idea?

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1) They don't get medium sized rats once a week in the wild, in fact, 1 small/small rat once a week (52 times a year) is much more than they'd ever eat in a year in the wild.

2) More likely to encounter extended fasts, especially in the winter.

3) More likely to encounter refusals throughout the year.

4) That's a lot of food to digest each week. More waste.

If it helps, here's what I do give or take. These numbers are off the top of my head ...

(also, this doesn't cover mousers)

Right now my 2006 hatchlings range approx 300 - 800 grams ... they are all eating fuzzy rats weekly.

My 2005 hatchlings are about 800 - 1200 grams (again this is all approx) ... they are eating weaned rats weekly.

My adults range 1200 - 4800 grams and eat "small small" rats weekly ... I don't feed mediums or full grown smalls to anyone.

Each person should do what works for them ... this works for me and for people that I have helped with their ball pythons that had feeding problems ... I have tremendous success feeding my ball pythons this way ... no fasting, no refusals, everyone grows at a predictable rate and is breedable when they are breedable. My collection is checked by my vet twice a year and is flawless.

I hope that this information is helpful to someone.

-adam

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Why does he need to put on weight before the winter?

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Because I'm hoping he'll be able to breed this year, and at his current weight that's not possible. He's thin for his length, I think... The person I bought him from said he was on a fast from December up until the beginning of May.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

4) That's a lot of food to digest each week. More waste.

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not that i don't like cleaning poo every 2-3 weeks, but if i had to do it every week... :stupidme:

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Originally Posted by CntrlF8

Because I'm hoping he'll be able to breed this year, and at his current weight that's not possible. He's thin for his length, I think... The person I bought him from said he was on a fast from December up until the beginning of May.

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do you have a female for him?

Thanks, everyone, for the indepth explanations.

My female I try to feed every week, she's so chunky, and for a wild caught she
eats like a horse! :carrot:


The males, well, they're a little different. One's a WC (Merlin) and the other (as far as i know) is CB.
My next question...is it ok to feed a medium rat to a snake that eats on a totally random schedule? or, is it better to feed them small reats while trying to keep them on a schedule for health purposes?
Quite honestly, I don't know if they'd eat on a weekly basis...:confused:

I was just wondering what everyone means by small small rats.

Just curious.

Hi,


I beleive Adam once said he thinks they are around 35-40 grammes.

Anyone who has a better memory feel free to jump in and correct me though.:D


dr del

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Originally Posted by SnakieMom

Can someone please explain to me why a medium rat is not a good idea?

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In the long run your BP will fast to catch up.

When fed smaller preys BP are more consistent, doing so I do not experience fasting with my crew.

Just remember because they can eat a large prey does not mean they need to.